The History of Abortion

Abortion, in some form, has existed in the human race for millennia. Ancient tribes would sometimes be forced to move quickly, and pregnant women could slow the entire tribe down. Abuse of the woman's abdomen, and later abuse through excessive horseback riding, could cause the baby to be born prematurely. This baby was then either killed or left to die. Unfortunately, the mother also frequently died during the birthing. Today abortion is much safer for the mother, but just as deadly to the child.

The Bible is one of the best historical accounts of ancient human civilization. If it is not taken for its religious purpose, the Bible accurately describes the culture of the Hebrew people. From the beginning of the Hebrew nation, unborn life was seen to be just as precious as born life (see Religion and Abortion).

In other cultures the question of the legality of abortion varied, however there was a general theme. Unborn life was seen to be the equal of born life. For ancient cultures there are logical and non-moral explanations for this trend. Hundreds or thousands of years ago there were no pregnancy tests and no tools to perform early-term abortions. By the time an abortion was performed, the baby was delivered, premature but alive. The abortion process would be completed by infanticide of a born child.

Methods of abortion remotely modern didn't appear until the nineteenth century. In the western world laws sprang up to protect the lives of the unborn. In 1859, the American Medical Association unanimously adopted a resolution condemning "the procuring of abortion, at every period of gestation, except as necessary for preserving the life of either mother or child." Abortion continued to be practiced under different names, and in 1900 about one in six American pregnencies was terminated through abortion (Source:Mother Earth by Emma Goldman, 1911). However under great pressure from social leaders abortion became unacceptable and laws became harsh against the practice. Illegal abortion rates plumetted. In some areas of the world, such as the Chinese Empire, abortion continued to be endorsed and was widely practiced. Similarly in these areas infanticide was also endorsed.

There wasn't serious opposition to this belief that the unborn were children until the mid-twentieth century. Groups such as the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League in the United States appeared, saying that unborn life was not life after all. These gained support as the number of illegal abortions increased in the late 1960s. NARAL promised that abortion doesn't hurt the fetuses, and that by legalizing abortion child abuse, illegal abortion, and teen pregnancy rates would be decreased.

In 1973 the Supreme Court issued the verdict of Roe vs. Wade, striking down most anti-abortion laws across the United States. Several other Supreme Court cases followed, constricting, expanding, and balancing the rights to live and/or choose. Many states have passed different laws attempting to protect the lives of unborn children, however abortion itself remains legal. Since the legalization, child abuse, illegal abortion, and teen pregnancy rates have all sharply increased.

The latest international abortion issue is in China. The abortion rate of female children is extremely high. As has been the historical trend, this matches an alarmingly high rate of born-infanticide.

The latest national issue in abortion is that over Partial Birth Abortions. These are late term abortions in which the baby is partially delivered and then killed. Several states have passed bans on Partial Birth Abortions, and many of these have been struck down by courts. National laws banning partial-birth abortions have been passed by Congress and vetoed by President Clinton on several occasions. The House has overridden these vetoes, but the Senate has been several votes short of the required two-thirds majority.