Mariah Smith
Professor Emily Fulgham-Clay
ENGL 102-W03
26 November 2018
Should Abortion Be Legal?
In life we all have the option to do what’s best for us, that’s a decision that we must make on our own. Abortion is a woman’s individual choice, therefore it must be legalized. Every individual in America have their own rights which have a very powerful role in this specific topic, on whether or not abortion should be made legal . Abortion is about allowing a woman to do what’s best for her. Many women are just not ready to be mothers yet. It’s not the government's choice to say what a woman can or cannot do to her body.
Bringing an unwanted child into this world, with the means of not giving them the proper love, protection and care they need could cause emotional damage to the mother. If us as humans don’t have that stability to give a child our love wholeheartedly, then the point to bring them in this world is unhealthy and causes more stress and problems. Should a woman have the obligation to go through the whole nine month phase of birthing a child or the emotional stress of giving away her child? The rights a woman has are not only for herself, but for the child that’s also relying on her to live.
Legalizing abortion is the right and important way for women. Sometimes, it is not the right time for her to be a great mother for the simple fact that she may be underaged and not mentally ready for a child. More reasoning is that she does not want to have an unwanted baby. If a woman is raped, she could become pregnant. Hypothetically speaking, she wouldn’t want to see the baby because it may remind her of the horror and pain that was caused. In these particular situations, shouldn’t she have the right to abort a child that she doesn’t want to keep? However, some women will look at the child and will only be reminded of the pain that they experienced. Therefore, they should be allowed to have an abortion in some cases like that.
The most basic freedoms for a woman is the right to control her own body and to determine if she wants to bear a child. Only she can determine whether she is emotional and physically ready at any given time to have and raise a child (Terhor). Recent study by the US Supreme Court found out that women feel better emotionally and mentally knowing that abortion is an option (Belluck). Abortion is illegal in many countries all over the world. The government has the power to tell a woman what to do with her body and if she does not do it then she will be thrown in jail. That is very cruel and inhumane. According to the Irish law a woman who gets an abortion after a rape could receive a longer prison sentence time than her rapist (Murroni).
“In 2013, an important study of nearly 1,000 women surveyed the most common reasons to lead to an abortion. Be it a single mother who “didn’t have money to buy a baby spoon” (Merelli). This is very important, it penalizes low-income women the most. Some women are just not financially ready to bring a child into this world, it is hard trying to take care of yourself and also another human being with a very low income. Many women are afraid to bring a child into this world due to the fact of having a low-income. As a mother, you want to be able to give your child the world and everything they want and desire, knowing that you can’t because of financial issues may break your heart. It would be irresponsible to raise a child in a unhealthy environment.
Most women who have abortions are less likely to suffer from mental health problems than women who are denied abortions. A study showed that women who denied an abortion sometimes feel regretful and anger verse women who have received an abortion. The same study also stated that approximately 95% of women who received abortions felt it was the right choice after a week after the procedure (Rocca and Kimport et al.).
Making abortion legal may decrease the chances of less teenage pregnancies. Teen pregnancy rates in America have decreased since 2015. “Teen Pregnancy in the United States. In 2015, a total of 229,715 babies were born to women aged 15–19 years, for a birth rate of 22.3 per 1,000 women in this age group. This is another record low for U.S. teens and a drop of 8% from 2014. Birth rates fell 9% for women aged 15–17 years and 7% for women aged 18–19 years.” (Healthy Teens, Healthy Communities)
Men can undergo any procedure they want without it being a huge problem, well the same should be applicable for women. We all have equal rights. “We must not confuse potentiality with actuality. An embryo is a potential human being.”(Peikoff). Fetuses are potential humans, if the woman chooses, can be formed. Therefore, the women should have a legal secondary option. Even if the mother decides to keep the child, it might not be the perfect time. There are many things to prepare for and think about before planning to have a baby. A women should be physically, emotionally, financially, and mentally ready for a child.
Most women do not have the love and support of their families when having an unplanned pregnancy. Without considering these factors, having a baby will not only ruin women’s future but for the child as well. Pregnancy is the outcome of unprotected sex, but it should not be a punishment against motherhood.
Rape has been a very huge reason why some women want to abort their baby. When rape has occurred, and a woman does not want to keep the pregnancy, she would choose not to keep the baby. The experience of being raped is a huge burden. Most girls would quickly abort the child so that they won’t cause psychological trauma on themselves. Many Christians believes that aborting your child is a sin, but God says that no sin is greater than the other. Young girls have a better chance at furthering their education once they have an abortion verse having to deal with a child at a very young age. In other countries, a young girl getting pregnant meant that she would have to be married off. This would stop her from continuing her education and having to be a mother and a wife at a very young age.
Abortion gives young women between the ages of 16-21 years a chance to pursue their education and dreams. Being a mom at a very young age could stop that, because you would have to tend to your child everyday. Being a teen mom is very common in the United States. Abortion gives you the option to be able to live your life as a teenager without any responsibility of giving birth to an unwanted child.
Abortion is a very social, medical and a religious issue. It is a very touchy subject to get on and a very controversial topic. Many people believe that abortion should be illegal because it’s not right or it’s a sin, but who are you to say what is not right for another’s person's body? Most women decide to have an abortion simply because they’re just not ready and people in our society make it seem like it’s a bad thing.
Whatever a woman does to her body should be her choice, no man or other woman should tell you what to do with your body. It is your decision not the governments.
Work Cited Page
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Corinne H. Rocca, Katrina Kimport, et al., "Women's Emotions One Week after Receiving or Being Denied an Abortion in the United States," Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Sep. 2013
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