By: Jordan, Johann and Juliun

TOK Presentation

The Topic we have chosen is “Abortion.”Reason: Abortion is a very important and

controversial topic in our world today.Essential Question: Abortion, right or wrong?

Overview

A woman's right to choose abortion is a "fundamental right" recognized by the US Supreme Court in the Jan. 22, 1973

Pros

A fetus is not a human being. Abortion is terminating a pregnancy, not a baby. Personhood at conception is not a proven biological fact. Personhood begins at birth. 

Knowledge question: When is child considered alive?

Fetuses are incapable of feeling pain when an abortion is performed according to Stuart W. G. Derbyshire, PhD, Senior Lecturer at the University of Birmingham (England). "Not only has the biological development not yet occurred to support pain experience, but the environment after birth, so necessary to the development of pain experience, is also yet to occur." 

Access to legal, professionally-performed abortions reduces injury and death caused by unsafe illegal abortions.

The anti-abortion position is usually a religious belief and threatens the vital separation of church and state. Religious ideology should not be a foundation for law in the United States.

Modern abortion procedures are safe. The risk of a woman’s death from abortion is less than one in 100,000.[Whereas, the risk of a woman dying from giving birth is 13.3 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies.

The American Medical Association (AMA) recognizes abortion as a medical procedure if performed by a licensed physician in conformance with good medical practice standards. There are about 1,800 licensed physicians who provide abortions in the United States. These doctors should have the authority to make medical decisions regarding abortion. 

Abortion gives couples the option to choose not to birth babies with severe and life-threatening medical conditions. Fragile X syndrome, the most common genetic form of mental retardation, affects about 1 in 4,000 males and 1 in 8,000 females. One in 800 babies have Down Syndrome, and one in 3,500 babies are born with Cystic Fibrosis. It is not right to sentence a child to life with an acute handicap. 

A Sep. 2005 survey in the peer-reviewed journal Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health asking women why they had an abortion found that 73% of participants said they could not afford to have a baby, and 38% claimed giving birth would interfere with their education and career goals. Reproductive choice helps prevent women from experiencing financial harm. 

Motherhood must never be a punishment for having sexual intercourse. President Barack Obama said in a Mar. 29, 2008 campaign speech in Johnston, Pennsylvania, "I have two daughters... I'm going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby." 

A baby should not come into this world unwanted. 49% of all pregnancies among American women are unintended. Birthing children is an important life long decision that requires responsible consideration, preparation, and planning. 

Abortion should be legal because it is an effective tool in population control in third would countries that suffer from: Malnutrition, starvation, poverty, lack of medical and educational services, pollution, underdevelopment, and conflict over resources are all consequences of overpopulation. 

Anti- abortionVideo

My personal belief

Considered un-ethical Killing of an innocent human“Unborn Babies considered human

fromthe moment of conception, and have

afundamental right to live.”

Cons

Fetuses feel pain (Kanwaljeet J. S. Anand,MBBS, DPhil, Professor of Pediatrics,Anesthesiology and Neurobiology at theUniversity of Tennessee Health ScienceCenter.)• “If the fetus is older than 20 weeks, then itwould feel excruciating pain.”

Unlawful against the Hippocratic Oath

Doctors/physicicians/etc swear not to

perform abortions Old ethical oath from ancient Greek

times

Unsanitary Can cause infectionsMany abortion clinics are bio-

hazardous

“Unlawful” in some statesClinics operating illegally Clinics are becoming unsanitary

because ofthe illegal operation

Dangerous Reports of increased breast-cancer

risk Increases the chance of a

miscarriage

Poll created and sent out to see what people in the High School think about abortion

http://freeonlinesurveys.com/app/showpoll.asp?qid=131672&sid=2a2bwqb6va62y20131672&new=True

Ethical Question Poll

Two types of abortions

Abortion Pill

– Take medicines to end an early pregnancy– Usually given to women less than 9 weeks pregnant– Costs about $300–$800

In clinic Abortion

– Medical procedures that end pregnancy– Costs about $300–$950 in the first trimester

Planned Parent Hood Explained

Abortion Pill

1st pill – Abortion Pill

– Blocks the hormone progesterone, which isrequired for the lining of the uterus.

2nd pill – Mifepristone

– Taken at home up to three days after the first pill – Causes the uterus to empty

This causes cramps and bleeding to start in women,which may include blood clots and tissue.

In-Clinic Abortion

• Aspiration – aka Vacuum Aspiration

– Performed up to 16 weeks after a woman’s firstperiod.

• D&E – Dilation and Evacuation

– Usually performed later than 16 weeks after awoman’s first period

In-Clinic Abortion

• Courtesy of Planned Parenthood

Video explaining the process of an In-Clinic Abortion

- "Should Abortion Be Banned (Except in Special Circumstances Like Saving the Mother's Life)?" BalancedPolitics.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://www.balancedpolitics.org/abortion.htm>.

- "10 States Where Abortion Is Virtually Illegal for Some Women." Alternet. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://www.alternet.org/story/151268/>.

- "Abortion ProCon.org." Abortion ProCon.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://abortion.procon.org/>.

- Youtube.com

Sources

Thank You!