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Why abortion should not be legalized.
Introduction
Abortion is one of the topics that have given many headaches not only in the current modern world but even from the past. This subject is controversial and painful at the same time and the point of contention is whether abortion should be allowed or disallowed. In getting a solution for this, different groups have provided their views and the reasons as to why they support them. Some of them include religious groups, civil society, the judiciary, those advancing societal and cultural values, medical practitioners and the society at large. The diversity of opinions is as a result of every group trying to justify the reasons as to why they support their view on this subject. Although there are those who support the legalization of abortion, I think everyone, just like you and I, should be given equal opportunities to be viable and shape our own paths.
Before the period between twenty-first and twenty-eighth week of pregnancy, a fetus may not viable, that is, it has no ability to survive independently outside the womb. The expulsion of the fetus therefore before it has attained viability is what is described as abortion. This situation may occur in two different ways; through induced means and through a miscarriage which may be accidental or spontaneous. Before the technological advancements of the 20th and 21st centuries in the medical field, primitive methods were used in the past to induce an abortion. Some of these include the introduction of objects like wooden sticks into the uterus so as to disrupt the fetus or embryo and the placenta so as to cause a miscarriage and hitting pregnant women on the abdomen just over the uterus. In the modern world however, abortions are done surgically by trained, skilled and experienced personnel such as physicians thus making the procedure safer. Whether the traditional methods or modern ones, the goal of induced abortion still remains to interrupt the pregnancy so that a baby is not given into birth.
Reasons for abortion
The big subject of whether to legalize or not to legalize abortion is pegged upon the reasons that cause the act. Statistics show that there are many abortion cases that have been recorded. After the landmark 1973 US Supreme court ruling that legalized abortion, many went to seek medical care so as to get induced abortion (Critchlow). Between 1973 and 2002 for instance, over 42 million abortions are reported to have been performed in the United States. 1996 alone recorded the highest number with about 1.36 million abortions that were performed. About 52%, of the abortions are for women below the age of twenty five. One unique thing in this life is that everything that has positives cannot fail to have negatives, even if it is one and vice versa. This said, in as much as those who argue that abortion should be allowed have a point, the negatives in this case outweigh the positives of permitting this act. Some of the reasons when compared with the potential life that would have been given birth are so illegitimate.
One of the reasons being argued out for the option for abortion is that pregnancies as a result of incest or rape represent problems in their lives. It may be true that victims of assault go through emotional trauma but the innocent life conceived as a consequence of the act should not be blamed for any problem. If one becomes a victim, there is the option of going through psychological counseling which helps them recover from the trauma. It is all in the mind and for those who have embraced their pregnancies and gone forth to give birth, many will attest that they have found joy in the babies. One song writer wrote a very powerful message about abortion. In the song, he argues that when God brings a child, He also brings his/her ‘plate’, meaning He has a purpose for the child. The writer goes forth to list some of the prominent personalities including former Presidents Obama and the late Mandela as a way of showing that if given a chance, a baby can be born and grow to become anyone in the society.
Another reason is as a result of unprotected casual sexual relationships that result in pregnancies. Many young women may not have had any prospects to enter into marriage with the man responsible. This is because the male may not be her preferred husband material, their social statuses are not the same, and the parents may oppose the relationship among others. This is however a problem that can be dealt with through the use of contraceptives or according to the religious argument, promote values of abstinence and sex be given into only after marriage. But still, if still allowed to be given birth, the child may have the opportunity to grow and have positive change in society.
Another reason is still on young women, no wonder more than half of the abortions are by women below 25 years. College or high school students may get pregnant and they will be left with two choices; drop out and give birth or abort and continue with studies. The two solutions discussed above on victims of assault can also apply here. In addition, taking a year off your studies then resume will not bring an end to an educational career. That therefore does not present a genuine reason so as to grant an abortion.
Under serious medical circumstances however, technologies have enabled medical practitioners to be able to detect defects in early pregnancies that in most cases necessitate an abortion. When arguing out this, doctors always use the life of the mother and the child as their defense mechanism for its legalization (Staggenborg). Critics have argued that the doctor does not have the right over who should live and who shouldn’t. There are many cases of young children who have been born prematurely at 26-30 weeks and managed to survive. Just as there are technologies that have been developed to detect any defect in the fetus at early pregnancy, such efforts should also be put in place to develop ways that can solve the defects. Highlighting a problem without providing a solution is not essentially helpful.
Views of different groups in regards to illegalization o abortion
The church
The religious groups have been among the leading voices that have advocated for the anti-abortion movement, being led by the Roman Catholic Church (Burns). The church plays an important role, as the teachings and doctrines that are room God who is the creator are against such subjects. The doctrines warn against murder and abortion, more so the induced one is widely seen as a form of murder. For the church, the foundation of human life begins from the conception stage and therefore any effort o perform an abortion is a denial of a potential life. Many clerics came out to defend the church and the anti-abortion movement more so after it was legalized in 1973. Those in support of abortion argued that the mother’s rights were being violated and that she had the right to control their own bodies and advocated for equality. Their argument is however baseless as allowing every woman to be in control of their own bodies creates room for sexual promiscuity and degrades family morals. It means that one can get pregnant when they want and expel it when they also wish.
