Gosnel Abortion Essay

Submitted By kjdun
Words: 1040
Pages: 5

Definition Argument
Gosnell Abortion Trial

Murder has become a common thing in this world. Some cases come to be blown out of proportion while other cases are overlooked and the murderer is let go with a slight slap on the wrist. What does not make sense is that whether the case ends in prison for life or not a single charge is pressed, murder is still murder and should end in punishment for the one responsible. However, in the Gosnell case currently being disputed, some people are actually defending the man taking human beings’ lives. This case is taking place in Philadelphia with Dr. Kermit Gosnell as the one being tried for murder. The first cases of murder are of Gosnell allegedly snipping the spinal cords of babies at his doctor’s office. This would happen the minute the baby was born due to previous chemical abortions that were unsuccessful. There are many separate cases of people accusing Gosnell of performing this, not just one. The Washington Post says, “In addition, he faces 227 counts of failing to abide by Pennsylvania’s 24-hour waiting period before performing an abortion, two dozen counts of performing abortions beyond the state’s 24-week legal limit and various other charges, including conspiracy and running a corrupt organization” (Jury in Gosnell abortion clinic trial remains undecided). This case is worse than just a late abortion; it is actual murder of a breathing human being. Murder is the “Crime of killing another person deliberately and not in self-defense” stated by Bing Dictionary (Definition of Abortion). Tythan said that Dr. Gosnell’s objective of snipping the spine was obviously to kill the baby. Murder is the “unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being” (Abortion Facts & Information). Abortion is “any of various surgical methods for terminating a pregnancy, especially during the first six months” identified by Dictionary.com (Abortion). Many people including Doctors, Patient Care, Health Education, Medical Research say it “means ending a pregnancy before the fetus (unborn child) can live independently outside the mother” (Abortion). All of these quotes can easily be found on any reliable source. With that said, these definitions are definitions agreed on by the majority of educated people and are supported by professionals. The Bing dictionary states that murder is the “Crime of killing another person deliberately and not in self-defense”. While reviewing the details in this case, it is fairly evident that all of the actions performed by Gosnell fit perfectly under this description of murder. He deliberately snips the spinal cords of the newborn children. There is no possible explanation for doing this other than to terminate or end the child’s life. Regardless of whether the life of a baby is ended before or after it is born, it is still murder. Snipping the spine of the child after it is born is only more obvious that the doctor has terminated a life and took the chance of living away from an innocent newborn. Abortion is defined by dictionary.com as “any of various surgical methods for terminating a pregnancy, especially during the first six months”. Livestrong.com says a third of the women in the United States have an abortion by the time they are 45. That is a large number of people who receive abortions, but they do it the right way. Although I still do not agree that the everyday abortion is morally okay, it is a great deal better when the abortion takes place within the right time period. Dr. Gosnell missed this time period by a long shot. In Pennsylvania the latest you may receive an abortion is 24 weeks after conception. 24 weeks is about six months, compared to the nine months when Gosnell was performing the snipping of the spinal cord. On top of this, he also had “two dozen counts of performing abortions beyond the state’s 24-week legal limit” The Washington Post (Jury in Gosnell Abortion Clinic Trial Remains Undecided). This is unacceptable for