Pro-Choice Persausive Essay

"One method of destroying a concept is by diluting its meaning. Observe that by ascribing rights to the unborn, i.e., the nonliving, the anti-abortionists obliterate the rights of the living"(Rand). The meaning behind this statement is powerful and the speaker is trying to surface the need for concern of the living when regarding abortion. Although the nonliving should be considered when contemplating an abortion, the primary focus should be on the mother. Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy and is becoming an increasingly volatile issue; a topic that almost everybody has a stance on. Abortion opponents or “Pro-lifers” believe that the fetus is a human being at the moment of conception, and abortion therefore is murder. Those against abortion also agree that the government should have control over a women’s body and forbid her to have abortion. On the flip side, “Pro-choicers” argue that the fetus is only a potential child, and not a human until the moment the child can survive on its own. So, the rights of the self-sustaining, living, mother overpower the rights of the dependent fetus. Abortion should be an available option to women throughout the United States. Especially since in some cases it’s an option that separates life and death.
First of all, sometimes medical issues decrease the chance of a healthy, successful birth or life, and abortion should be available to prevent a disastrous outcome. In many instances, abortions are needed to save the life of the pregnant women. An example of this situation is an ectopic pregnancy, or a pregnancy that occurs outside the uterus- usually in the fallopian tubes.(Hurley) This causes certain death to the fetus, and if not aborted, also to the expecting mother. If abortion was not permitted under any circumstance, these women would lose their lives trying to give birth. Medical problems can also occur in the fetus, that make a healthy life seem near impossible. Patau syndrome, a rare and very severe chromosome disorder leads to mental retardation and physical defects-so severe that many babies die soon after birth. (Day) Because Patau syndrome is a chromosomal disease, it can be detected during the pregnancy, giving the women an option to end the pregnancy. This option is beneficial to both the fetus and mother. The trauma of having your newborn die soon after birth is unbearable. Also thinking of the child, the suffering of hospitalization only to pass away in the near future is horrible, and therefore abortion is the most humane solution to this horrific disease and others similar. Living in the 21st century, the prevalence of young girls becoming pregnant is high, and the sheer age of girls causes many concerns of health for both the fetus and the girl. “70,000 girls ages 15-19 die each year from pregnancy, and babies being carried by young mothers have a 60% higher chance of dying as well”(Roleff). By allowing very young girls to go through pregnancy, more deaths occur, then if the embryo was aborted. In cases with young girls, abortion is a well thought out alternative to taking the chance of a child giving birth to a child. Medical issues are a significant argument against getting rid of abortion, but having a child can also have a negative impact on the mental health of a mother.
Secondly, the mental health and stability of the women should be taken into consideration before giving birth, and abortion should stay an option to those who are not suited to give birth. Many things can contribute to the instability of women such as being a victim of rape. The woman who has been raped has undergone a terrible trauma, and carrying around a baby for nine months-her rapist’s baby- could significantly impact the victim’s mental health. Common mental health disorders resulting from sexual assault include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and even substance abuse. All disorders that a newborn should not be brought up in, and abortion should be available to the victims of such injustice. The results from giving birth can also have a very large impact on the lives of teenage and young girl’s lives. These problems include the most extreme cases of fear, disappointment, regret and low self-esteem ("Why Women Choose Abortion - Reasons Behind the Abortion Decision."). Being a very young mother, many obstacles are thrown your way, and having one of these symptoms or conditions can make having a baby truly difficult. Most of the times teen mothers are left to be a single parent, making raising a child seem near impossible. Likewise not being emotionally ready for a baby, causes many women to be remorseful and regret having the child, this isn’t the best situation to bring a baby up in. A child should be blessed to people who are willing to take care of him or her.
Abortion is sometimes a moral choice when pregnancy is unwanted and will be uncared for. “There are approximately 210 million orphans in the world (Knapp)”. It’s obvious that there are not enough families for all these children. If a pregnancy will lead to giving the baby to an orphanage maybe abortion is an option for that mother. Since the numbers are so high, and spots so precious, women should be able to receive an abortion instead of allowing the child to end up on the streets somewhere. If the fetus is kept, the children are likely to be neglected and don’t receive the attention and support they need. “Children who are born out of wedlock to women who are not prepared to raise a child are more likely to be unable to function in society and to become violent or criminals”(Roleff). This fact proves that because originally the fetus was unwanted, the parents failed to use proper parental guidance. This aspect was overlooked and therefore these misfortunes end up the criminals in society. Every child should be a wanted child, and if not, abortion should remain an option to those who are unwilling to take responsibility for the fetus. Although sometimes an individual is willing to take care of the future child, but financial obligations don’t permit it. According to several small studies across the country 73 percent of women absolutely cannot afford to have a baby at the moment. As of 2009 the cost to initially have a baby was between 9,000 dollars and 25,000 dollars without insurance (Ford). Also, the cost of raising a baby to age 18 is between 125,000 dollars and 250,000 dollars and that's not including college tuition ("Baby Expenses"). For some women this kind of expense is too much to handle, and not a possibility where they are at in their lives. Women who cannot afford to have a baby, might need abortion as a last resort, so it should stay legal. If abortion does not stay legal, many poor choices will be made in a time of desperation.
Lastly, the negative outcomes of making abortion illegal outweigh the positive outcomes because many women now have to go to great lengths to get one. A negative effect of making abortion illegal would be that women will resort to “back alley clinics” in order to receive treatment. This type of clinic would obviously be illegal, so the people whom run these centers would have trouble keeping the environment sanitary, or just wouldn’t care. If the clinics no longer are sanitary, the women receiving the abortions would be exposed to disease in their fragile state. This type of center would result in a large number of deaths from ill performed abortions. If not being regulated these centers will become who knows what. In order to prevent the spread of disease and back alley clinics, abortion should continue to be legal. Abortions being legal allows sanitary offices for women to turn to for help. If abortions weren’t legal, mother would also try to kill the fetus themselves. Nicknamed “self-abortions” many women try different tactics to try to kill their baby, such as causing trauma to themselves and the fetus in order to rid of the fetus. This also provides a greater chance of death to women just trying to get an abortion. As a result of making abortion illegal many flustered, women with nothing left to do, will turn to dangerous solutions.
In the end, Abortion should be an option for desperate women across the nation. There are many supporting points on why this last resort should continue to be legal. Sometimes medical issues decrease the chance of a healthy, mother or child or the survival of either could be jeopardized as well. Secondly, the mental health of some women is just not a suitable environment to bring a baby into, but also the result of the pregnancy could just as well induce mental issues too. Abortion is sometimes a moral choice because the child will not be cared for properly. Lastly, there are drastic measure women will take to get one, so they should not be illegal. All in all, the option to keep abortion legal is the right one. For some women it’s the only one.