Thursday, November 18, 2010

Abortion: Pro-life

Amanda Young
Lauren Clark
English 101
18 November 2010
Abortion: Pro-life

As long as abortion has been possible, everlasting debate has existed over if abortion is morally and ethically right or wrong. Most people, who believe that abortion is wrong, promote “pro-life,” meaning that no matter what the circumstances, abortion should never happen. In contrast, those who believe that it is right promote a woman’s right to decide with “pro-choice.” As supported by the Bill of Rights and the Supreme Court case of Row vs. Wade, pro-choice proves to exist as the most logical, moral, and ethical way to view abortion and keep it legal.

Before the mid-1800s abortion had always been legal and was not given much thought. Around 1820, however, laws began to arise against abortion, and by early 1900 all abortion was illegal in the United States (Lewis 1). During this harsh time abortions were considered unlawful, dirty, and remained unspoken. When abortions were carried out, they mostly happened in back-alley clinics or by the woman herself. These procedures were often done in a harmful manner that usually ended up costing the child bearing woman her life (Podell 16). It was over 70 years later in 1973 that abortion again became legalized by pro-choice activists in the Supreme Court case of Row vs. Wade. This case brought to light that right to have or not have an abortion should be the decision of woman who is bearing the child herself. Row vs. Wade supported the right to have an abortion with the Bill of Rights. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, which defends civil rights granted by the U.S. Constitution,

The Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution guarantees individuals the right to personal autonomy, which means that a person’s decisions regarding his or her personal life are none of the government’s business. That right, which is a part of the right to privacy, encompasses decisions about parenthood, including a woman’s right to decide for herself whether to complete or terminate a pregnancy, as well as the right to use contraception, freedom from forced sterilization and freedom from employment discrimination based on child bearing capacity (Roleff 67).

In result of Row vs. Wade, abortion became legal once again and more socially accepted (67).

Pro-choice activists do not promote abortion as something that should always be done; they believe that the choice is up to the mother based on the situation in which the child was conceived or the situation the child could be being born into. There are many undesired circumstances of pregnancy that can lead to the choice of aborting a child. Situations on how the child is conceived may include rape or incest; although, most cases incest, unfortunately, occur along with rape. For a woman who conceives a child after being raped, carrying and giving birth to that child may very well be the hardest and most emotionally damaging experience within the woman’s life. After being raped by her brother-in-law while her sister was out of town, Barbara Hernandez, along with her doctor, decided that an abortion would be the best thing to do in the interest of her and the potential child. “She (the doctor) explained to me that in these circumstances I did not have to feel guilty if I chose an abortion. She presented it as a way to save my life, my sanity,” states Hernandez. After receiving the abortion she commented by stating that, “at first I felt guilty. I had ended a life that was just beginning. But gradually I realized that because of my circumstances, it was better for both the embryo and me.” This statement proves that under the circumstance of rape abortion is completely ethical and reasonably moral because of the emotional damage to the mother and the potential hard life of the child if it were to have been born (133). Other than the way that the child is conceived, the world and life that the child could potentially be brought into is another reason for situational abortions. A woman may be hesitant to have a child because of bad family life, she may be abused and does not want that for a child, or she could be unmarried; in addition, one of the most common reasons out of these is money and the inability for some single women or families to support a child financially. If there is not enough money to support a child, bringing them into a poor life could result in an array of problems throughout the child’s life and the parent’s. The decision to not have a baby based on finance is also common with girls who become pregnant under the age of 18. According to Patricia Lunneborg, the author of Abortion: A Positive Decision, the third most common reason that a girl under 18 chooses to have an abortion is because she cannot afford a baby at that time (105). Lunneborg also states that “at any age, women say they have too many responsibilities already and not enough money (106).” This means that no matter the age of a woman, financial problems have always proven to be a reason for abortion. Altogether, based on undesirable situations, women should always have the right to choose what they want because of what’s best for them personally and their potential child.

The reason behind why all women should always have the right to choose to not have a baby is simple; a woman has the right do whatever she wants with her own body, along with every other human being. In Row vs. Wade, when abortion was made legal, “the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 7-2 decision, ruled that unborn humans were not ‘legal persons,’ that they were the property of the owner (the mother) who was given the basic constitutional right to choose to kill her unborn offspring (Willke 1).” According to this statement, under any circumstances a woman may choose to do as she likes with the fetus growing within her; no matter what the reason may be, she alone as the mother has the choice of whether she wants to keep her baby or not and have an abortion.

Debate over abortion and whether or not it should remain legal will always remain. Many situations exist that are undesirable for either the mother, the future of the child, or in some cases both the mother and the child. These unwanted situations and circumstances exemplify why abortion should remain legal. Although there are people who will never accept women who have abortions, the fight for social acceptance will continue. As long as pro-choice remains the leader of what is considered the best option to support, women will always, and should always, have the right to choose what they want to do with their own bodies.








Works Cited
Lewis, Jone J. "Abortion - History of Abortion in the United States." Women's History
Comprehensive Women's History Research Guide. New York Times Company, 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. .

Roleff, Tamara L. Abortion: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1997. Print.

Willke, Dr. and Mrs. J.C. "Why Can't We Love Them Both? On Line Book by Dr. and Mrs.
Willke." Abortion Facts - Information on Abortion You Can Use. Heritage House '76, 2006. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. .

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