Abortion - Final Project Outline I. Introduction A. Today, I am going to talk about a very highly debated topic, which is “Abortion”. B. Abortions are a serious subject for very numerous people. A lot of people few differently about it and that is what I will discuss. C. Usually 3,700 abortions happen every single day in the United States and 1.37 million happen per year, but that number seems to be growing. D. Abortions are a serious matter and if one decides to do one they should really think about it. It is always up to the person, but I believe abortion is not illegal and I am “pro-choice”. E. First, I will discuss what abortion really is and some facts about it. Second, I will discuss the difference between “pro-life” and pro-choice” and what each believes. Finally, I will discuss why I am “pro-choice”, and why I believe abortion is okay in my eyes. II. Body A. First, I will discuss what abortion really is and some facts about it. a. Tom Head (2012) i. Abortion is the intentional termination of a pregnancy after conception. It allows women to put an end to their pregnancies, but involves killing the undeveloped embryo or fetus. For this reason, it is a very controversial subject in American politics. ii. Supporters of abortion rights argue that the embryo or fetus is not a person, or at least that the government has no right to ban abortion unless it can prove that an embryo or fetus is a person. iii. Opponents of abortion rights argue that the embryo or fetus is a person, or at least that the government has a responsibility to ban abortion until it can prove that an embryo or fetus is not a person. b. David Bereit (2012) iv. Since the first states decriminalized abortion in 1967, it is estimated that more than 46,000,000 reported surgical abortions in the United States. An estimated 1,878,990 were committed before Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that lifted all restrictions. An average of 1,370,000 babies are killed annually through surgical abortions. v. Total number of abortions in the U.S. since 1973- more than 48 million. Abortions per year- 1.37 million. Abortions per day- 3,700. Abortions per hour- 137. Abortion per second- 26. c. Robert Johnson (2012) vi. These are the numbers of abortions performed at each stage of the pregnancy. < 9 weeks is 61.3% “741,730.” 9-10 weeks is 17.8% “215,380.” 11-12 weeks is 9.6% “11,616.” 13-15 weeks is 6.7% “81,070.” 16-20 weeks is 3.5% “42,3500.” 21+ weeks is 1.1% “13,310”. vii. This is the percentage of the ethnicity of who gets an abortion. White: 34%. Black: 37%. Hispanic: 22%. Other: 7% viii. This is the age of the women getting the abortions. Less than 15 years: < 0.5%. Age 15-19: 16.4%. Age 20-24: 32.6%. Age 25-29: 23.4%. Age 30-34: 14.5%. Age 35-39: 8.7%. Age 40+: 3.2%. B. Second,
A. I will discuss the difference between “pro-life” and pro-choice” and what each believes. d. Tom Head (2012) ix. To say that someone is "pro-life" is to say that the person believes that the government has an obligation to preserve all human life, regardless of intent, viability, or quality-of-life concerns. x. A few other things that “pro-life” people prohibit besides abortion are, Euthanasia, assisted suicide, the death penalty, and War, with very few exceptions. xi. The pro-life movement argues that even non-viable, undeveloped human life is sacred and must be protected by the government. Abortion, according to this model, must not be legal, nor should it be widely practiced on an illegal basis. e. Tom Head (2012) xii. To say that someone is "pro-choice" is to believe that individuals have unlimited autonomy with respect to their own reproductive systems as long as they do not breach the autonomy of others. xiii. A few other things that