Abortion the topic of debate in the media - Essay Example

 Abortion – the topic of debate in the media Abortion is often the topic of debate in the media. Millions of journalists and authors have used this topic in their articles, books, and magazines. Many journalists, and authors have also had many differing views on this topic. I have chosen to focus on an article titled, Why I Believe Abortion should be Legal, Safe, and Rare by Deanna Mascle. Mascle takes the following stance, “A society that controls and shackles women's freedom cannot be wholly free. I do believe the issue is one of power and control -- of domination -- over women. If men could become pregnant abortion would not even be an issue (Mascle, 1).” I am prepared to argue that abortion should not be legalized as instead it becomes common, takes away the value of human life, is not a 1 person issue, and it in fact causes women in some countries to be less free. In Mascle’s article she believes that in our society the illegalization of abortion is just another way to keep men at the top and women struggling at the bottom. She believes that taking the woman’s right to say no to giving birth to an unwanted child away gives men the upper hand. This in turn leaves women once a gain feeling powerless. She says, “Pregnancy and child care have long been ways that men have controlled and dominated women as well as restricted their education and professional lives (Mascle, 2).” She also believes that this not only works to dominate women but it also targets the poor and underprivileged. Mascle also believes that instead of spending a vast amount of money on trying to make sure that abortion is illegal, organizations and individuals should be using this same money to help. She thinks that this money could be used to help the already helpless and needy children and disadvantaged women we have in our world. A third reason Mascle states in her article for the legalization of abortion is that women should not have to be forced to go through the physical procedure of giving birth. She says, “Pregnancy and child birth is a physical ordeal that can have a lifelong impact on a woman's mental and physical health and well being (Mascle, 2).” She believes the person being affected by this is the only person who should be able to make the choice. A final reason she mentions is that far too often unwanted or ill-prepared for pregnancies occur where the woman gives birth and is left to raise the children on her own as her partner can freely move away. She finds, “…the decision to raise a child has tremendous personal, professional, and financial repercussions. While it takes two to make a baby, all too often in the case of an unplanned pregnancy it is the woman who is left to cope alone (Mascle, 2).” Though, like Mascle, I am a big promoter of women’s rights in society I do not agree with her statements on the legalization of abortion. There are many issues that I am at the forefront of when it comes to women taking a more dominant role in society however this is not one of them. I believe that abortion has become all too common and it is a very unhealthy phenomenon. In our society today it would not be an extreme case to be in a restaurant and overhear someone speak of a close acquaintance having multiple abortions. It is also not uncommon to hear of high school students having abortions or that the waiting rooms of abortion clinics are being filled on a daily basis (often with repeat patients). Abortion rates have gone up significantly in the last two decades. Before that to even talk about an abortion or to hear of someone having one was an incredible shock on communities. We have reached a point in our society where it has become somewhat of a normal occurrence in our everyday world. Though I am aware of special cases where women have been raped or extremely careful and have wound up pregnant I am also overwhelmingly aware of all of the cases that are brought forth where they have not. Abortion for some females has become a type of birth control. Women who have had abortions or find themselves in an abortion clinic have often been irresponsible. I’m not ignorant to the fact that the man also plays a large role when it comes to responsibility but it is our body that will be affected. It is our body that could harbour a child that we could be responsible for caring for for the next 18 years. Far too often women are thinking in the now and being careless because they know if their encounter with chance gets the better of them they have a backup – abortion. I know personally I have encountered several female acquaintances throughout my years that have had multiple abortions due solely to the fact that they were not careful. A second reason I do not agree with Mascle’s argument for abortion is that she seems to be arguing that society put a higher value on their female populations. She says, “The more we do to give women freedom of choice and control over their lives then the rarer abortion will be. Then everyone wins (Mascle, 2).” This shows me that she values human life. She thinks women deserve more than what they are receiving. Should that not go the same for the unborn females? Should they not have the freedom to choose whether they live or die? Should they not be given the same rights as their older female mothers? By keeping abortion legal we are stripping the fetus away from the same rights she seems to be arguing for before they even have a chance to open their eyes to the world. A third reason I do not agree with Mascle is that no matter how selfish we are we cannot disguise the fact that pregnancy and abortion are not 1-person issues. We are not asexual beings. We do not just splice apart and procreate. There are three forms of human life involved. I know I do not have to get into the birds and the bees but you get my gist. Several times you will hear of cases in the news where a man has been very upset as he has wanted to keep and raise a child he has helped create and yet he has absolutely no say in the issue. I do not believe that a man should control a woman’s body but there should be room for him to have a say in what happens to a life that he had a part in creating. In this model both the fetus and the partial creator are left silent. A final reason I do not agree with her argument is that though we live in a fairly liberal and free society this is not the case everywhere. Women in countries such as India and China have often been forced into having abortions (though they were not legal) to ensure that they had male children without giving birth to too many infants. Abortions in these cases did the opposite to what Mascle argues. They actually stripped away any freedoms or rights the women had. Abortions did not work to give the women power to reach out of the dominant claws of their male counterparts. Instead, the women were left powerless and subordinate. As you can see, my opinions have little in common with that of the article that I chose to read. A commonality that Mascle and I do share is that human life should be valued. I however, think life should be valued no matter what form it takes and that is why I disagree with abortion. We don’t promote the killing of human beings that our visible to the human eye so why would we promote the killing of helpless, unborn, children. I believe that there is always more than one person involved. The woman making the choice to have an abortion is not the only one that will face emotional turmoil. Abortion doesn’t always give women freedom there are many times as I have stated that a woman is ofrced or pressured into having an abortion. This is the case in several foreign countries but it has also been the case for many teens in our own nation. And to top it all off abortion has become a replacement for birth control in some instances. This concludes my essay on why abortion should not be legalized. As you can see in the summary of my arguments there are several important reasons for my opinion. I really believe that the author is fooling herself if she thinks that legalizing abortion gives women more power. I don’t agree with her belief that if men were to get pregnant it would be an entirely different issue. The issue has to do with life and not gender. Works Cited Mascle, Deanna. "Why I Believe Abortion Should be Legal, Safe, and Rare." Ezine. N.p., 02 01 2008. Web. 5 Oct 2010. . Read More