Abortion; is it a necessary evil?

Abortion; is it a necessary evil?
By: Lt. Patrick J. Ciser (Ret.)

From America’s inception, abortion was illegal in all states, as a result of British common law. In 1821 Connecticut, the first U.S. law was written “officially” banning the practice. Each state would follow, confirming until 1973 that abortion was outlawed across the land. As time moved forward through women’s “suffrage,” (1848-1920) and later women’s “lib” (liberation) throughout the ‘60s and beyond, opinions changed. What was looked at for centuries that a baby was an individual with all of the rights of any human being, became today, part of a woman’s body; as “my body, my choice” became the mantra. In 1967, some sanity was injected into the abortion argument when the American Medical Association voted to change the body’s long-standing opposition to abortion, giving both sides some middle ground. With a new resolution, the AMA now condoned abortion for the life or health of the mother, for a baby’s ‘incapacitating’ physical deformity or mental deficiency, or for cases of rape or incest. Sounds prudent to me.

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By 1970, New York, California, Washington State, and Hawaii, passed laws making abortion “ON-DEMAND” legal, at any stage! And it was that my friends that catapulted the “Pro-Choice” “Pro-Life” wars. In 1972, the Pro-Lifers were gaining steam, until Roe v. Wade in 1973 changed everything! The liberal-leaning U.S. Supreme Court wrongfully, in my opinion, decided abortion was a federal matter while misinterpreting the 14th Amendment and thereby forced conservative Pro-Life states to accept abortion regardless of that particular state’s views or religious beliefs. The problem is, and always was, however, that the U.S. Constitution does not address abortion specifically, leaving the decision up to the states. You see, the current court did not make abortion illegal, they simply sent it back to the states where it always belonged. Look up “Federalism” for more about states’ rights.

Note; Jane Roe was an alias in court documents for complainant, Norma McCorvey, and Henry Wade was Texas attorney general at the time.

So, enough with the history lesson and on to this humble writer’s opinion. I believe that the biggest problem related to abortion are the two groups’ extremes. In a poll, 70% of the American people today think that abortion should be legal with certain restrictions, including banning late-term abortions. BAM! There you have it! So, can’t we simply meet somewhere in the middle? “Some” Pro-Choice folks believe that a woman should be able to get an abortion right up until her due date, while “some” Pro-Lifers believe that there should be no provision in cases of rape or incest! Why would anyone with an ounce of compassion, consider either one of these extreme positions? Before I go on, I am conceding that a baby is either dead or alive, leaving no room for middle ground; but let’s get real. It is estimated that since Roe v. Wade was adopted in 1973, that approximately 63,459,781 abortions have been performed in America. According to the CDC, the percentage performed with chemical abortifacients, like mifepristone, rose from 9.6% in 2004, to 43.7% in 2019, and continue to rise.

Now, while over 63 million dead babies are shocking to many, let us be a little pragmatic for a moment. To many, the birth of a child is a blessing, but to others, it could be a curse. So, should the states allow abortion in the first trimester? I say yes! Ideally, I’d like to see the termination of the embryo, before it becomes a fetus; usually at 11 weeks. The 13-week “first trimester” idea might be better practicality-wise as some women don’t even know that they are pregnant until they’re into their fourth month when the baby first moves. From my point of view, if you miss two periods, and are sexually active, you might want to take a pregnancy test. However, I’m still looking for common ground and compromise. So, what would have happened to over 63 million babies that were aborted, where in most cases, no one would want them? Would they grow up feeling loved? Would they be left outside a hospital or police station? Would our orphanages explode across the country? Would they be “dragged up” by alcoholic, or drug-addicted parents? How many would be on government assistance, or turn to a life of crime? Considering their offspring, would the population of the United States be over 500 million today, rather than 330? If your young teenage daughter accidentally got pregnant, how would an untimely birth affect her, and the rest of the family? Should your daughter be tied to some asshole loser/drug addict or other, for the rest of her life? Absolutely NOT! Can the family even afford a baby with the projected costs?

“It is time to heed the constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s representatives.”

~Justice Samuel Alito, 2022

Pat Ciser is a retired lieutenant from the Clifton Police Department, and a 7th Degree Black Belt. He was a member of 5 U.S. Karate Teams, winning gold medals in South America and Europe. He is the Author of BUDO and the BADGE; Exploits of a Jersey Cop (BN.com/Amazon), and is a guest writer for Official Karate Magazine.