Civil society
The civil society has been seen in many countries as the voice for the voiceless. In this subject, the civil society has played a great role in sensitizing the community on the importance of preserving life from the early stages until birth. In the 20th century, many activists took to the streets airing their voice against those who were performing abortions. They sponsored zoning laws that could limit clinics from operating in large areas of towns and cities. They also engaged in civil litigation demanding investigations on practitioners and others even went ahead to demonstrate and picket in front of clinics and other medical facilities (Bader & Patricia). The efforts paid off because by 2009, most of the counties in the US were not offering abortion services as they were restricted in law thus women were not able to easily access these services.
One argument and ground that is however being held by conservatives and liberals in this subject is on the need to reduce unwanted pregnancies which will reduce abortions. Even if liberals argue that sex education will achieve this rather than abolishing abortion, its effectiveness lies in doubts. This is because of the increased cases of sexual encounters among young people who rarely think of using protection. Legalizing abortion in this case will give them room to do what they because after all, if they get unwanted pregnancy they will perform an abortion and assume life is normal. Many feminist groups also came out to defend those in support of abortion. In their arguments, they wanted women to have the right to have a say in the pregnancies they carry and to also promote equality among genders (Tribe). However facts will always remain facts and according to me, equality cannot be achieved through legalizing abortion. Men will never have the ability to get pregnant and therefore using this subject to claim that women are being discriminated upon in matters reproductive is not sound for argument.
The judiciary
This organ is very important because it is the one with makes final decisions on law matters such as this case. The decision made by the Supreme court in 1973 over two cases, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton created a lot of division in the US leading abortion politics (Tatalovich 5). One of the bases of their arguments was that the government should not interfere with the personal lives o the citizens and that the woman’s ‘right to privacy’ should be respected. Rather than allowing such a freedom which can be misused at the expense of precious potential life, real-life solutions should be sought to handle such matters. Such include the Adolescent Family Life Program (AFLP) introduced by the Congress in 1981 that targeted teens. In this program, it was suggested that teenagers should be discouraged from being sexually active and for those who got pregnant, they should carry it to term and then put the babies up for adoption. The program also sponsored projects aimed at educating adolescents on the importance of abstinence, health, social services to pregnant teens and their parents, male partners and other family members.
The medical practitioners
Many medical practitioners initially supported the anti-abortion campaign before they took a turnaround in their decision. One of their arguments is that abortion should be legalized so that those who want to be operated on should come to health facilities and seek specialized care. In as much as the negative health effects of the woman may be minimal, that should be not the case to support abortion. There have been cases of women being affected in terms of the ability to bare children after undergoing an abortion. Am trying to imagine of a scenario where a woman has to perform three or even more abortions and her possibility of getting a child when she will be in need o one.
Another challenge in this field is that of quack doctors performing abortions that lead to serious defects on the reproductive system and in some instances leading to death. The medical field should b advocating for prevention measurers rather than ‘curative’ ones. Educating the public on the importance of abstinence more so among young people and encouraged the use of birth controls means among adults will go a long way in reducing levels of unwanted pregnancies. They should also be training skilled psychologists to assist those who are victims of rape who might feel that the unwanted pregnancy might be a hindrance and help them recover from the suffering.
Conclusion
These subject on abortion is one that should be addressed with keenness and all factors be taken into consideration. Although it has been legalized in certain parts of the world, majority of the countries and regions are still against this act. The base for this argument is on the foundation of life. Some have argued that a fetus does not have rights which may be true but it is that fetus that will grow when given birth to so as to enjoy the rights. If we were not given this chance and the issue of fetus don’t have rights be used, then I doubt if you and would b alive today. Legalizing abortion will give room to erosion of morals more so among young people who will o out and do what they wish.
Families will also be exposed to danger as a partner will get pregnant or impregnate another but because abortion is legal, there will be no evidence of cheating in a relationship. We just need to respect the foundation of life which starts at conception. Regardless of the situation, things can always be controlled and we humans to respect the future generation which is not yet seen but we always keep on talking about it.
References
Bader, Eleanor J., and Patricia Baird-Windle. Targets of hatred: Anti-abortion terrorism. St. Martin’s Press, 2015.
Burns, Gene. The moral veto: Framing contraception, abortion, and cultural pluralism in the United States. Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Critchlow, Donald T., ed. Politics of Abortion and Birth Control in Historical Perspective. Penn State Press, 2010.
Tatalovich, Raymond. The Politics of Abortion in the United States and Canada: A Comparative Study: A Comparative Study. Routledge, 2015.
Tribe, Laurence H. Abortion: The clash of absolutes. WW Norton & Company, 1992.
Staggenborg, Suzanne. The pro-choice movement: Organization and activism in the abortion conflict. Oxford University Press,1991.
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