Norris_Formal_Essay

Ashleigh Norris English 1010 Research Abstract

Thesis: Abortion is not a choice anyone wants to face, but people do it everyday. My position is nuetral, I am against taking a life, but under certain c ircumstances it is necessary.

  The only difference between abortion and murder is that abortion is legal and murder is not. It is stated that murder is “the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law” (dictionary). Abortion is defined as ‘” the termination of pregnancy by various means, including (brutal) medical surgery, before the fetus is able to sustain independent life” (dictionary). If murder is distinguished by law then why is abortion not considered murder? After all it is a part of the law and an ongoing controversy in society. Pregnancy is not always found out right away. In the time it takes for women to get tested and find out the results an embryo is formed. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word embryo as “The developing human individual from the time of implantation to the end of the eight week after conception.” It takes twenty-two days for a fetus to obtain a heart beat (answers). Does a heartbeat not mean life? A beating heart is still a human being, although the fetus may not appear to be more than a water sack, a beating heart represents what is to come. Aborting a beating heart is like pulling the plug. The only difference is that pulling the plug on an already living being is a choice that the living being has decided. They had a say in their own fate. Aborting a baby, a beating heart, someone who hasn’t had a far chance at life is murder. 