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. Roe was a single and pregnant woman who was fighting the state of Texas
where the law stated she was not allowed to get an abortion. Roe won the case
and abortion was legalized. 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 and, therefore, abortion is immoral
and effectively killing innocent human beings. Although each side has valid
points to argue, there is the long-term impact for the rights of the mother, the
welfare of the child and the impact on society to consider. These factors
clearly argue that abortion should remain legal and be determined by the
decision of the woman and the woman’s guardian.
Those who call
themselves ‘pro-life’ believe that, if a woman has an abortion, she is killing
her child and, in turn, committing an act of murder. They believe that no
matter what stage of the pregnancy the child is in, it is still considered a
human being. By getting an abortion, the mother is extinguishing any chance for
the child to make any contributions to society and she is taking away its right
to life and its right to become someone. They also believe that abortion raises
the chance of health and psychological problems in a woman such as infertility,
breast cancer, and an increased chance of miscarriages in the future.
Legalizing
abortion allows women to take back control of their lives. Because of Roe vs.Wade, abortion is legal and can be performed in the United States to a consenting
adult or to a minor with parental approval. “A Sep. 2005 survey in the peer-reviewed journal Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health askingwomen why they had an abortion found that 73% of participants said they could not afford to have a baby, and 38% claimed giving birth would interfere withtheir education and career goals.” According to Stuart W. G. Derbyshire,PhD, a fetus cannot experience pain and therefore it will not suffer during the
abortion. When women get abortions, the majority of the time it is because they
are young and are unable to raise a child. They have other responsibilities
such as their education, a career, or maybe they are not in a financial
situation where they can take care of a child.
Abortion also
allows a mother to decide whether or not she should allow her child to be born
if it has severe medical problems. 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. Sara, a woman who found out that her son would never be able towalk, decided that she needed to get an abortion. Midway through her pregnancy,
she found out that her son had Spina Bifida, a condition where the spine and tissue
protrude from the back. The result of this deformation meant that her son would
never walk. Sara did not want her son to have to live his life watching
everyone around him participating in sports and, even something as simple as
walking, so she chose to get an abortion. About 208,000 people are victims of
an act of sexual assault each year in the United States. When a woman is raped,
she must carry the child of the man who attacked her. 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.
Notice the sign that says, "Keep abortion safe and legal." If we were to make abortion safer, women would not be put in danger by having an abortion.
In Ireland,abortion is allowed in only the most extreme cases such as if a woman is raped,or if her pregnancy is going to put her in danger. In the United States, abortion
is certainly taken advantage of, but it should not be abolished altogether. It
should be regulated. A woman can have a certain amount of abortions, like a Subway
punch card. Women should not be allowed to have an abortion in the second half of
their pregnancy unless their pregnancy is putting the woman or the child in
danger. This will limit women from taking advantage of the system. No young woman should have to be punished for
her whole life because of a mistake she has made when she was young. She should
have a second chance. Eight hundred,thirty-one million dollars are spent on abortions every year and one in three womenwill have an abortion before the age of 45.
This shows how people have been taking advantage of this option and why
it should be regulated. But, if abortion were
made illegal, back alley abortions would be performed. These abortions are
dangerous to women and result in 68,000 deaths per year in 33 countries where abortion is not legal.
Irish Times Image
Irish Times Image
In conclusion, abortion
should remain a legal choice and allow woman to have a second chance when the
life of the expected mother is in danger, a poor or misguided choice was made,
a repulsive act of violence or incest, or when the life of a newborn is destined
to suffer every day of its life through disfigurement and/or severe and debilitating
handicaps. Even though abortion has these positive attributes, it cannot be used
by women as a form of birth control. If abortion is to remain legal, it should
be regulated and controlled and be a means to enhance the life of the mother and
be beneficial to society.
