Preventive pregnancy versus abortions - Research Paper Example

At the same time, there are people who argue that policies should be established to promote the prevention of pregnancies so as to reduce abortion incidences in the U.S. Dailard (2005, par. 13) notes that “while abortion rates for U.S. women overall are currently at their lowest level since 1980 (down 29%, from 29.3 per 1,000 women of reproductive age in 1980 to 20.9 per 1,000 women in 2002), the rate of decline has slowed since the mid-1990s—in part because the abortion rate among poor women rose in the late 1990s”.

Research indicates that about half of all pregnancies in the U.S are unplanned accounting for 1.3 million abortions in the country. As a consequence, four in every 10 of the unplanned pregnancies today end in abortions (Dailard, 2005). In 2005 alone, about 1.21 million pregnancies were terminated (Dailard, 2005). These numbers have prompted the pro-life activists to resurface with a quest for the prohibition of abortion in the country. However, what is evident is that thepro-life activists have been basing their arguments on moral standings.

In this regard, they have been stating that abortion ismurder – something that the Bible strongly denounces. Pro-life crusaders believe that life begins at conception. In addition, they have been arguing that legalizing abortion in the country is likely to promote irresponsible sex among partners in the country (Dailard, 2005). Further, pro-life activists say that abortion puts the life of the mother at risk especially when not done in the right way. As such, they are of the opinion that people who are not married should abstain from sex to avoid un-intended pregnancies.

In contrast, those who argue in favor of the legalization of abortion have defended Roe vs. Wade arguing that a woman has the right to do whatever she wishes with her body. They also defend the legalization of abortion in the country as a way of giving women the freedom to terminate pregnancies which they are do not intend to keep (Boland & Katzive, 2008; Dailard, 2005). To strike a compromised position between the divergent views in the abortion debate, there has been a need for the establishment of a policy that promotes the prevention of pregnanciesso as to reduce abortion incidences in the county (Finer &Henshaw, 2003).

Harry Reid, the Minority Leader of the Senate, did propose the enactment of the Prevention First Act to help reduce unintended pregnancies in the country (Dailard, 2005). This legislation is dedicated to promoting the use of contraceptives among sexual partners in the country. Dailard (2005) reveals that about six million pregnancies in America are unintended. Despite the fact that many American women already use contraceptives for preventing unwanted pregnancies, improving the use of contraceptives in the country through this policy will certainly help reduce abortion in the country.

In fact, this policy did receive support from Hilary Clinton during the run up to the last general elections. Dailard (2005) reveals that Hilary Clinton gave a very powerful speech during the Roe vs. Wade anniversary where she urgedpeople from both sides of the divideto find a compromised groundby supporting the preventive pregnancy policy proposed by Harry Reid. She argued that this policy will help reduce unintended pregnancies and in turn reduce the incidence of abortion. Indeed the preventive pregnancy policy advocated for under the Prevention Fi