Abortion - Termination of Pregnancy

Abortion

Abortion is defined as the spontaneous or induced termination of pregnancy. An abortion is preformed for various reasons, but some people will say irresponsibility is the cause. The Catholic Church severely condemns the practice of abortion. Christian writers from the first-century to Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae have preserved the fact that the Bible forbids abortion. I personally agree with the Catholic Church in saying that abortion is very wrong. I feel that there are other options rather than murder.

Abortion is the killing or death of a human fetus before it can function independently. Evidence of abortion can be seen as far back as the second century. This Greek doctor told women wanting to end their pregnancies to exercise vigorously and to lift heavy objects. Using herbs was also one of the first methods to abortion. There is more that one type of abortion in the 21st century however. A spontaneous abortion, or a miscarriage is caused by an accident or natural causes. In this type of abortion the women has no effect on the baby’s well being. Therapeutic abortion is preformed when the pregnancy threatens the health of the women. These types do not give much choice to the pregnant women. They are not the type the church so strongly opposes.

Elective abortion is an abortion preformed at the women’s request. If the procedure is being done within the first fifteen weeks then the most commonly used method is suction-aspiration or vacuum abortion. This method is basically using a vacuum to suck the fetus out of the womb. From the fifteenth week up to the twenty-sixth week, a surgical dilation and evacuation, or D & E, is preformed as means for an abortion. D & E consists of opening the cervix and uterus and then using a vacuum similar to suction-aspiration abortion. Another type of abortion involves the use of prostaglandin. This is any member of a group of lipid compounds, made from from fatty acids. Adding this plus a number of caustic liquids destroys the fetus.

The Catholic Church forbids abortion, as it is said in the Bible.The sixth commandment states that one person shall not murder another, which can be directly to abortion. Abortion has been punished according to the stage at which the abortion is preformed. An example of this is while Pope Gregory XIV was pope, excommunication was issued only for abortion used on a child that can be felt to move. A major catholic beliefe is that the highest right of a human is his life. Catholicism also believes that life begins when th egg is fertilized. The Church recognizes a difference between direct and indirect abortion. Direct abortion, no matter what the reason is always viewed a morally incorrect because the end result is the death of an unborn life. Indirect abortion is classified where both the life of the pregnant women and the unbor child are in danger, but the process to save the women kills the child. Catholic women who receive abortions are excommunicated