Abortion: The Facts

To start this off, I'm not writing this just to state my opinion on abortion, or judge other's opinions on abortion, or call anybody out. I'm writing this because as a 21-year-old female college student, I've come to the concerning realization that so many people, especially around my age, don't know the facts surrounding abortion. I think this is a pressing issue, because no matter what position you hold, you should be able to defend it so that your moral compass and facts align. As one final disclaimer, I'm not even going to bring religion into this post, just scientific facts and credible statistics, of which I will source at the end of this post. I encourage everybody, regardless of your position on abortion, to read this. 

Let's start at where life begins. You'd think that because we are taught in school from a young age that life begins when a sperm and an egg combine to form a zygote that it is when most people believe life begins. However, that's not true. There are people that believe that life begins outside the womb, that life begins in the third trimester, as well as many other beliefs. If you don't believe me, go watch Steven Crowder's Change My Mind segments on YouTube. To prove where life begins, let's look at science. Princeton University posted an article that lists several quotes from major scientific articles, books, and studies. Each of these quotes states that life does in fact begin when a sperm and an egg combine to form a zygote. 

One of these quotes includes: "Although life is a continuous process, fertilization is a critical landmark because, under ordinary circumstances, a new, genetically distinct human organism is thereby formed.... The combination of 23 chromosomes present in each pronucleus results in 46 chromosomes in the zygote. Thus the diploid number is restored and the embryonic genome is formed. The embryo now exists as a genetic unity." [O'Rahilly, Ronan and M�ller, Fabiola. Human Embryology & Teratology. 2nd edition. New York: Wiley-Liss, 1996, pp. 8, 29. This textbook lists "pre-embryo" among "discarded and replaced terms" in modern embryology, describing it as "ill-defined and inaccurate" (p. 12}]

Furthermore, to clarify that a zygote is not just a "clump of cells", Lozier Institute states this: "Human beings can be distinguished from human cells using the same kind of criteria scientists use to distinguish different cell types.  A human being (i.e., a human organism) is composed of human parts (cells, proteins, RNA, DNA), yet it is different from a mere collection of cells because it has the characteristic molecular composition and behavior of an organism: it acts in an interdependent and coordinated manner to “carry on the activities of life.”

Now, let's talk about abortion. The first statistic I am providing (source listed below), shows that  there are approximately 1 million abortions per year in the United States. More specifically there were 926,240 reported abortions in the United States in 2014. A source from the same site (listed below) also states that abortion rates decreased slightly from 2008-2017, however, there was no data I could find on the current abortion rates in America as of 2018-2019. 

This same source also provides surveys that were conducted as well as statistics given from the State of Florida regarding the reason why women got abortions. Both showed that less than 1% were because of rape and/or incest. The State of Florida survey showed that 0.666% of abortions were because there was a serious fetal abnormality. The Florida survey showed that the majority of abortions, 92.330%, were for no reason in particular. The other reasons surveyed that are also mentioned include health (physical and mental) of the mother and socioeconomic status. 

In regard to when abortions are performed, as in gestation period, the CDC provides further statistics on the matter. According to the CDC, in 2015 89% of abortions were performed within the first trimester, 8% were performed between 14-20 weeks, and 1.3% were performed at or greater than 21 weeks- which is about 12,000 based on the 926,240 annual abortions given earlier. 

Also according to the CDC, 73% of abortions are accomplished by curettage (D&C). Merriam-Webster defines this as: a medical procedure in which the uterine cervix is dilated and a curette is inserted into the uterus to scrape away the endometrium (as for the diagnosis or treatment of abnormal bleeding or for surgical abortion during the early part of the second trimester of pregnancy). CDC also states that most curettage abortions are suction procedures. For further information on this procedure, look up "Dilation and Evacuation" on Merriam-Webster's website. 

When fetuses can feel pain is not fully certain amongst the scientific community because pain is subjective, and fetuses cannot fully express if they are feeling pain. The research surrounding fetal pain focuses on central and peripheral nervous system development of the fetus. According to another study published by the Lozier Institute, the basic anatomical organization of the human nervous system is established by 6 weeks. Sensory receptor development for pain begins at 7 weeks and are completely present throughout the skin at 20 weeks. 

These statistics and studies I have mentioned surround many aspects of the abortion argument on both sides. No matter what side you're on, I encourage you to take a look at your own position and make sure you are able to back it up with facts. This can apply to your other beliefs as well. Otherwise, be careful of where and who you share your position to. I also encourage good conversations with those who disagree with us, in which there is a mutual understanding that each person has their own opinion and you aren't forcing yours on someone else. If anyone has any questions for me personally, feel free to message me! Thanks for reading.



Sources:
https://www.princeton.edu/~prolife/articles/embryoquotes2.html
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/ss/ss6713a1.htm
https://lozierinstitute.org/a-scientific-view-of-when-life-begins/
https://abort73.com/images/2017-abortion-data-table.png
https://abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dilation%20and%20curettage
https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-sheet-science-of-fetal-pain/