The debate between women, families, doctors, and the federal government, over the issue of abortion and who makes the final decision, has been an ongoing topic of discussion for decades. Most abortions had become illegal in the United States by the year 1880 and did not become legal again until the Roe v. Wade case took place on January 22, 1973. Once it became legal, people fought over whether abortion is wrong or right, abortion should be legal or illegal, and whether women should have the right to choose. Every pregnancy begins and progresses differently than others; certain medical and family situations arise that require a woman to seek an abortion because it is in the best interest of her or her baby. In a time where a current government threat of interference against abortions is occurring, doctors and the federal government should not be allowed to regulate all women under restrictive laws.

As the presidential election approaches, candidates continue to stress their stance on abortion and Planned Parenthood clinics. Planned Parenthood is an organization that "delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide" (Who We Are). With this, one of the health care options a woman can receive through the clinics include abortion procedures. All of the presidential candidates have a common goal: stop state and federal funding to Planned Parenthood clinics. I will start my paper with government issues by discussing the Roe v. Wade case, current abortion laws, the plans presidential candidates have for abortion, and Planned Parenthood in the near future. I will then follow with the negative effects and it will have on women seeking abortions and I will discuss reasons why their plans are not the right actions to take. Following the government issues, I will deliberate the issues women have, when seeking abortions, due to doctors rejecting them solely on their own personal bias. A common occurrence, in the health field, is doctors declining work because they refuse to perform abortions. Due to their personal stance on abortion, they refuse to give women what they need. Even if medical and family situations lead a woman to the need for an abortion, doctors still refuse treatment which can cause issues I will discuss in more detail later. This should not be allowed because ultimately it is the woman's decision; a doctor should not stand in her way of her personal choice because the decision affects her life and not his.

Government:

Abortion became legal on January 22, 1973 as a result of the Roe v. Wade case.  This popular case started because Norma McCorvey, known as Jane Roe during the case to protect her identity, discovered she was pregnant. She had returned to Dallas, Texas where she was currently unemployed, broke, and extremely depressed. The father of her new baby had decided to neglect the care of the child and go his separate way alone. With all this in mind, she thought it best to receive an abortion, bother for her sake and her baby's. Texas had a statue that stated a woman could not receive an abortion unless the mother's life was in danger. She was referred to two women, named Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee, who were in search of someone who would help them object the abortion laws that were set in place in Texas. While McCorvey was six months pregnant, she went to court in hopes to change the laws set in place and in return, receive an abortion. Unfortunately for McCorvey, a ruling in her favor had not come about until two years after her baby was born and adopted (Roe v. Wade.). The court ruled the law unconstitutional due to its vague quality and unclear boundaries which created new laws regarding abortion. The court broke the new abortion laws into trimesters which stated that, "during the first trimester, the decision must be left to the judgment of the pregnant woman's doctor. In regard to second trimester.., states may regulat[e] abortion procedures related to the health of the mother. Regarding third trimester pregnancies, states regulat[e] or even prohibit[ abortion, except when necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother" (Roe v. Wade ... ). 

It is clear from the Roe v. Wade case that state laws against abortion prevent women, like McCorvey, from getting the procedure done even when it is the best option for them. Ms. McCorvey had no job to support herself. She had no money to buy necessities. She had depression which, speaking from the experience, can make an ordinary day be a tremendous struggle to get through. Her personal situation made her incapable of raising a child and therefore had to choose what the best option for herself and her baby was going to be. When she decided abortion was the best option, she could not go through with it because a state-wide law was set in place in Texas. This is unfair because if a pregnant woman decides the best option for her situation is to undergo abortion, the state should not be allowed to restrict this. Her situation is different than another's situation. It is common for women to become pregnant when they are employed and even when a man will stand by her side and raise the child if she decides she wants to keep it. This situation should not be ruled under the same laws McCorvey was ruled under. Her reasoning for terminating the pregnancy is valid and the best option for her so her decision should not be controlled by the same laws as another woman. No one is better suited to make the life-changing decision than the woman herself.

