Every year, about one million female teenagers get pregnant. Over 40 percent of those pregnancies result in having an abortion. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, 3 out of 4 girls who choose to have an abortion say that they don’t have enough money to support a baby, and 2 out of 3 say that they are not emotionally ready.
So what really is an abortion? An abortion ends a pregnancy before it takes place, and there are many different forms of it. One is called a spontaneous abortion. This is when an embryo or fetus dies in the uterus and is expelled by the body. Spontaneous abortions are also called miscarriages after 20 weeks of pregnancy. An induced abortion is when a woman chooses to end her own pregnancy. One form of an induced abortion is a medical abortion, which is when women make the decision to use a combination of drugs to end their pregnancies. It is usually called a very early abortion because a medical abortion is usually used up to 49 days after the first day of the last menstrual period. In a few cases, medical abortions have failed; surgical pregnancies are then required to end the pregnancy. One type of medical abortion is the Mifepristone-Misoprostol Method. This is when a woman swallows a dose of mifepristone. Then in a few days, she takes a second medication of misoprostol. Four hours after taking the second dose, the pregnancy usually ends. Read more…
Identity can be defined as the characteristics that make a person unique. Identity is developed over a lifetime as a result of the influences of upbringing and life experiences. The combination of these two factors creates unique patterns of behavior and personality traits. In my own life I am who I am because of the people I grew up with and my perception of the events that happened in my life.
The most influential people in a child’s life are his parents they contribute much of what becomes the child’s outlook and perception of the world. A child generally forms opinions on ethics and conflict resolution based on what he learns from home. A child also is influenced by his parents in regards to education–a child who grows up with parents who stress education are more likely to get an advanced degree. I grew up in a working home with parents who valued hard work, education, moral integrity, and independence. My parent’s relationship with one another was basically good. They resolved disputes in a healthy manner. My father worked all of his life as a salesman. His ability to communicate and persuade others was imprinted on me. I have a natural ability to talk to people that has been an asset in every job that I have held. My mother was a heavier influence on my life because she was around more. From her I acquired spontaneity, creativity and a love of the outdoors. My mother influenced my opinions on the appearance of myself and others. She also laid down the moral code in which I live my life. Her strong religious belief helped me shape my own belief about God. These factors influenced me, as a child growing up. As my parents valued education and hard work I did as well. My parents also influenced relationships I had with other people and the jobs that I held. Read more…
Most people who are brought up in Christian households never question their faith. More often than not, they are given no good reason to doubt their beliefs; they assume that God is gracious and loving. Society views religion as a source of goodness and charity. It is commonly believed that to oppose religion is to oppose all such goodness and charity that is stipulated to be with it. For most of my childhood, I believed all of these things. Growing up, I was never forced to go to church, but I did so because my parents did and I thought it was ‘fun’. I went to church every week naively believing that God was just. Like so many others, I never challenged the Christian ways that had been spoon-fed to me; I had no reason to. That is until I began to see acts of violence, tragedy, and evil greatly outweigh acts of love performed by this so-called compassionate God. My faith was truly challenged and destroyed three summers ago.
It was a day just like any other. The kind of day that you look back on and realize that it was the perfect day for everything to go wrong. Summer vacation had just started, so I spent the majority of my days relishing the fact that I didn’t have to worry about homework or studying. Any recognizable sleep pattern was practically non-existent as it was lost somewhere between having to wake up excruciatingly early and having the freedom to sleep all day if I wanted. By the time I managed to crawl out of bed, the June sun was high and unforgiving. Read more…
