- Explain the difference between spontaneous and procured abortion. Ethical impact of each one.
Spontaneous abortion is a natural process in which one loses the fetus. It occurs when the pregnancy is less than 20 weeks. If the pregnancy is 20 weeks and more, it is called a miscarriage. It is an abortion that does not require any external intervention. The ethical impact is that it is a natural process that brings grief to the family. It is also an act of loss to the family.
Procured abortion is where one makes a decision to abort the baby, and it is not a natural process since it relies on external interference. It is unethical in that it amounts to the killing of the fetus. It has to be solicited. Hence it can have an impact on those who commit it. It may, therefore, end up haunting someone for a longer period of time.
- Why can the contraceptive pill, the IUD, and the “morning-after” pill are also considered abortifacients?
It is mainly because they all claim to have the ability to prevent pregnancy after a man’s sperm has fertilized the woman’s egg. In that, it stops a fertilized egg from growing into a full baby.
- Abortion methods, depending on the stage of pregnancy. Explain each one.
Manual vacuum abortion- This procedure can be used during the early first trimester, which is mostly around 5 to 12 weeks after the last menstrual period. It involves the use of a specially designed syringe to apply suction.
Electric vacuum abortion. Just like the case with manual vacuum abortion, the process usually takes place between the 5th and 12th week. It involves the use of a thin tube that is mostly referred to as a cannula, which is attached to the bottle and pump through tubing hence the ability to provide a gentle vacuum.
Dilation and Evacuation is the abortion process that involves the dilation of the cervix and surgical evacuation of the uterus. It usually takes place during the first trimester of pregnancy that is between 5th and 12th week.
Dilation and curettage is a procedure that is used to remove tissue from the uterus through the use of scrapping and scooping method. It is effective before the 16 weeks are over.
Medical abortion is the process in which medication such as abortion pill is used to end a pregnancy and does not require any surgery or anesthesia.
Hysterotomy it an abortion that involves an incision being made in the uterus and is mostly performed during the caesarian section. It is usually performed in the event there is fetal surgery or during premature labor.
Intact Dilation and Extraction is a process that is surgical in nature, which removes an intact fetus from the uterus. This method of abortion can be used for both miscarriages and abortions that are induced, and it is very effective in the second and third trimester of pregnancy.
Partial-Birth Abortion is the process where a fetus is removed when it is intact from the woman’s womb. It is like giving birth only that the fetus comes out dead.
Induced Miscarriage is a process that is performed by a pregnant woman with the help of a few non-medical personnel.
- Roe Vs. Wade, describe the case and provide a summary of Norma McCorvey’s life.
This is a case where the supreme court ruled that the unduly restrictive regulation of abortion by the state is unconstitutional, and this meant that the pregnant women had the right and liberty to choose whether to have an abortion of not without being dictated to by the government. This further meant that the state laws that had banned abortions were therefore made unconstitutional hence abortion was made many legal circumstances.
Norma McCorvey’s life was one that was punctuated with challenges in that upon giving birth at the age of 16; she was not able to take care of the child hence the reason she gave up the child to her mother to take care of the baby. The mother was an alcoholic, and this was also a challenge. She gave birth to her second child in 1967 and also gave up the second child for adoption. When she got pregnant the third time in 1969, she wanted to abort, but it was told it was not possible because the Texas law did not support abortion hence she was not allowed to abort, and by the time the ruling was being made she had already given birth and given up the child for adoption. She later befriended Philip Benham of pro-life and started advocating for the pro-life group since the year 1995 till her death in 2017.
- Describe some better alternatives to abortion.
There are three main alternatives to abortion. These three are adoption, legal guardianship, and finally, parenting. For the case of adoption, after delivering the child, one can be able to get into an arrangement where they either have open adoption whereby someone will still have the chance to check on the child or closed adoption where there are no links left between the mother and the child immediately the child is taken up by their foster parents. For the case of legal guardianship, the child is placed in another person’s family but in this case, one may give up most of the parental rights but will certainly retain some and in the future when they are stable financially they may be able to take the child and raise them by themselves unlike adoption where the decision is permeant and the rights or raising the child are given up permanently. The third one is the case where the individual fully raises the child and discharges their parenting roles. This may include co-parenting, where the child’s father is also involved in the process of raising the child.
- Read and make a summary of ERD paragraphs # 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 66
There is a need to handle carefully the issue of abortion based on the fact that even though people may have their way with regards to their life, things may be indeed much more different if it did not work out accordingly for them. There is a need to make sure that the decisions made are ethical, and they do not end up haunting the individuals involved.