Is abortion is the leading cause of death in the United States?

The is a controversial issue, with Pro-choice and Pro-Life folks dug in. While trying to stay neutral on that debate, we do try to explore how and why we should categorize the abortion process.

A report analyzed research using data from the latest year for which all the pertinent information is available (2009) and found that induced abortion was responsible for 1.152 million deaths, making it the number one cause of death in the U.S. at nearly twice the number of deaths from heart disease (599,413) and cancer (567,628).

But, is abortion equal to death?

If abortion is considered a death, then it would have accounted for nearly a third of all U.S. deaths in 2009 (32.1 percent)–it made up 61.1 percent of African American deaths, according to the study published in the Open Journal of Preventive Medicine (June 2016).

Statistics reveal that nearly 1,800 unborn black fetuses are aborted every day, proportionately more than any other race.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), between 2007 and 2010, more than 35 percent of the deaths by abortion in the United States happened to black fetuses, despite the fact that blacks represent only 12.8 percent of the population. Conversely, non-Hispanic whites, who make up 63.7% of America’s population, account for only 37.7% of all U.S. abortions.

As of August 4, 2018, there have been nearly 25 million abortions performed worldwide so far this year, while less than a million people have died from road accident fatalities, 4.8 million from cancer, and 990,000 from HIV/AIDS, according to the best available data.

In their study, the UNC-Charlotte researchers, James Studnicki, Sharon J. MacKinnon, and John W. Fisher, argue that abortion is not being reported as a cause of death in the vital statistics system in the United States, but that it should be.

The Debate – is abortion a human death? 

At a speaking event at the University of California, Berkeley, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro was questioned by a student whether a first-trimester fetus is a human life, “I just wanted to know why exactly do you think a first-trimester fetus has moral value?” the unidentified student asked.

“A first trimester fetus has moral value because whether you consider it a potential human life or a full-on human life, it has more value than just a cluster of cells. If left to its natural processes, it will grow into a baby.” – Shapiro

“So the real question is where are you gonna draw the line? Are you gonna draw the line at the heartbeat? Because it’s very hard to draw the line at the heartbeat. There are people who are adults who are alive because of a pacemaker and they need some sort of outside force generating their heartbeat.”

“Are you going to do it based on brain function? OK, well what about people who are in a coma? Should we just kill them?”-Shapiro

“The problem is that whenever you draw any line other than the inception of the child, you end up drawing a false line that can be applied to people who are adults. So either human life has intrinsic value or it doesn’t.”

“We both agree that adult human life has intrinsic value — can we start from that premise?” Shapiro asked.

“I believe that sentience is what gives something moral value, not necessarily being a human alone,” the student replied.

“OK, so when you’re asleep, can I stab you?” Shapiro asked.

“I’m still considered sentient when I’m asleep,” the student said back.

“OK, if you are in a coma from which you may awake, can I stab you?” Shapiro asked again.

“Well, then, uhh, no,” the student answered. “That’s still potential sentience.”

“I agree it is potential sentience. You know what else is potential sentience? Being a fetus,” Shapiro said.

In response, the student explained he believes the “burden” that “unwanted” children have on potential parents should be weighed when considering abortion policy.

“Now you’re shifting the argument,” Shapiro told him. “I don’t believe that you being a burden on somebody is justification for them killing you.”