Abortion Debate

Aldriana Bridges
February 11, 2014
English 1001

Abortion is a topic that has been debated for a very long time.  In this essay, I am going to talk about 24 weeks of abortion and fetal pain.  It was usually implemented by activities like strenuous labor, weight lifting, fasting, and pouring hot water into the abdomen.  It is such a big debate because many people feel that it’s cruel, unfair, and painful to the developing person while others thing it is a personal decision and the child doesn’t feel pain until a certain amount of weeks within the womb.  There are laws in many different states about abortion.  In 1970, abortion was illegal in most states but began to change shortly after.  Majority of the laws consist of how many weeks pregnant you are to be eligible for an abortion.  Although, the debatable question is how many weeks old does the fetus have to be to feel pain?

         Many people think that the fetus cannot feel pain until 24 weeks and others debate that unborn child can feel pain at as early as 20 weeks.  Dr. Kanwaljeet “Sunny” Anand, professor of pediatrics, anesthesiology, and neurobiology, says “the baby responds to pain the way you and I respond to pain” and the pain for them is just as intense as pain for a full-term or newborn child.  There are about nine states that do not permit abortions after the 20th week of contraception.  For instance, Nebraska, one of those nine states, strictly enforces the law.  Danielle Deaver, a Nebraska resident, water broke at 22 weeks and child would not live through the situation and it would be considered abortion.  She was forced to go through ten horrible days of labor so she would not be prosecuted by her state.  Over 70 percent of the people agree that 24 weeks is too late for an abortion.  Several people think of the developing child as a lifeless blob of tissue.  

        Throughout the argument, others think that the fetus does not actually feel pain until the 24th week of contraception.  There is a report called “Fetal Awareness: Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice” which does this prospective of the issue really good justice.  Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, also known as RCOG, states that “the fetus cannot experience pain in any sense.”  The structure of the nervous system is structured early, it develops slowly, and it also says that the body has to have a joined nerve system between the brain and the rest of the body to feel pain.  According to the RCOG, evidence shows that the placenta produces substances that overpower the nervous system action and responsiveness.  The fetus, while within the womb, is never within an awoken state.  Many people that agree that the fetus doesn’t feel pain until the 24th week of contraception feels that others disagree because they are trying to persuade against the choice of abortion for many women.  It is said that women deserve the facts and the fetus feeling pain at 20 weeks it is an opinion that the fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks.  How will abortion effect society?