Topic > Pro Choice: Why Abortion Should Remain a Legal Right

In 2020, there was a mass protest in Poland against the ban on reproductive rights. The Polish government had decided in court to ban all abortions. Thousands of women, men and teenagers gathered in the streets to spread the message that abortion is an undeniable women's right. Despite a global pandemic, “430,000 people participated in more than 400 demonstrations across the country against the ban on Wednesday” (Mortensen and Smith-Spark). There are important reasons why abortion should remain legal, whether in Poland, America or anywhere else in the world, reasons for which people will never stop fighting. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A woman's decision to have an abortion is an undeniable right granted by the Supreme Court. The procedure is a means to protect the rights of the woman, protect the mental health of the woman in unfortunate situations such as harassment, and ensure the best life for the mother and a potential pregnancy. In cases of abortion, there are women of any age who experience an unintended pregnancy. Unwanted pregnancies have a high potential to disrupt maternal relationships, while creating disappointment, frustration and fear for partners and families that ultimately burden the women carrying the child. Another reason why abortion should remain legal is that there are women of all ages whose pregnancies can be harmful to their health. Fortunately, there is a method for managing unplanned pregnancies; a procedure called abortion, which is characterized as the removal or termination of a pregnancy. On December 22, 1973, the Supreme Court struck down the Texas law prohibiting abortion. Not only was the Texas law repealed, but the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade made abortion legal within the first trimester. (Issues of Gender and Sexuality: Essential Primary Sources 84). The court's decision recognizes women's rights and privacy over their own bodies. A right protected by the constitution. Supreme courts make their rulings for a reason, namely how certain actions are legal and illegal. For a reason. As mentioned previously, during the first trimester of pregnancy the possibility of having an abortion is left to the sole decision of the woman and her medical opinion. This prohibits state power from intervening until the end of the first three months. Next, states can reasonably regulate abortion for the mother and pregnancy. The Supreme Court has cautiously granted this right to women, while maintaining a justified time period. In the last two trimesters in which a viable being exists, the State then has the right to prohibit and regulate abortion. (Issues of Gender and Sexuality: Essential Primary Sources 84). Unless it is necessary to preserve the mother's health. The Supreme Court ruling had relieved women from unwanted pregnancies. The Roe v. Wade influenced the outcome of women who experienced rape and had an unplanned pregnancy because of it. Rape may seem less common to some, but there are still unfortunate cases where it occurs between strangers and unfortunately between close friends and family. When a person forces someone into sexual actions without obtaining consent, the mental and physical effects can be harmful. Especially when a woman is impregnated without consent. “The CDC estimates that approximately 32,000 pregnancies are the result of rape each year. Approximately 50% of pregnant rape victims terminate their pregnancies” (Dionne 2246). Studies show that almost athird of rape victims experience dissociated memory, disturbed/lost memory, or other chronic effects, similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. (“Rape.” International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences 65) It would be unfair for a woman to have to deal with these traumatic effects. A valid reason why a woman may choose to terminate a pregnancy. Another example where the right to abortion is recognized is teenage pregnancies. Young women face many negative consequences related to unwanted pregnancies. “Young women expelled from school due to an unwanted pregnancy often remember the circumstances of their friends' expulsion for years. Young middle school, high school, and college students who discovered they were pregnant worried about their parents' reaction and understood that an unwanted pregnancy could jeopardize their educational future” (Schoen 43). Young women with unwanted pregnancies may suffer from mental health problems. The possibility of missing out on education, worry about the family's contribution and the unplanned pregnancy itself lead mothers to not be mentally ready. Mothers will not be mentally fit for birth let alone pregnancy. Little children and mature women make mistakes. What does someone do if they make mistakes? Pregnancy abortions should remain legal because they will occur either way. Women with fears of being expelled by parents, negative emotions related to losing education, raising a financially unstable child, or experiencing rape can do what is necessary for them. A possible clandestine abortion. It may seem selfish, but it's harder to understand where you aren't in their shoes. Many harmful health and physical effects occur with illegal/"under the radar" abortions. They are very dangerous