Abortion

In my women studies class, we talk about women’s rights and the pressures society puts on women. A common topic that is often brought up in my class is the discussion of abortion. This topic is very controversial. In my class it always seems to be that the people that raise their hand to speck either feel very strongly about one extreme or another. Yet abortion is not as simple as a yes or no answer. There are many other variables to this topic that make it complicate and hard to determine. For example if a mother wants to get an abortion, when is it acceptable for her to get it? At what time is an abortion no longer moral? These questions are just a few of the questions that make this topic so hard to determine. Many people feel very strongly for one side or another, and much of it has to do with your personal beliefs and values.

The Wikipedia definition of an abortion is the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or causing by its death. Nowadays abortion is becoming a very heated topic. From all of the technology and medicine that is being developed it is easier now than ever to get an abortion.

In the abortion debate many women either side with the pro-choice movement or the pro-life movement. The pro-life movement believes that each woman should have the rights and privileges to do whatever she wants with her body. They believe that each woman’s situation is different, and it is only up to that individual to determine what the right thing to do is. They also believe that women should have access to safe and legal abortions, and should be protected from forced abortion. On the other hand people those that support pro-life believe that abortions should be against the law. They believe that a fetus or an embryo is a living human being, and deliberately killing a human being is wrong and unethical. They also oppose certain contraceptives such as hormonal contraceptives like ECP’s.

An abortion is a very private and serious topic. Yet I believe that every woman should have the right to decide what happens to her own body. Having a baby is a life altering decision, and I believe that if Congress passed a bill banning abortions than it would have an adverse effect on the safety of women in society. For example nowadays women can get an abortion safely from a doctor, but if the doctors are banned from performing abortion on women then it could cause some women to find other, more extreme and dangerous alternatives. I believe that if Congress were to ban abortions women would get illegal get abortions from phony physicians, and could result in serious health hazards to not only the mother, but the fetus as well.

Also I believe that it is unfair to have a congressman tell me what I can and can not do with my body. Every woman’s situation is different, and I believe that it is only right for each particular person to determine what is best for them. For example what if a woman was raped and then is impregnated by the man that raped her. If she wants to get an abortion is it wrong or unmoral? Many members of the pro-life movement would argue that the woman should give it up for adoption, yet that still does not solve all of the problems. Nowadays the world is extremely overpopulated, and the rates of children in foster care are increasing. And although I have never personally been in foster care, I have had people tell me that growing up in foster care is hard and lonely. The debate on abortion is very complicated and controversial, but I believe that every woman needs to make that choice for herself.