Pro-Choice Essay

Abortion is when the fetus of a pregnant woman is removed. There are three different trimesters in a pregnancy. One type of abortion that usually happens in the first trimester is elective termination, which is when the mother of the fetus chooses to have her pregnancy terminated for one reason or another. Another type of abortion is therapeutic abortion which is a when a pregnancy is terminated, usually during the second trimester of the pregnancy, because it is known that the child will later have birth defects.  There is also another type of abortion method call an emergency contraceptive, commonly referred to as the morning after pill or Plan B.  Emergency contraceptives are “a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected intercourse” (Finley 3). A more humane alternative to abortion is adoption.  Pro-choice refers to those in favor of allowing women to make a decision, based on their own judgment, whether or not a pregnancy should be terminated.  Pro-life refers to those in favor of not letting women terminate a pregnancy, no matter the situation.   Some people believe that abortion is not killing a child because it technically is not a child in this early stage of pregnancy; it is a nonliving fetus.  Others believe that abortion is wrong because it involves killing a “child.”  While abortion causes a lack of adoptable babies, subjects young women to make a carless decision, and causes a woman to knowingly end an innocent human beings life, abortion should be a choice because it is a women’s right to decide what is best for her, it offers the option of not birthing a child with a serious medical condition, and because an unwanted baby should not be brought into the world.

            It is true that there is a lack of adoptable babies due to abortion. “Over two million couples are waiting to adopt babies, and only 134,000 children are available to be adopted as of June 2002” (Bowman 1). There are many couples who are unable to conceive and are waiting to adopt a child. Women should give their babies to couples who cannot conceive.  Abortions cost anywhere from three hundred and fifty dollars to more than one thousand.  It does not make sense to spend that much money to kill a child when it could be given to a couple in need.  It is estimated that “just ten percent of babies born to teenage mothers are placed in adoptive homes” (Marcovitz 1).  It would only be fair for a woman to birth the child, even though she does not want the child for herself, and give it to a couple who would care for it. “Abortion is just one option in what should be a range of choices and family planning information available to everyone” (Anderson 3).  The decision to either raise a child, have an abortion, or put the child up for adoption is a difficult choice, especially when the conception of the child was unintended.

Secondly, there are many young women who are carless and find themselves pregnant.  Young women and teenagers engage themselves in sexual activity because they think, “It will not happen to me.”  They also have very little knowledge of the actual abortion procedure and its risks. If a woman is going to be sexually active and does not want to get pregnant, contraceptives should be used.  Many girls end up not telling their parents that they are pregnant because they do not know how they will react.  Parents have a right to know when their daughter is pregnant to help counsel her through it and make sure she does not make a wrong decision about the pregnancy.  “Parents have both an obligation and a right to counsel their daughters on the subject of sex and birth control; requiring parental notification in advance of an abortion is an important step in support of the young woman who finds herself pregnant” (Jacobs and Sprague).  The choice to have an abortion leaves “emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual scars on women who abort” (Chittom and Newton 3).  When a young woman becomes pregnant, she needs the support of her family and friends to help her make the right decision. The decision that she makes will affect her for the rest of her life.

In addition, a human’s life is knowingly being ended. This human being, even though it is extremely young at this point, has a right to life. The child cannot fight for itself. “While abortion is legal in the United States, it does not have to be the preferred choice” (Chittom and Newton 3). There are always places pregnant women can go for help such as counseling and homes made especially for them. Abortion should not be used as birth control.  “Allowing abortion directly contradicts the Founding Fathers’ intentions for an inalienable right to life in this country” (Bowman). Abortion defies a commandment of God.  The Sixth Commandment of the Bible’s Old Testament states “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13). Killing a child, no matter how old it is, is still killing a child and is morally wrong.