because the procedures are not medically supervised and are performed in a situation without medical expertise or performed in foreign countries where there is minimal regulation. The mother and potential baby become high-risk serious health complications. Senator Dianne Feinstein made the remarks during one of her speeches in support of the Roe vs. Wade lawsuit regarding illegal abortions. “I remember what it was like back then when abortion was illegal. When I was a college student, I watched the plaque roll by to raise money so young women could go to Tijuana for abortions. I knew a woman who took her own life because she was pregnant. Senator Feinstein then continues: “In the 1960s I served on the California Women's Board of Terms and Parole. I have convicted women convicted of the crime of performing an illegal abortion. I saw what they did. I saw how they did it. And I saw the morbidity they left behind. I don't want to go back to those days” (Alters, Sandra M). Unfortunately, illegal abortions are a real possibility if the right to abortion is not left intact. With legalization, women of all ages will have the necessary medical regulation that they can seek and not hide from. A huge advantage when you consider the health of the child carrier, which is the most important thing. Even in cases of desired planned pregnancies, mothers may have to abort when it comes to their health. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan and his wife made this decision. The senator's wife, Heidi, was pregnant with their expected second child. At four months her water broke, rupturing the amniotic sac, resulting in the definitive death of the pregnancy. A doctor told Heidi to go home and wait for a natural abortion. Unfortunately, this did not happen. After threedays without a miscarriage, the couple returned to the hospital. The doctor told them the situation was serious and recommended an urgent abortion to prevent septicization of the uterine infection that could kill her. Heidi's uterus and perhaps life were saved by an emergency abortion. The experience was "painful and traumatic," Heidi shared in a statement. “If not for urgent and critical medical care, I could have lost my life” (Laura Bassett, “Senator Gary Peters Shares His Abortion Story,” Elle.com, October 12, 2020). Just as Senator Peters agrees, it's important to know that these things happen to everyday people. Abortions have the ability to save lives. It would be unfair if that ability were revoked. However, some may believe this, without thinking about the consequences to the mother. Abortion is a very controversial topic that clearly has two main points of view. Pro-choice and pro-life. Pro-life in favor of the life of the embryo and Pro-choice in favor of women's rights. The most common counterargument to pro-choice is that abortion is murder and that women are ending the life of an innocent child. That life begins at conception and that a potential life should not be cut short by someone's irresponsible decision. First, not all pregnancies that end in miscarriage are the result of decisions that some deem irresponsible. As mentioned above, the uniqueness of abortion can alleviate mental and physical trauma. Furthermore, this “irresponsible decision” could save a life. Secondly, going back to the point made earlier about the legality of the procedure, abortion is legal up to a certain period of time for a reason. Until the sixth week of pregnancy, the embryo is just embryonic tissue. According to the Mayo Clinic, the heartbeat and organ don't form until six weeks. At twenty weeks of gestation the baby will begin to develop and feel pain. This means that neuronal tracts in the sensory cortex of the brain are largely responsible for the sensation of pain and these do not become established until twenty weeks. It is therefore unreasonable to argue that abortion is murder if an embryo does not develop a heartbeat or organs until the sixth week. It is embryonic tissue and cells. This means that abortion is not murder, especially if performed at or before six weeks. Thereafter, the embryo does not feel pain and is not scientifically injured until twenty weeks after gestation. Another counterpoint to Pro-choice views is that if a woman doesn't want a child she should give it up for adoption. To give the child a happy life and give someone else the chance to be a parent. This is an invalid point when analyzing the negative consequences of foster care. Children in foster care are predisposed to mental health and substance problems. They are predisposed to getting into trouble with the law. This can make the new parents' relationship with the child more difficult. The possibility of exiting the adoption is already low. “There are approximately 424,000 foster youth nationwide. Despite child welfare efforts to prevent the estrangement of children from their parents, the number of children in foster care is increasing. Currently, we are at an all-time high as demand for foster parents far exceeds supply and factors such as parental opioid addiction are forcing more children to be removed from their homes” (“Foster Care Statistics 2020” , Ifoster.org, ). Additionally, children in foster care are much more likely to receive no or inadequate health coverage. In states like California, Florida and Pennsylvania, where.