This is a research essay for my ENG102 class in MLA format. Please give any and all feedback, thank you!
The Controversy of Abortion: Why Abortions Should be Legal in the U.S.
- Women should have no say into what laws are on their bodies. Everyone should put their own beliefs, politics, and opinions on something that may never affect their bodies. After all, even with places for safe abortions to be done, it is not cared about by the government. This is causing women to risk their lives by practicing unsafe abortions or by not having access and the pregnancy causing her to pass. In other words, abortions should be legal in the United States because it is a woman's right to decide for her body, safer when the process of abortion is legal, and that health should be put before beliefs.
- To begin, in helping to understand abortions in the United States as a whole, there is research to show the history of abortions and how it has changed as well as some of the laws that have been put into place. Some studies show that back in the early days of abortions they were frequently done with natural herbs and were usually only restricted if done by an enslaved women and that their owner did not approve. As seen in an article discussing the late 1700s and early 1800s, women were referred to medical literature and newspapers for medications and herbs to induce abortions, since doing it through surgery was rare as well as it was all unregulated during this time (Parenthood). During that time period it is not surprising that they are using other resources, but in this case these women were doing this because that is the way that was common not because their ability to do it a safer way was not an option. Then there was the part of the history that crosses over with the times of slavery. The time when the enslaved black women were wanted to produce as many children as possible in order to create more workers and so them having an abortion was seen as them going against their owners (Baker). These women were not only put to work for hours on end, but then were forced to go through pregnancy. Even without the slaves there are still laws for and against abortions throughout the years.
- Then, there are the changes of laws with the government throughout the years that have to do with abortion. One law may be put into place that states that abortions are legal up to a certain point in pregnancy while then eight months later then then release a new bill that states abortions are no longer legal. This cycle will continue even to this day. In research article that I found it stated that, in 1857 the American Medical Association began pushing against abortions and aimed to make the illegal. Writing letters that stated that the life of the child began at conception and caused many anti-abortion laws to go into place between 1860 and 1880 (Winny). This is showing a time when not only the government, but some groups of people gathered and aimed to create an anti-abortion law based off an opinion of when the life of the child begins. Then there are the laws that were put into place that were more open to women receiving abortions. An example of that is on January 22, 1973, when the Supreme Court decided that any existing laws against abortion that was criminal would be taken away, this was the beginning of Roe v. Wade. Deciding that women deserved a sense of privacy as according to the fourteenth amendment (Baker). In simple words the fourteenth amendment granted anyone born or naturalized in the United States, even formerly enslaved people, with equal protection under the law.
- The first reason the abortions should be legal in the United States is due to the sole fact that women should have full say as to what can be done to their bodies. Over many decades everything in the U.S. is built solely off a man's point of view and for that reason everything is done in favor of men. They are the ones who are always paid more for the same job and work. They are the only ones to ever hold the title of President. It is always about them and never women, and this needs to change especially when it comes to speaking on the topic of a women's body. In one article that I read they put it very nicely. They said, by removing the right of women to have an abortion is a form of gender discrimination. By doing so, they are only affecting the population of women who would have to suffer the effects of an unwanted pregnancy. Preventing women from exercising her human rights or simple freedoms does not show equality to men ("Safe and Legal..."). It is so funny how it is always the women part of the population that must sacrifice their rights. Always the ones forgotten or not cared about as much as the men. An abortion should not just be a right for the sole fact that women should have a say in their bodies, but also because it can be a necessary medical procedure for some. In one of the articles that I read it stated the statistic that, "It is a basic healthcare need for millions of women, girls and others who can become pregnant. Worldwide, an estimated 1 in 4 pregnancies end in an abortion every year" ("Abortion is a..."). Showing that there is at least a 25% chance that one may know somebody that has received an abortion, even if they do not approve of it. That is because it is their body therefore it is their choice.
- The second reason that abortions being illegal in the United States is a problem is due to the fact that it has increased the dangers to both the women and babies' life since, women are having to find other unsafe ways to get around the law. Even though some would say that abortion surgery is not safe, it is the safest option. Even if is not legal if a woman is desperate, she will find a way and that method may cause her more harm by the end of it. In one of the studies that I read it discussed some of the statistics of maternal deaths. Mentioning that with the recent overturning or Roe v. Wade it has holy increased the rate of maternal deaths. If abortions become illegal all over the U.S., the death rates are expected to rise by 24% (Spitzer). Showing that it really would only make it worse not better. It also shows that instead of just aborting the fetus there is such a high chance to kill the mother as well. In an article written by the professor of the practice of public health and coordinator of the Women and Health Initiative at Harvard, Ana Langer, she said, "Restricting women's access to safe and legal abortion services has important negative health implications. We've seen that these laws do not result in fewer abortions. Instead, they compel women to risk their lives and health by seeking out unsafe abortion care" (Langer). She continues to discuss how other countries are raising their ban on abortion because they are realizing the affect that it is having on their people, while the United States is doing the opposite of that and is choosing to make abortions more and more illegal.
