Abortion
Pro-life vs. Pro-choice - Episode Preview and Article
Written by: Alvina Anwar - Writer for the Topilitical article chain
Even if you barely study the science behind politics, the vast majority of people understand the context when we use the phrases Pro-life and Pro-choice. Abortion, as you know, is an extremely controversial subject. The sensitivity surrounding it makes it nearly impossible for many to express their opinion on the matter, whether they are left or right-wing.
Although we don't necessarily have to explain what abortion is, the science behind it, surprisingly, is unknown to many. For those who do know what happens during an abortion, which we will talk about later, understand its severity and how it harms the baby. However, if an abortion is not received, the mother will have no choice but to birth said child. Whether it's raised by its biological parents or put up for adoption. The question of abortion is simple. What do you value more? The baby, or its mother? Unfortunately, during childbirth, it usually succumbs to this choice.
First of all, let's discuss the options a mother has once she becomes pregnant. Having a child is a huge thing, and even though nearly every woman on earth has given birth at least once in their lifetime, it should not be minimized. What the human body experiences during childbirth is excruciating, beyond what we can put into words. The respect that's given to child givers is deserved, considering many end up with permanent scars, or even death if not handled properly.
As you can imagine, this terrifies many women. Putting themselves at risk to start a new life can be viewed as frightening, and rightly so. This applies especially to young girls, specifically pregnant teens. We are all familiar with the issue of teenage pregnancy, and how it can ruin your life. Even if the mother does decide to put their child up for adoption, childbirth is still required. For those in this situation or those who reconcile with it, their opinions usually fall under being Pro-choice.
Teen mothers aren't the only group of people who lean towards abortion though. Many people simply don't have the means to take care of a child and find it unfair to the youngster to bring them into a difficult life. However, since this point is so popular, there's an equally popular rebuttal for it. "Just put them up for adoption". This counter-argument has been debated time and time again, and no matter what answers are said, many people stay firm on their beliefs.
Pro-choicers often say that adoption isn't worth it. According to adoptionnetwork.com, more than 60% of children in foster care spend two to five years in the system before finally being parented, and that's if you're lucky. About 20% spend five or more years before being adopted, and some never do. Plus, even if you are lucky enough to be adopted or at least fostered, there's a high possibility of abuse and neglect from foster parents. The point being is that instead of risking a child going through all that pain in life, eliminate any chance of it happening anyway.
Nevertheless, this rebuttal has also been tackled by Pro-lifers. A strong view from the Pro-life side is that you're throwing away the potential greatness they could experience. Human life is an extraordinary thing, and many believe that taking one's life before it even begins is possibly the cruellest thing you could do. Although a child could go through terrible situations in foster care, they could also go through great ones. They could be accepted into a loving and safe environment with people who want nothing but joy for them. This is why several Pro-lifers nearly see abortion as a form of robbery.
Another argument from the Pro-choice side is that even if a woman can give birth to a child, she may not want to. That should be her choice. After childbirth, one's body is never the same. The detrimental physical effects stay throughout their entire life, includes extremely noticeable stretch marks and scars at the least, and even permanent damage to a woman's body. As you can imagine, many girls and women alike find this greatly unlikeable and aren't willing to put themselves up for it if not necessary.
Yet again, Pro-lifers argue this as well. Many on the pro-life side find this argument ridiculous and petty. Although the physical effects of abortion are valid and should be recognized, it should also be understood what happens to the baby during an abortion. Now, if the abortion occurs very early on in the pregnancy before the child has a heartbeat and isn't necessarily a child yet, there isn't any pain since no life has happened yet. However, the later it is in the pregnancy, the more painful and disturbing abortions are to a baby.
According to a recent NIH study, “The threshold for tactile stimuli is lower at earlier stages of gestation. The pain inhibition mechanisms are not sufficiently developed during intrauterine development, which is another factor leading to increased intensity of pain in the fetus. All this points to the fact that the fetus is extremely sensitive to painful stimuli, and that this fact should be taken into account when performing invasive medical procedures on the fetus.”
In other words, science is still developing its ways to make abortion less painful for more developed babies. Therefore, many unborn infants do experience extreme pain and discomfort during an abortion, as it actually ends their heartbeat at that moment. So, although many Pro-lifers understand the concerns of those scared about their body changing due to childbirth, many believe that it isn't worth putting someone through all of that pain.
Still, this is for us to debate, and for you to decide. Our team plans to debate the topic of abortion this weekend, 05/17/2021. One co-host, Omar Gaballa, will be debating on the side of being Pro-life, explaining why he believes letting birth occur is the right choice. On the other hand, we have one of our co-hosts, Sheng Chang Li, debating on the side of Pro-choice. He'll defend the doubts of abortion, and describe why he believes it to be empowering. Stay tuned, and stay Topilitical.