Abortion: The Truth Revealed

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Abortion The Truth Revealed

• By
• Jackie Mancini,
• David Polhemus,
• Natalie Sancimino,
• Louie Schumann,
• and Michael Villongco

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Objectives

• To learn and appreciate new ideas and thoughts
  regarding abortion
• To form a solid opinion regarding abortion
• To know and understand some of the ethical
  questions concerning life
• To understand the stance of our government and
  the Catholic Church
• To have fun!

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3 Ethical Questions

• How do we decide what qualifies as a human being?
• How do we determine when life begins?
• How do we determine when abortion is permissible?

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The Definition and Causes of Abortion

• Abortion is any of various procedures that
  result in the termination of pregnancy and
  expulsion of an embryo or of a fetus.
• Why would one want an abortion? Several causes
  are hereditary problems, poverty, age, rape, and
  unpreparedness.

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Abortion Around the World

• Abortion has been practiced since the beginning
  of recorded history in Ancient Greece, Rome,
  Egypt, and China
• 46 million abortions are performed every year, of
  which 20 million are illegal
• Abortion is legal for 61 of the worlds
  population
• In Romania, 3 out of 4 pregnancies are ended in
  abortion
• Many countries perform abortions based on the
  gender of the baby, such as China and India

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Legal or Illegal?

• Illegalized Abortions
• Poland
• Colombia
• Peru
• Mexico
• Brazil

Legalized Abortions -France -Britain -Switzerla
nd -Denmark -Italy -China
Abortion is legal in 54 countries and illegal in
97 countries.
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Abortion in the U.S.

• Abortion laws appeared in U.S. in 1820s,
  forbidding abortion after the fourth month of
  pregnancy.
• By 1965, all fifty states banned abortion, with
  exceptions like rape, incest, deformed fetus, or
  risk of mothers life
• In 1973, the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court case
  began. This determined that laws against abortion
  violate the constitutional right to privacy.

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Methods of Abortion

• Today, there are many effective methods of
  administering abortion. These methods include
• Drugs
• Vacuum Aspiration
• Dilation and Curettage
• Dilation and Extraction

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Drugs

• RU-486 Induces the shedding of the uterine
  wall, expelling the baby from the uterus
• Approved by the FDA
• Can be dangerous due to bleeding and cramps
• Commonly used in the first trimester

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Vacuum Aspiration

• Commonly used in first trimester abortions
• Vacuum suction tube is inserted into the dilated
  uterus
• The suction tears the soft baby apart and removes
  it from the uterus.
• Can be harmful to the uterus

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Dilation and Curettage

• Cervix is dilated, allowing the insertion of a
  sharp knife that dismembers the babys body
• Usually performed in the first trimester
• Causes irregular bleeding and cramps

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Dilation and Extraction

• Usually performed in the third trimester
• Babys entire body is delivered except for the
  head
• Scissors are jammed into the babys skull,
  creating a hole to remove skull contents
• Banned in the United States by President Bush in
  2003

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The Governments Position on Abortion

• In the Roe Vs. Wade Case, the court ruled that
• Anywhere in the U.S. a woman and her doctor may
  freely decide to abort a child during the first
  trimester
• The state governments can restrict abortion
  access after the first trimester
• Abortions after fetal viability must be available
  if the woman's health is at risk

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The Catholic Churchs Position on Abortion

• Condemns abortion in almost all situations
• Violates the right and sanctity of human life
• Commits an act of murder
• Exceptions include saving the mothers life under
  the Doctrine of Double effect

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Pro-Life Beliefs

• The unborn child is human, therefore abortion is
  murder
• Abortion is a civil rights issue
• All violence is wrong
• Rape and incest are not an exceptions

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Pro-Choice Beliefs

• The fetus is not human, merely a mass of
  undifferentiated cells
• Woman has control of her body over the government
• Every child should be a wanted child
• No one can impose their morals upon others

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Picture Gallery

• Warning These pictures display explicit
  content. Look away if you do not wish to see the
  products of abortion.

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Video Presentation

• Warning The following video displays more
  explicit and graphic content. Look away if you do
  not wish to see abortion in action.
• We hope the instrumental music puts you at ease.

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Revisiting the 3 Ethical Questions

• How do we decide what qualifies as a human being?
• How do we determine when life begins?
• How do we determine when abortion is permissible?
• Have your opinions changed regarding abortion
  after viewing this presentation?

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Bibliography

• http//www.fwhc.org/abortion/ab-procedures.htm
• http//www.prolife.com/ABORMETH.html
• http//www.bible.ca/s-Abortion.htm
• http//www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID2404
• http//www.baptistpillar.com/bd0001.htm