Currently, abortion is one of the most controversial issues in our society. The 1973 supreme court ruling of Roe v. Wade allowed for women to legally obtain abortions throughout their entire pregnancy, however, conditions were put into place that allowed for states to regulate abortions during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. As a result, the right to have an abortion is protected under the constitution’s 14th amendment, which protects the basic rights of citizens. Consequently, this ruling has left our country divided in half by those who are for and against abortion. In other words, those who oppose Roe v. Wade are referred to as pro-life and those in agreement are pro-choice.
For instance, those in favor of pro-life are against abortions and believe the fetus has the right to live in view of the fact that they believe abortion constitutes murder. Pro-life advocates correlate with strong religious beliefs and a conservative political outlook. In contrast, those whom are pro-choice don’t necessarily believe that abortion ensues to be morally correct, yet they deem people to be entitled to decide what is best for themselves. Pro- choice advocates’ political views are oftentimes liberal.. Although numerous Americans believe the supreme court ruling of Roe v. Wade should be overturned, abortion should remain legal because is a safe procedure when it is performed in the first trimester, it serves to be beneficial to our society, and women should have the right to their bodies.
Abortion is a safe procedure when it is performed within the first trimester. By law, women can only receive an abortion within the first twelve weeks of their pregnancy. This is because the risk of complications increases significantly after the first trimester. A woman can decide between a medication and aspiration abortion. A medication abortion is performed by taking a pill called Mifepristone. According to the FDA, “Mifepristone, when used together with another medicine called misoprostol, is used to end an early pregnancy (49 days or less since your last menstrual period began.” (“Aspiration Abortion”).
This medicine makes the body biological family, or are in foster care are often abused and abandoned, leaving prevalent emotional imbalances. “Children whose conception was unintentional are also at greater risk than children who were conceived intentionally of experiencing negative physical- and mental-health outcomes and are more likely to drop out of high school and to engage in delinquent behavior during their teenage years”(Monea). Women who have unwanted children, do not give them the proper care and guidance they require to become self-sufficient functioning members of society.
Additionally, abortion serves as a form of crime control. “The largest group of criminals is, between ages 18 and 24. The sharp decline in crime began 18 years after abortion became legal and the number of abortions shot up from under 750,000 in 1973 to 1.6 million by 1980” (Wanderer). Since abortion was made legal by Roe V. Wade in 1973, the amount of abortions performed increased significantly correlating with the decrease of crime eighteen years later, the age criminal behavior is the most prevalent. Abortion, in short, helps regulate our population and prevents future crime, therefore, making it advantageous to society.
Women should hold the control over their bodies and not be forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term due to the effects it will have on their and their child’s well-being. Controversially, many women who opt for abortion are unstable and have no means to raise a child. Incidentally, the vast majority of unstable mothers happen to be teenage mothers. According to the CDC, “the U.S. teen pregnancy rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations.”
Since the United States has the highest-ranking percentage of teenage mothers, their welfare is questionable considering that they have not yet completed mentally or emotionally maturing. Above all, a mother who lacks self-sufficiency, should not have the responsibility to care for another life. In a like manner, mothers of undesired children are further likely to face bouts of depression, moreover, manufacturing them into unsuitable candidates to properly parent. “A dominant theoretical explanation for maternal depression’s negative effects on child development is that mothers who are depressed cannot provide the reciprocal and effectively appropriate responses that infants need to develop self-regulatory skills” (Lewin). Children of unstable mothers are incapable of learning imperative skills that permit them to function properly throughout their lives.
Unstable mothers disinhibit their children from developing the ability to inhibit a satisfactory and reliable emotional well-being leaving them with the inability to properly function in life. Mothers of unwanted children have an inflated chance of living below the poverty line.”The teen-agers likeliest to become pregnant are those who can least afford an unwanted child: those who are poor, those who live with one parent, those who have poor grades in school and those whose parents did not finish high school” (“About Teen Pregnancy”). They do not have the financial capacity or proper environment to properly raise a child. For instance, a child or mother without proper resources is not able to strive furthermore, creating a cycle of poverty. Not to mention, another reason a woman might elect to abort a fetus is if they were raped, resulting in a pregnancy.
According to the Rape Crisis Center, “Survivors of sexual assault are: 3 times more likely to suffer from depression, 6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol, 26 times more likely to abuse drugs, 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide”(Get the Facts). Rape victims have high chances of facing severe emotional problems and mental illness. If a rape results in a pregnancy, the chances of the mother contracting emotional or mental distress increases in view of the fact that, their fetus is a constant reminder of the wrong that was inflicted upon them. Thus, if a female determines that she does not desire to bear a pregnancy to term, it remains her prerogative seeing that the decision will have an immense impact in her life.
The topic of abortion is a highly controversial one, that people must not take lightly on the circumstance that it is largely impactful. Ergo, Roe v. Wade should not be nullified considering that abortion is a safe procedure when performed legally, it has had multiple societal benefits since it was legalized, and it no longer oppresses women from the ability to determine what is best for themselves. In the matter of the legality of abortion, those who believe abortion should be outlawed because they believe it’s wrong, however, they are not considerate of the fact that not everyone shares their views on the matter. Those who are in favor of abortion remaining legal do not necessarily believe in abortion, but believe that everyone should be entitled to make their own decisions. It is unjust to deny someone a right on the conviction that you do not agree with their choices.
