Fig. 4. The image above is an old magazine cover which clearly advocates for abortion and women's rights.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Works Cited
Calvin, Steven, and Robert J. White. "Unborn
Babies Can Feel Pain." Www.mccl.org.
Minnesota
Citizens Concerned For Life, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.
"Cultural Dictionary." Dictionary.reference.com.
Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 15 Mar.
2013.
"Effective Sex Education." Www.advocatesforyouth.org.
Advocates for Youth, n.d. Web.
16
Mar. 2013.
Greenberg, Jon, and Molly Moorhead.
"PolitiFact's Guide To MItt Romney and
Abortion."
Www.politifact.com. Politi Fact, 19 Oct. 2012. Web. 04 Mar. 2013.
Harmon, Katherine. "Birth of a Bond:
Illustrating a Year of Mother and Baby
Development."
Www.scientificamerican.com. Scientific American, 08 May 2010.
Web.
15 Mar. 2013.
"History of Abortion." Www.prochoice.org.
National Abortion Federation, n.d. Web. 15
Mar.
2013.
Saunders, William. "Church Has Always Condemned
Abortion."
Www.catholicnewsagency.com.
Catholic News Agency, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2013.
"Should Abortion Be Legal?" Abortion.procon.org.
Procon, 05 Feb. 2013. Web. 01 Mar.
2013.
"Support Every Woman's Right to Choose!" Www.tumblr.com.
Tumblr., n.d. Web. 24
Mar.
2013.
Www.hsccfv.com. Respect Life / Pro-Life, n.d.
Web. 20 Mar. 2013.
The Ultimate Decision: Women's Rights Matter
It is a woman’s
right to be in charge of her own body and make the decisions necessary and best
fit to her life. Although there are laws allowing legal abortion, the debate
between pro choice and pro life is ongoing. It is of high importance that a
woman has the full right to her body. Every day as individuals, there are
choices to be made whether they are big or small. In these instances there is
often no one telling us what to do or making our decisions for us. This is how
every situation should be, especially when it comes down to a woman’s right to
her own body and her child’s life. It is outrageous and disgusting that in the
United States most recent election, between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney there
was potential for Planned Parenthood to be banned. In 2011, Mitt Romney, the
former presidential candidate, stated: “I will support efforts to prohibit
federal funding for any organization like Planned Parenthood” (Greenberg). In
this day and age there should be no debate on the subject of whether abortion
should be legal or not, however, there were a number of people that wanted to
take this right away from the women of this country. As a nation we have come
so far, especially regarding women’s rights and it is uncanny that there are
still people that are willing to take them away.
There are a number
of reasons as to why about half of the United States population falls under the
category of pro life, all understandably so. Often times the people that
identify themselves as pro life also identify themselves with another group;
religion. While there are numerous religious groups that oppose a woman’s right
to abortion, one of the most commonly known is the Catholic religion. In
principle, Catholic Christians believe that all life is sacred from conception
until natural death, and the taking of innocent human life, whether born or
unborn, is morally wrong (Saunders). “The neural pathways are present for pain
to be experienced quite early by unborn babies,” explains Steven Calvin, M.D.
It has been proven that by 20 weeks gestation the baby is fully capable of
experiencing pain (White). It is understandable to not want to end the life of
a child who has no say in the matter what so ever. Not only does the unborn
child suffer, but the mother does as well. Abortions can cause psychological
damage as well as complications in later wanted pregnancies. Procon.org also
stated that about 15 percent of first-trimester miscarriages are attributed to
prior history of induced abortion “History of Abortion.” When one is
considering abortion it is important to think about other options. Many women
do not have the privilege to carry their own child, which is a factor that
often leads to adoption. However, there is a lack of adoptable babies due to
abortion, yet another reason why abortion can be considered a bad thing. Another
article on procon.org states that over two million couples are waiting to adopt
babies, and only 134,000 United States children are available to be adopted
“History of Abortion.” If abortion were not legal, many more babies would be
able to lead the lives they were meant to live, whether it is with their birth
parents or adoptive parents. A child’s life needs to be taken seriously so just
think about this: this is a son or daughter that can never be brought back.
Fig. 1. This image
explains how the babies that are aborted could have been some of the most
successful people in the world (hsccfv.com).
