Abortion

Chris Nichols
April 20, 2014
Abortion: A Woman’s Right
Abortion is the practice of ending a pregnancy by the causing the death of the human fetus. In 1973, abortion was legalized in the United States via the famous court case of Roe vs Wade. Even though millions of abortions have been performed since 1973, the debate over whether it ever should have been legalized is strongly argued by many Americans, as well as people of many other countries and cultures. The beliefs and opinions of these people are generally divided into two groups, those who call themselves pro-choice and those referring to themselves as pro-life. Pro-choice argues that abortion should be legalized without the influence of government or religion. Pro-life believes that unborn babies are human from the moment of conception; therefore, abortion is immoral and effectively killing innocent human beings. Although each side has many worthy issues, it is evident that the pro-choice group has a more valid argument; it is the right of the woman to make the decision in extreme cases for instance: when the mother life is threatened, when the child would have a sever disability, and in cases of rape or incest. In the case of a pregnancy where the woman is facing physical complications, an abortion should be available if needed. Some examples of physical complications include placenta previa (the placenta is attached close to or covering the cervix), ectopic pregnancy (the fertilized egg becomes embedded outside the womb), and pre-eclampsia (pregnancy induced hypertension). These life-threatening situations would pose a serious hazard to the mother if the child is carried full term, which means the mother’s life could be spared if an abortion is performed. It is the mother’s life that is now at risk and her choice and right on whether she wants to continue with the pregnancy or perform an abortion. Abortion also allows a mother to decide whether or not she should allow her child to be born if it has severe medical problems. A child that will be born into the world and have to live with a poor quality of life, struggling every day to live and be happy, should not have to be born unless the mother wants to take on the burden. Forty-nine percent of unborn children come into the world unwanted. If a child is born unwanted, the chance of it living a happy life is lost. If a parent finds out that their child is deformed or has a disease which may impair it for life, they may decide that abortion is the better option. Women have the right to their own body. People have the right to make their own decisions. If the government controls women's choices on abortion, before you know it, the government will control other personal options and decisions that people will make, like how much they weigh, getting plastic surgery, etc. The government should not dictate people's judgments and resolutions to their problems. In addition, 77% of pro-life leaders are men.
About 208,000 people are victims of an act of sexual assault each year in the United States. These are very traumatic crimes and it is already difficult to cope with them; forcing victims to carry a physical reminder for nine months can cause enormous stress, often leading to mental health issues because she must carry the child of the man who attacked her. Abortion is often the best way to protect the health of these women. This means that, if she is to give birth to this child, she will have to be reminded each and every day of the pain she has gone through. Abortions should only be a last resort; however, they should be available to all women and its availability should not discriminate. People shouldn't restrict other's rights based on personal values, morals, or religious beliefs; free will is a precious right that no one should control. Sometimes, an abortion is the best or only solution for a woman; moreover if abortions are illegalized they could potentially kill more than they intend to save. Abortions will remain an issue for many years to come; however, the healthier solution is to stop the problem before it begins. Those against abortions and for abortions can agree that the practice of safe sex and the use of contraceptives should be more widely known and used. This will leave abortions only to the most extremes cases so that abortion is not used as a form of birth control.