Abortion is a very controversial issue. In order to understand the issues pertaining to abortion, you must first understand the definition and the stages of abortion. The controversy primarily revolves around the legality and the morality of abortion. For the purposes of this paper, arguments for abortion are in regards to abortions conducted prior to 134 days of gestation.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has defined abortion as "the expulsion or extraction of all (complete) or any part (incomplete) of the placenta or membranes, with or without an abortus, before the 20th week (before 134 days) of gestation." 1 This definition is based on the fact that a developing human organism cannot survive outside the womb prior to the 20th week or 134 days and therefore premature birth is not even an elective option. There have been rare cases of survival at this stage of development, but none before. Further supporting this definition is the fact that organ development that is necessary for survival occurs between twenty and twenty-four weeks of gestation.

Both morally and legally, the stage of abortion is often a critical factor. The

Finally, lets discuss the issue of whether or not abortions cause harm. A fetus cannot perceive pain. The neural structures necessary to register and record sensations of pain transmitted by the appropriate nerves either do not exist or are not functioning before the fifth month of gestation.5 Therefore, with no perception of pain, and no loss of an individual personality, the act of abortion causes no immediate harm to the fetus.

non-perceptive cell tissue that has the potential of becoming a human.

Opposers to abortion claim that they are protecting the rights of the zygote/embryo/fetus from having its life terminated. However, if the embryo is not yet a

If someone with rare disease lost an organ or needed a blood transplant and found

When a man forcibly enters and uses a womans' body against her will we call it rape. Even though it only lasts for a few moments, the emotional scars can last for years. Yet there are still people out there who think that women should be forced to carry an unwanted child for nine long months. The results of an unwanted child birth can potentially traumatize a women just as long as a rape would. Also consider what the child would go through being born unwanted.

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Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)