Project Two: The Editorial
English 1050
1 February 2013
Should This Be Legal?
Since before 1973, abortion has been allowed, but over the years, there has been great controversy over whether abortion should be legal or illegal. Many individuals believe that abortion should be eliminated. Should people be wondering about this? The thought of an innocent woman carrying a sick stranger’s child is heinous, but rape is not the only situation when people consider abortion. Sometimes, a woman will unexpectedly get pregnant. Should that woman have to deal with the consequences or should she be able to decide whether she wants to keep the child or not? All of these are questions that people should consider when setting their beliefs about abortion.
With all of the floating predicaments about people’s beliefs, it is hard for individuals to decide whether they are for or against abortion. When people think of abortion, one of the first thoughts that pop into their heads is rape. People argue that rape is the main cause of a woman getting an abortion, but according to Frank A. Pavone, “Of all the abortions performed in America, fewer than 1% are because of rape,” (Rape and Abortion). This should be a major contributor in the decisions of people’s opinions about abortion. This statistic shows that the majority of women who are faced with the choice of abortion are doing it because it is their own consequence. The remaining percentage women choosing to get abortions are due to things like a medical problem with the child, or just her choice in general. But what some people might not know is that most of the pregnancies these days, are not even planned.
According to Stanley K. Henshaw,“49% of all pregnancies of women are unintended,” (Family Planning Perspectives). In most cases, this occurs with teenage girls because they do not have the proper education about having safe sex. The parents of the teenager think that the teen is not ready; both emotionally, and financially, to have a child of their own. Also, the teenager could go behind the parents back and get the abortion on her own. In the remaining cases, the woman is just simply not ready to pursue the responsibilities of being a mother; therefore, she makes the decision herself to get the abortion. The teenage aspect is not the only reason that women get abortions. Another reason is because of a medical problem with the child.
In some cases, the unborn child will have to be aborted because of a medical issue. The child has no control over this, so it is a tragedy to see happen, but it is what is best for the child in the situation. Some women unfortunately have miscarriages which cannot be avoided. If the child is at risk for having a mental illness, the mother sometimes chooses to have the child aborted. Rose Marchick indicates that, “Impending miscarriages, danger to the mother’s health, and birth defects are the main medical reasons of women getting an abortion” (Medical Reasons for Abortions).
Abortion is a remaining problem that is not going to go away any time soon. The government has the control whether this predicament is going to be legal or illegal in all places. The positives and the negatives about this issue pretty much equal each other out, therefore leaving people with a split mindset about the whole situation. In the last poll for abortion to be legalized, there was a seven to two vote for abortion to be legal. This is showing that the government is for abortion. Is this decision going to sway the population? Or are people going to stick with what they believed in?
Work Cited
Henshaw, Stanley K. “Family Planning Perspectives.” Guttmacher Institute. Web. 19 February 2013.
Marchick, Rose. “Medical Reasons for Abortions.” Livestrong. Web. 15 February 2013.
Pavone, Frank A. “Rape and Abortion.” Priests for Life. Web. 15 February 2013. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/26714.php http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/405852_6
Cited: Henshaw, Stanley K. “Family Planning Perspectives.” Guttmacher Institute. Web. 19 February 2013. Marchick, Rose. “Medical Reasons for Abortions.” Livestrong. Web. 15 February 2013. Pavone, Frank A. “Rape and Abortion.” Priests for Life. Web. 15 February 2013. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/26714.php http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/405852_6
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