As human beings it
is of the highest importance that we have the final say in what we wish to do
with our bodies. For this reason, there should be no debate on whether abortion
should be legal or not. The 1973 Supreme Court
decision in Roe v. Wade made it possible for women to get
safe, legal abortions from well-trained medical practitioners, which led to
dramatic decreases in pregnancy related injury and death (History of Abortion).
Women have come so far through out the history of the United States with the
rights that they have gained; it would be impractical to backtrack and take
those rights away. It can be argued that religions do not want abortion to be
legal, however, they should have no say on the matter as it is to be decided by
the states; what happened to the separation of church and state? Along with
religion, politics is one of the biggest deciding factors on whether someone
leans toward pro choice or pro life is where they stand politically. I believe
that people need to take a step back from what their religious or political
groups say and decide what is right based on their own morals.
Fig. 2. This image
further exemplifies the point that abortion is not a choice that should be made
from a political point of view (tumblr).
Abortion can be
helpful not only in cases of an unplanned pregnancy between spouses, but in
cases of rape as well. Although abortion should not be an easy way out or used
as a frequent form of birth control, it is a helpful option in cases of rape or
incest. It is important to remember that even with the proper forms of birth
control, unwanted pregnancies can still occur. Without abortion, many women
would feel trapped and most likely not be able to properly raise the child from
the unplanned pregnancy. Adoption is a choice, however, it can be a difficult
one, which is why many women opt for the more impersonal choice of abortion.
When a mother endures a pregnancy for almost a year an extremely personal bond
is formed between her and her child. Through this long period of time both the
mother and the child go through countless changes, which they experience
together (Harmon). Talking about the mother and unborn child, Katherine Harmon
states; “The two individuals' systems are so intertwined that even after birth,
material from the fetus can linger in the mother's body for decades.” When a
mother makes that connection with her child it could make the adoption
outrageously difficult for her. The most important thing to remember is that
women should be in control of the decisions regarding their body at all times.
It is easy for
people to form opinions on subjects that they have never experienced
themselves. However, if everyone were to take a step back and try to understand
just what it would be like to be in the position of having an unwanted
pregnancy, maybe it would change his or her mind even a little. Many of the
people that oppose abortion, however, are men; men who will never understand
what it is like to be told they must have the child of their unwanted
pregnancy. An unwanted and unexpected
pregnancy can be life altering and if the time ever came where a decision
needed to be made, most would want to have the right to do what they want with their
body. Taking away Planned Parenthood and abortion laws would not solve anything;
on the contrary, it would make many peoples lives far more complicated as well
as the life of the child. It is important in today’s society for every single
person to have an equal amount of rights, including the right to their own
body.
As the topic of
abortion is a particularly touchy subject among todays society, it is important
that people are fully informed on alternative ways to lessen the need for it
rather than have to get rid of abortion all together. There are numerous
compromises that can be made to abortion. By raising awareness about the
different methods of birth control among people both young and old, the need
for abortions would be greatly reduced. According
to Columbia University researchers, virginity pledge programs increase
pledge-takers’ risk for STIs and pregnancy (Advocates for Youth). The study
concluded that 88 percent of pledge-takers initiated sex prior to marriage even
though some delayed sex for a while (Advocates for Youth). However, by
providing effective safe sex programs in schools, the likelihood of teens
becoming pregnant could be greatly lessened. If these programs are set in place
to teach the young people in schools, it is likely that the safe and smart
behavior learned from the programs will be carried over in to adult hood,
resulting in less need for abortion. As previously stated, another alternative
to abortion could be adoption, which would also greatly reduce the need for
abortion in the United States.
Although there are
different beliefs on the subject, abortion is something to be taken extremely
seriously and should be legal as it is a women’s right to choose what she does
with her body. There are numerous forms of birth control that can be used to
prevent having to get an abortion. However, there are instances in which
abortion may be the only option in which case the woman should have the right
to that option. By setting programs in place in schools, young adults can
become more aware of the precautions they can take if they choose to be
sexually active. No man or woman should have the right to take away another woman’s
right to her own body. Although abortion is not ideal for most, it is an option
that has helped countless women and should remain to do so.
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