In ancient times abortion was permitted under certain circumstances, such as rape or if carrying the pregnancy to term posed a risk to the mothers health. More recently, along with the creation of the birth control pill, women have been given more control of their reproductive system this includes abortion. The Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, and its co- case Doe v. Bolton (1973), ruled that abortion was a private matter, and was allowed until the end of the first trimester, after that point, the laws regarding abortion are left up to the states. This judgement caused a storm of controversy, which created two sides to the debate, pro- life and pro-choice. Abortion has been legal in the United States since 1973. It has been found to be seven times safer than childbirth. However, there are unknown risks, such as the effect of repeated abortions on the female reproductive system. Every year approximately 1.5 million abortions are performed (one out of every four pregnancies are terminated.) Of these abortions that performed, ninety percent are performed within the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, through a method called aspiration. Eighty percent of these women are unmarried, and sixty three percent are between the ages of fifteen and twenty- four (Levine185). Several methods can be used when performing an abortion. The age of the fetus or the length of the pregnancy can determine the safest method. On average, pregnancies last between thirty- nine to forty weeks, which are divided into trimesters. The first consists of the first thirteen weeks; the second is from fourteen to twenty-four weeks; and the final trimester is from twenty- five to birth. Most procedures are performed during the first trimester because it is safer to the womans health. In United States, death caused by abortions during this trimester is only one in 100,000, however, anytime after the twelfth week the risk increases by thirty- percent (Merz 1). The...
