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 string religious convictions. However, in other countries such as the USA and the UK, abortion is practiced as a matter of cause in many hospitals and it is even considered a right, as such women from anti-abortions countries often travel to these countries to procure them. The topic is mostly rendered contentious based on various factors such as occurrence, legal, cultural and religious, which vary in, defend parts of the world. In USA, the debate is predominantly between prolife and pro-choice groups in which oppose and support abortion respectively. The contention in this paper will be to examine both sides of the debate with the intention of 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 based on a 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 in defense for abortion is that it is tantamount to murder and by inducing an abortion, since it 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 life 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 on the large 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 is considered generally safe, it is estimated that since the legalization of abortion in 1973, over 347 women have been killed while undergoing this abortions. It has also been speculated that the abortion increases ones risks of getting breast cancer by at least 50 percent as well as 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 instant, despite the beliefs of several religious organizations that abortion is illegal, despite the fact that none of the religious books such as the bible or Koran mentions it, not everyone subscribes to these religions. As such by arguing abortion is illegal based on one’s faith is an attempt to force their 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 showed that women who become pregnant and seek abortions before they are 21 end up having significantly better educational outcomes than those in their situation that opt to keep the child (David, Joseph and John 7). In addition, most of the women who procure abortions 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 property 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 on 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 result in decanting and long term effects of guilt. It is worth noting that laws against abortions do not stop them, they simply make them inaccessible through legal channels this is because when women are convinced it is necessary or forced by circumstances get them, all the same. In fact, it can be argued that in countries where abortion is banned, it indirectly result 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 was 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 out the services of quacks, 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 take as the fault responsibility or problem of the woman. As such, the decision on whether to carry the pregnancy to term is or not supposed to be hers entirely since all the consequences especially health wise and negative impacts of the child in her life will be hers alone. As such, abortion should be legal and the facilities necessary for its procurement 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 deacons about their own bodies and that would be the epitome of infringement of their personal of their freedom. Works Cited David, Fergusson, Joseph, Boden M. and John, Horwood. “Abortion Among Young Women and Subsequent Life Outcomes,” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 2007, 39(1):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: 0. Mar 05 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