Reproductive+Rights

  Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence." [|[2]] 
 * Reproductive Rights **
 * 2-26-09 **
 * Who: People wonder are reproductive rights human rights? **
 * What: Reproductive rights ** are rights relating to reproduction and reproductive health.
 * Why: **
 * In-vitro fertilization ** is a procedure that allows couples who cannot conceive normally to have a child. The woman's egg and man's sperm are taken out of the body and fertilized in a laboratory, then put back into a woman who can carry the pregnancy to term.

Many moral and ethical concerns have been raised because of in-vitro fertilization. Those against the procedure say it is too much like playing God. Many women, however, have successfully delivered healthy babies as a result of in-vitro fertilization.   -Twenty percent of all pregnancies worldwide end in abortion, and nearly half of those abortions are unsafe and often illegal. [|[23]]<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Medical conditions and indications may develop after the first trimester (12 weeks) of pregnancy that could threaten the mother's life and/or health. Late-occurring medical conditions can include: <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">-- Heart failure -- Severe or uncontrollable diabetes -- Serious renal disease -- Uncontrollable hypertension (high blood pressure) -- Severe depression <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Medical conditions of the fetus may become known or could develop after the first trimester of pregnancy, such as severe deformities and genetic disorders, which may cause the woman to seek an abortion. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">-- Lack or lack of recognition of pregnancy symptoms, particularly by adolescents -- Inability to afford a first trimester abortion -- Inability to locate medical assistance during first trimester (due to lack of local medical professionals) -- Lack of financial resources, emotional support, and/or partner <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Missouri law, for instance, states that partial-birth abortion is infanticide, which it defines as //"causing the death of a living infant with the purpose to cause said death by an overt act performed when the infant is partially born or born."// In Missouri, infanticide is a Class A Felony crime. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">--Half the percentage of women obtaining abortions is below 25. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">--Around 60% of abortions are performed on never married women. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">--When a woman decides to go for an abortion, it’s not an impulsive decision, though the preceding act might be impetuous. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">--Concluding whether to abort, keep the baby or give it up for adoption is really hard and may lead to post-abortion trauma. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 1. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Since life begins at conception, abortion is akin to murder as it is the act of taking human life. Abortion is in direct defiance of the commonly accepted idea of the sanctity of human life <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 2. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">No civilized society permits one human to intentionally harm or take the life of another human without punishment, and abortion is no different. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 3. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Adoption is a viable alternative to abortion and accomplishes the same result. And with 1.5 million American families wanting to adopt a child, there is no such thing as an unwanted child. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 4. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">An abortion can result in medical complications later in life; the risk of ectopic pregnancies doubles, and the chance of a miscarriage and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease also increases. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 5. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">In the instance of rape and incest, proper medical care can ensure that a woman will not get pregnant. Abortion punishes the unborn child who committed no crime; instead, it is the perpetrator who should be punished. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 6. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Abortion should not be used as another form of contraception. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 7. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">For women who demand complete control of their body, control should include preventing the risk of unwanted pregnancy through the responsible use of contraception or, if that is not possible, through abstinence. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 8. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Many Americans who pay taxes are opposed to abortion, therefore it's morally wrong to use tax dollars to fund abortion. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 9. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Those who choose abortions are often minors or young women with insufficient life experience to understand fully what they are doing. Many have lifelong regrets afterwards. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 10. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Abortion frequently causes intense psychological pain and stress. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 1. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Nearly all abortions take place in the first trimester, when a fetus cannot exist independent of the mother. As it is attached by the placenta and umbilical cord, its health is dependent on her health, and cannot be regarded as a separate entity as it cannot exist outside her womb. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 2. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The concept of personhood is different from the concept of human life. Human life occurs at conception, but fertilized eggs used for in vitro fertilization are also human lives and those not implanted are routinely thrown away. Is this murder, and if not, then how is abortion murder? <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 3. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Adoption is not an alternative to abortion, because it remains the woman's choice whether or not to give her child up for adoption. Statistics show that very few women who give birth choose to give up their babies - less than 3% of white unmarried women and less than 2% of black unmarried women. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 4. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Abortion is a safe medical procedure. The vast majority of women - 88% - who have an abortion do so in their first trimester. Medical abortions have less than 0.5% risk of serious complications and do not affect a woman's health or future ability to become pregnant or give birth. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 5. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">In the case of rape or incest, forcing a woman made pregnant by this violent act would cause further psychological harm to the victim. Often a woman is too afraid to speak up or is unaware she is pregnant, thus the morning after pill is ineffective in these situations. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 6. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Abortion is not used as a form of contraception. Pregnancy can occur even with responsible contraceptive use. Only 8% of women who have abortions do not use any form of birth control, and that is due more to individual carelessness than to the availability of abortion. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 7. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The ability of a woman to have control of her body is critical to civil rights. Take away her reproductive choice and you step onto a slippery slope. If the government can force a woman to continue a pregnancy, what about forcing a woman to use contraception or undergo sterilization? <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 8. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Taxpayer dollars are used to enable poor women to access the same medical services as rich women, and abortion is one of these services. Funding abortion is no different from funding a war in the Mideast. For those who are opposed, the place to express outrage is in the voting booth. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 9. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Teenagers who become mothers have grim prospects for the future. They are much more likely to leave of school; receive inadequate prenatal care; rely on public assistance to raise a child; develop health problems; or end up divorced. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> 10. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Like any other difficult situation, abortion creates stress. Yet the American Psychological Association found that stress was greatest prior to an abortion, and that there was no evidence of post-abortion syndrome <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Medical Reasons For Partial-Birth Abortions **<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Common Logistical and Personal Reasons for Partial Birth Abortions **<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Arguments Against **
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Supporters of a ban on partial-birth abortion argue that it's not merely a medical procedure, but is //infanticide// **<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">. Their logic is as follows: if a partial, breech delivery is used in the procedure, a birth occurs for constitutional purposes, as well as a newly-born person with the usual constitutional rights.
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Religious leaders are near unanimous in their condemnation of partial-birth abortion as immoral and wrong. **<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Most religious faiths, though, believe that exceptions must be made to save the life and usually the health of the mother.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Abortion Debate Facts **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Pro-Life 10 arguments for and against. **
 * <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Pro-Choice **