There are many reasons why abortion should not be legal but there are also many reasons why it should be.  It is a women’s right to decide what is best for her.  “The decision about whether or not to have an abortion is one that should be left up to the woman herself, since she alone bears the complex impact of pregnancy and childbearing” (Lee and Sprague).  If abortion were made illegal, women would continue to exercise this right but would find unsafe ways to terminate the pregnancy themselves.  Illegalizing abortion will cause women to go to places of unsanitary and unhealthy conditions to have her pregnancy terminated.  A woman might even terminate the pregnancy herself. “Since the rights to life, health, health care, and security of person are considered fundamental human rights under international law, restricting access to abortion is pressing human rights issues” (Lee and Sprague).  The Roe vs. Wade case was a big Supreme Court case that legalized abortion.  It was a very significant case because it is the reason why we have the abortion laws that we have today.

Secondly, abortions offer the option of not birthing a child with life threatening medical conditions or mental retardation.  Some women believe that birthing a mentally retarded child would be too much responsibility. “One in 800 babies have Down Syndrome, and one in 3,500 babies are born with Cystic Fibrosis” (Bowman).  By terminating the pregnancy, the child would not have to live his or her life “abnormally.” “It is not right to sentence a child to life with an acute handicap” (Bowman). There are many deadly diseases and a child should not have to live their whole life being handicapped if the mother had the choice. 

Finally, a baby should not come into the world unwanted. An unwanted child could lead to abuse or neglect.  If a woman really does not want the child, she may not care for it.  Not caring for the child would be worse than terminating the pregnancy in the beginning. “Ensuring access to abortion for all makes it more likely that women will have children only when they are ready, willing, and able to raise them” (Lee and Sprague).  If a woman is not financially ready for a child, this could cause her to live in poverty, which would not affect her or the child in a positive way.  The legalization of abortion causes crime rates to fall because unwanted, neglected children end up committing crimes later in their lives.  Having an unwanted child will affect the mother for the rest of her life. “Women who choose to delay giving birth until their life circumstances, including their level of income, allow them to raise their children in better environments” (Lee and Sprague).  If a mother does not want the child and will not be able to take care of it to the best of her abilities, it should not be brought into the world.

While there are many reasons why abortion should be illegal including a lack of adoptable babies, carless women, and human lives being ended, it should be a choice for women because it is a right, a handicap child could be born, and an unwanted baby should not be brought into the world.  Anyone who wants to learn more about abortion can visit .com/abortion/article_em.htm.  One could also visit an abortion awareness blog by going to the website com/.  These websites have very significant information.  There are currently no local abortion awareness events.  Surely, anyone put in this situation would want to make their own decision and not let the government make it for them.  When a woman wants to have an abortion it is far less dangerous for it to be legal than for it to be illegal.  It is only fair for a woman to choose to do what they think is best for them and their life.

 -Lindsey

Author's Note

Works Cited

Anderson, Tim. "Point: The Right to Safe and Legal Abortion." Points of View: Abortion (2011): 1-5. EbscoHost. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.
Bowman, Karlyn H., Marie Costa, Felicia Lowenstein, Maureen Muldoon, Kathy Rudy, and Lynn D. Wardle. "Abortion ProCon.org." Should Abortion be Legal?(1990's). Abortion ProCon.org. Web. 14 Apr. 2012.
Chittom, Lynn-nore, and Heather Newton. "Counterpoint: Pro-Life Activists Need to Push the Anti-Abortion Agenda." Points of View: Abortion (2011): 3. EbscoHost. Web. 12 Apr. 2012.
Exodus. The Old Testament. 13th ed. Vol. 20. EbscoHost. Web. 14 Apr. 2012.
Finley, Laura. "Counterpoint: Emergency Contraceptives Should Be Readily Available.”(2011): 3. EbscoHost. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.
Jacobs, W.E., and Nancy Sprague. "Point: Parents Must Be Notified in Advance on Women Under 18." Points of View: Abortion and Minors (2011): 2. EbscoHost. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.
Lee, M., and Nancy Sprague. "Point: Abortion Is a Women's Health Issue and Should Be
a Constituational Right." (2011): 2. EbscoHost. Web. 12 Apr. 2012.
Marcovitz, Hal. "Abortion and Adoption: Two Difficult Choices." (2004): 10-13. Abstracts in Social Gerontology. Web. 18 Apr. 2012.

Reviews

[Idk]

I too am pro-choice, and I always will be. This is an amazing essay, keep up the good work!