Abortion

Well Since my opponent forfeited the last round I have nothing to refute. So I will just add more information to my arguments. Premise 4: Doctors are supposed to help babies, not kill them. Premise 5: Negative effects of an abortion on the woman. Premise 6: People are always looking to adopt. Premise 4: The doctors role is and will always be to protect and not harm. The text of the Hippocratic Oath, the oath that doctors take when swearing to practice medicine, forbids abortions. One section of the oath reads: "I will not give a woman a pessary [an abortion device] to cause an abortion." The the Hippocratic Oath also forbids abortion in its line, "Above all, I must not play at God." [1] Premise 5: There are many negative effects on a woman who has undergone an abortion procedure. One possible negative outcome of abortion related infections is sterility. Researchers have reported that 3 to 5 percent of aborted women are left inadvertently sterile as a result of the operation. [2] Studies within the first few weeks after the abortion have found that between 40 and 60 percent of women questioned report negative reactions. Within 8 weeks after their abortions, 55% expressed guilt, 44% complained of nervous disorders, 36% had experienced sleep disturbances, 31% had regrets about their decision, and 11% had been prescribed psychotropic medicine by their family doctor. [3] Women who have undergone post-abortion counseling report over 100 major reactions to abortion. Among the most frequently reported are: depression, loss of self-esteem, self-destructive behavior, sleep disorders, memory loss, sexual dysfunction, chronic problems with relationships, dramatic personality changes, anxiety attacks, guilt and remorse, difficulty grieving, increased tendency toward violence, chronic crying, difficulty concentrating, flashbacks, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities and people, and difficulty bonding with later children. [4] Premise 6: There is a lack of adoptable babies because of the legalization of abortion. Over two million couples are waiting to adopt babies, and only 134,000 US children are available to be adopted as of June 2002. [5] The percentage of infants given up for adoption has declined from 9% of those born before 1973 to 1% of those born between 1996 and 2002. [6] Instead of having the option to abort their baby, women should give their unwanted babies to people who can not conceive children, but would love to have a child. Sources: [1] Henry E. Sigerist, The Hippocratic Oath: Text, Translation, and Interpretation, 1996 [2] Wynn and Wynn, "Some Consequences of Induced Abortion to Children Born Subsequently", British Medical Journal (March 3, 1973), and Foundation for Education and Research in Child Bearing (London, 1972). [3] Ashton,"They Psychosocial Outcome of Induced Abortion", British Journal of Ob&Gyn.(1980),vol.87,p1115-1122. [4] Reardon, Aborted Women-Silent No More, (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1987). [5] Terry Eastland, "The Forgotten Option," The Weekly Standard, Jan. 29, 2003 [6]National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Who Adopts? Characteristics of Women and Men Who Have Adopted Children," NCHS Data Brief, www.cdc.gov, Jan. 2009