Abortion is it The Right Thing to Do - Essay Example

Lecturer Abortion is it The Right Thing to Do? The of abortion is one of the leading s of moral and religious controversy in the world today, with different societies holding radically different views about it; in some countries like Ireland, abortion is illegal and thus extremely restricted owing to strict religious convictions. However, in other countries such as the USA and the UK, abortion is practiced as a matter of course in many hospitals, and it is even considered a right, as such women from anti-abortion countries often travel to these countries to undergo abortion. The topic is mostly rendered contentious based on various factors such as occurrence, legal, cultural and religious factors, which vary in different parts of the world. In the USA, the debate is predominantly between pro-life and pro-choice groups, which oppose and support abortion respectively. The contention in this paper will be to examine both sides of the debate with the intention to determine which side has a more solid argument on the matter. Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, its opponents have brought forward several arguments to protest against it, most of them being based on moral and religious as well as health grounds, and many of these have been and are still quite compelling. One of the most common arguments against abortion is that it is tantamount to murder, and inducing an abortion involves ending a human life; this is because most anti-abortionists mostly hold that life begins at conception. Pro-life groups often cite the fact that since there have been over 52 million abortions in the USA alone over the last forty years, abortion has quintessentially claimed more lives than most of the wars in modern times. As such, it is argued that those who procure and provide abortions are in essence conspirators in murder and should get the same treatment meted out to convicted murders. In addition, another reason why abortion is opposed is the danger involved in its procurement, owing to the fact that there are many parts of the world where abortion is either illegal or the facilities are not available. In addition, in comparison with other medical procedures, abortion is often unregulated, and as a result there are many instances of botched up abortions leading to severe complications, especially when it is procured illegally by unqualified personal (Vlassoff et al. 114). Despite the fact that abortions carried out legally and by qualified medical professionals are considered generally safe, it is estimated that since the legalization of abortion in 1973, over 347 women have been killed while undergoing abortion. It has also been speculated that abortion increases one’s risks of getting breast cancer by at least 50 percent in addition to being possible cause of complications and difficulty when giving birth in future. However, as long as abortion is legal and carried out in health facilities, women are informed of all the potential side effects before they agree to the procedure. That way they make an informed decision out of their own free will in more or less the same way the government respects smokers’ right to smoke despite the potential risks (Kilerbert). Pro-lifers have also been very vocal in propagating the argument that abortion is offensive to God, and since he is the only one who can create life, he should be the only one who can take it away; therefore, abortionists try to play God, which is both immoral and sinful. As aforementioned, several of the arguments put forward in opposition of abortion are actually quite tenable; however, they do not tell the whole story and many of them, especially the ones based on religion and morality, are highly subjective and often emotional. For instance, despite the beliefs of several religious organizations that abortion is illegal and despite the fact that none of the religious books such as the Bible or the Koran mentions it, not everyone comes from the same religious background or is a believer at all. As such, arguing abortion is illegal based on one’s faith is an attempt to force one’s beliefs on others who may hold contrary ones. One of the main reasons pro-choice activists support abortion is because it empowers women so they can make independent decisions about their reproduction. Thus, they can make life decisions without being compelled by the state or church to carry the pregnancy to term. One of the main reasons young women are concerned about unplanned pregnancy is the fact that it negatively affects their educational and consequently educational future (Ferre et al. 162). Studies have shown that women who become pregnant and seek abortion before they are 21 end up having significantly better educational outcomes than those in their situation that opt to keep the child (Fergusson, Boden, and Horwood 7). In addition, most of the women who procure abortion do so because they feel they will not be able to bring up the child comfortably owing to a variety of factors such as financial, mental and emotional instability. This is because such a child is likely to become emotionally unstable because of bad parenting, and it may be neglected and not properly cared for. In the end, society will suffer because these children are more likely to acquire anti-social behaviors such as crime and drug use. While it has been argued and scientifically proven, albeit not conclusively, that abortion, even when it is done legally, can result in negative health consequences for the mother, it is worth noting that many abortions are carried out to save the mother’s life. Furthermore, the psychological trauma that is normally associated with abortion is not exclusive to the process, even carrying a child to term and then giving it up for adoption has been proven to be as emotionally damaging, and even more so, considering that the child’s existence results in self-reproaching and long-term effects of guilt. It is worth noting that laws against abortion do not stop women willing to stop their pregnancy – they simply make it inaccessible through legal channels, and this is because when women are convinced or are forced by circumstances, they will have abortion all the same. In fact, it can be argued that in countries where abortion is banned, it indirectly result in deaths of women. While it has been proven that legal abortions have killed less than 400 women in the last 40 years, illegal ones had claimed millions of lives before the legalization. As such, a situation in which abortion is not allowed is only likely to increase the number of abortion-related complications and deaths since, when desperate and in fear of the law and societal censure, women, and sometimes girls, will seek the services of quack-doctors, which in many cases are lethal. Ultimately, the question on whether to get pregnant or not, and in certain cases, the mistake of getting pregnant, either accidentally through failed family planning or rape, is often taken as a fault, responsibility or problem of the woman. As such, the decision on whether to carry the pregnancy to term or not is supposed to be hers entirely since all the consequences, especially health-related and negative impacts of the child on her life will be hers alone. As such, abortion should be legal and the facilities necessary for its procurement should be availed, as well as the necessary education about the risks involved, so that women can make informed decisions (Riley). At the end of the day, the issue of abortion is an issue of freedom; what can a woman do with her body and her life? Anyone suggesting that abortion should be illegal is essentially telling women that they do not have the right to make decisions about their own bodies, and that would be equal to infringement of their personal freedom. Works Cited Fergusson, David, Joseph M. Boden, and John Horwood. “Abortion Among Young Women and Subsequent Life Outcomes.” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 39.1 (2007): 6–12, doi: 10.1363/3900607 Ferre, Zuleika, et al. "The Impact of Teenage Childbearing On Educational Outcomes." The Journal of Developing Areas 47.2 (2013): 159-74.  Kilerbert, Kathy. “Abortion & Pregnancy Risks”. Department of Health and Hospitals. n.d. Web. 15 Sep. 2013. Riley, Michael. "Abortion? Never was Much Choice in S.D." Denver Post: 5 Mar. 2006. ProQuest. Web. 14 Sep. 2013. Vlassoff, Michael, et al. "Estimates of Health Care System Costs of Unsafe Abortion in Africa and Latin America."International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 35.3 (2009): 114-21.  Read More