The Pros and Cons of Abortion

Abortion is one of the most controver­sial and debated topics today. There have been many court cases that have decided the legality of abortion. However, it will continue to be a hot topic for many future debates. Abortion has many pros and cons that deserve to be properly discussed and deliberated upon, before one makes a decision to support or oppose it.

Every year many young women within the United States find themselves faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Whether it was unplanned or they were a victim of un-consensual sex, it should naturally be the woman’s choice to have the baby or not. As a young woman it can be more than stressful to take on the responsibility of a child, it can even be life threatening. In some cases it is necessary to abort the baby to maintain a healthy normal lifestyle. It is sometimes forgotten that the decision that is made will not only affect the mother, but the baby as well. Choosing to abort a fetus could help prevent future issues from occurring in a child’s life. If a woman were to have an unwanted baby, she may abuse or neglect this child emotionally and physically. This will not only take a toll on the child’s life, but it may result in the government taking away the child as well. Whether you are a young, inexperienced teenager or an experienced adult, you are conscious of the decision you are making and the consequences of an abortion. It is a choice entirely up to the woman, and what she feels is the best for her health and the situation. In many cases of pregnancy there are different circumstances that could have led to that pregnancy, sometimes including rape. If rape so happen to be the factor that led to the pregnancy, why should a woman have to live with having the baby of the person who has caused such terror and devastation in her life? Why should the child itself have no father figure, come to learn that he or she was a result of a rape, and that their father is a gruesome person? To go even further, what if the pregnancy was a result of incest? How could you force a 12 year old girl who is a victim of incest to have that baby? It is difficult and maybe impossible to justify saving a life of a child that will be a constant reminder of the horror she was put through at such a young age. At 12, you are neither physically nor emotionally developed and cannot take on a child physically or emotionally either. Furthermore, as a woman you have the right to control your own body, nobody should tell you how to use your body. There are many more arguments that support abortion, one of the strongest arguments being that life doesn’t start until birth, once the fetus becomes a human being. Therefore, abortion is not murder or taking a life, it is simply preventing a life from occurring. In most circumstances this wouldn’t be in enjoyable life, most abortions are centered around a life that would be filled with trauma. For all of these reasons discussed above, abortion as a practice can be justified and a person can properly support its practice.

Although there are many reasons why people support abortion, one can use a variety of other arguments to oppose it. One of the most common arguments used, is that the developing baby is composed of living cells that will become a person and without stopping the process it will become a life. With this argument, it is wrong to perform an abortion because it is taking away a potential life, giving the child no chance or rights before it even has a chance at life. Furthermore, there are many troubles that women face emotionally and physically following an abortion, short term and long term. Emotionally some women cannot handle the burden of ending someone else’s life and it can lead to depression and a variety of mental disorders. Short term physical complications include, infection of the uterus, blood loss, and even infection of the fallopian tubes. Long term complications include, infertility, systemic infections, urinary tract injury, torn cervix and can even lead to death. Although many of these are complications of pregnancy, this is still an extra risk you are putting on your body. Adoption is a wonderful alternative for woman contemplating on abortion. With millions of families worldwide willing to adopt, there should be no reason to abort a child. There are many unfortunate men and women who are not able to reproduce and giving a baby to a couple who has unsuccessfully succeeded in having their own child is one of the greatest gifts you can give. You will not only save the child’s life, but put it in the hands of two loving parents willing to support and make the child’s life the best that they can. Continuing, there are many more alternatives to abortion, which include: emotional counseling for you and your child, support services for supplies, financial assistance, and support groups. Each which provide guidance, assistance and even comfort to those placed in extra ordinary situations, abortion is not the only option. You are able to get low cost food, free health care, assistance paying bills, and education on how to raise a child at services such as, Women, Infants & Children (WIC), Welfare Agency, and the Low Income Energy Assistance Program. Another example is Planned Parenthood, which is able to provide you with childbirth classes, prenatal services, counseling, guidance, post partum classes, and also refer you to adoption centers. Many women and couples choose to abort babies who are going to be disabled. Doctors often say that the child will never be able to walk, talk or be a normal child. In many cases, they are wrong. The child may grow to be a healthy normal child and overcome a problem that might have been said to be unsolvable. Miracles happen daily, sometimes a child only lives a short life, and others pull through and grow up to be strong motivated individuals who are able to talk about what he or she has overcome. Regardless to any of these circumstances, a child deserves a chance in the world and a chance at life. Furthermore, happiness cannot be determined before a child gets a chance to live. No one can tell the future, and no one can tell if a child is going to live a significant life or not. This is all relative and cannot be decided by anyone else.

One can see that there are many pros and cons to abortion that deserve to be considered. One’s decision to support or oppose abortion does not need to be emotional it can be a logical decision based on what is right for a specific person. As the debate continues over the legality and morality or abortion one can turn to the points presented here to make judgments regarding abortion.