- The final reason that abortions should be legal is because nobody's personal religious or political beliefs should be reflected on others especially if it can cause someone else a sacrifice to their health or even life. By the government being the one who is in control of the laws they are one of the biggest problems for the issue. Since the government is completely politics based depending on the party that has more control over the voting is usually the one who gets their way. Since each party has an obvious sway for or against abortion it is making these laws about them and not about the women. One of the research essays that I found stated, "This pattern in views of abortion - whereby more favor greater restrictions on abortion as a pregnancy progresses - is evident across a variety of demographic and political groups" (Mitchell). This continues to prove that each party has an opinion on the topic of abortion even if it has nothing to do with them. Then there is the argument of abortion through religion. Depending on different religions they have different opinions on when the fetus is considered "alive" and that will typically determine if they find abortions fine, and up till what point. In one of the articles I read, they mentioned this about religion, "[Women] must decipher from a myriad of messages whether abortion is the right option for them and manage the implications of their decision within their own religious and moral framework" (Frohwirth). Discussing that with the thousands of different opinions one may hear on the topic of abortion. They must pick the option for them that fits their own religious beliefs and moral values, not everyone else's. All in all, the political and religious views should play no role in laws that are put into our system, as well as they should not be put on others. The only person that they should affect is the person that is considering the abortion.
- On the other hand, there are the people that believe that abortions should be illegal all around. These people are usually big believers in that idea that the fetus is alive at or around the beginning of conception. More stereotypically they are more right leaning politically and extremely religious. One of the articles that is completely against abortions stated, "Late term abortion is purely evil. This is murder of the most innocent among us. Government should preserve and protect life, not kill it before it is even born. If we can't defend the defenseless and protect the most innocent, then America is not doing its job" (Breeyear). In this article specifically they mention that having an abortion late term is considered murder. How they would be killing someone who was completely innocent and had no choice. Talking about how America is not doing its job by protection those who are unable to protect themselves. There are the people who then don't believe in abortions because they believe that it is better to educate more on the front end and home there will be less of a need for abortions. In an article it was said that "Increased access to birth control, health insurance, and sexual education would make abortion unnecessary" (ProCon.org). Explaining that they and against abortions but not against trying to help women from needing them. Showing interest in giving better sex education in schools and making preventatives of pregnancy like birth control more accessible. These would help to lower the number of abortions wanted throughout the United States.
- Even though this topic is in such a big debate in today's world it is very hard to create something like a band-aid solution. That is due to it having such a big connection through the government. Also having to do with the fact that since they have had no urgency to make any change to benefit women in the last hundreds of years, why would they now? Since there are states that will allow legal abortions if someone is need that is their only option to de it safely. Other than that, the best short-term solution is just to continue to fight for the rights that women should have say over what laws can be placed upon their body.
- Then there is the big question on how this issue can be fixed with a long-term solution. One of the "easiest' was to fix this problem is to remove all laws placed by the government making abortions illegal. Truthfully if someone is against abortions the simplest thing to do is for them not to receive one. There is not reason that they should stop a person who may need an abortion. That is a solution that is very unlikely just due to the way that the government works but the next best option is to go to a more state controlled option. Although this would still not be ideal, it would allow for each of the fifty states to make their decision on whether abortions are legal in their state and up until what point. This would hopefully still allow women to access to these resources, but in a more achievable way.
- The extent of this problem is very big due to the fact that it is affecting women daily. Even though most people do not openly talk about abortions especially after the last overturning of Roe v. Wade and just because of the world we live in today. It does not mean that they do not still exist, they are just done in less safer manors. One of the biggest long-term effects of banning abortions is that it is currently causing more harm to now both the women and the child than ever before. This problem will just continue to prove over time that women and men can never receive equality to each other since women will never have the same rights over their bodies that men do.
- All in all, abortions in women should be legal across the United States. Something such as a topic that only applies to women should be put under the rule of a group of only women and not under the government, which is mostly a male dominated group. That is not to say that a man's opinion would never matter, but it should never be what a law is based on especially when the law only is pertaining to women. Even though not everyone may agree with the idea of abortions, that is okay, since not everyone needs one. But for the ones that do they should be able to without having to go through unneeded steps. By everyone exercising their voice to show that woman's rights are allowing women to decide what is best for her body, showing that it is a safer process when abortions are legal, and that health can be put before ones political or religious beliefs.