Since the Roe v. Wade case ruling was released, the topic of abortion has been in presidential elections as a major component. The public feels so strongly on both abortion and Planned Parenthood that they must know the stances of the presidential candidates and the plans regarding it in the future before they vote. Planned Parenthood has been under speculation in the last decade on whether the doctors are selling body parts of aborted babies. With this controversy, many people want the clinics to be shut down. In fact, out of the two Democratic candidates and the three Republican candidates left in the race for presidency, only one of them is pro-choice and wants to keep Planned Parenthood clinics open. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic candidate, "voted no on banning partial-birth abortion except to save mother's life [and would like women to have] [a]ccess [to] safe, legal abortion without restrictions" (Abortion: 2016 Contenders' Views). He is the only candidate that sees the need for abortion in certain cases and feels women should have the right to choose what happens to their own bodies. On the other hand, the other four candidates take the opposite stance. A Republican candidate, Donald Trump, is pro-life and feels abortions should be stopped. He would like to defund Planned Parenthood even though he believes it is great when dealing with women's health, feels it is important, and knows millions of women are helped by the clinics (Abortion: 2016 Contenders' Views). Another presidential candidate that opposes abortions is Ted Cruz, a Republican candidate. He strongly believes Planned Parenthood sells body parts of unborn human beings and for this, he would like to end funding for abortions and prosecute Planned Parenthood for the crimes they have committed (Abortion: 2016 Contenders' Views). I do feel selling unborn babies body parts is extremely illegal and wrong and because of that I feel the doctors involved with these actions should receive proper punishment. These situations occur when doctors would like to receive extra cash without thinking of the boundaries they are actually crossing. Selling of body parts is not what Planned Parenthood is about. It is not what they are expected or hired to do. Most of the doctors with Planned Parenthood do in fact perform abortions as instructed legally. All Planned Parenthood clinics should not be shut down and effected due to stray doctors at some clinics. Planned Parenthood should be kept open to help women receive health care, including abortions, and inform people of important information regarding their health. Without places like Planned Parenthood, women would have no safe place to receive abortions. If her situation leads her to demand an abortion for whatever reason, she will find a way to get one, open clinic or unsanitary room. It is crucial to a woman's health and safety that she finds a safe place in which to get the procedure done. Planned Parenthood needs to stay funded and open so that women can make the choice of adoption knowing she can have a healthy and safe abortion.

Some feel that women seeking an abortion, such as McCorvey, should choose adoption instead. Rather than end a life, some feel that the baby should have a chance to live even if it means living with a different family. People feel like everyone wins in this case because then both the baby can live his/her life and the mother can still go about her life as if she is not a mother. Adoption is not always a viable option. While adoption in theory benefits the baby, since they will get to live, that is not always the case. Sometimes women seek abortion so that their child does not have to live with a restraining disability their whole life. Common structural birth defects includes heart defects, cleft palette/lip, and clubfoot. Common developmental birth defects include Down syndrome, sickle cell disease, and cystic fibrosis (Marusinec). While living with a cleft palette or Down syndrome is not life threatening, it can save a child from years of bullying and pain. It can also save the family from very expensive medical or therapy bills that they might not be stable enough, financially, to afford. On the other hand, heart defects can be very life threatening and can cause a baby to live very short lives. They live their whole life in doctors' offices constantly receiving checkups. They are constantly restricted from running around and playing games with their friends. They are forced to take medication daily. Their life is consumed by their heart defect and without surgery, their lives can sometimes end at a very young age. Most birth defects can be fixed with surgery however these procedures can be very expensive. Depending on the financial stability of the mother (and father if they plan to raise the baby together), she may not be able to afford surgery. Based on her personal financial situation, a woman would not be able to help her child live a normal life and for that she might decide abortion might be the best for both her and her baby. 

Also, the government should not put restrictions on abortions because some pregnancies can be life-threatening to the woman carrying the baby. While it is not very common, sometimes a woman should consider abortion because delivering her baby can kill her. Lucy Buckby was a mother of two with a third child on the way. She was excited about the pregnancy until her doctor told her there was a fifty percent chance she would die while in labor. After she collapsed on the floor while shopping, she was tested to see what could have caused the fall. As it turns out, Buckly's pulmonary arteries had high blood pressure (Innes). If she followed through with the delivery, there was a good chance she could die, leaving her two children motherless and her husband a widower. She chose to abort the pregnancy. There was no other option besides abortion. She loved the baby and did not want to lose him/her however she did not have a choice. Even if she had not wanted the baby, she could not wait and give him/her up for adoption due to her situation. She could not risk her own life to save the life of her baby. While adoption is a good solution in some cases, it clearly is not always an option. Every situation is different and with that, not every situation can be solved using adoption so ruling every abortion under a common, country-wide law to force women into adoption is unjust and wrong.

Doctors:

Another issue women are facing include doctors refusing their services due to their own personal bias. Women seeking abortions want a clean and safe abortion that will not harm their body. The way to do this is to find a doctor that will give the procedure. The issue of denial has been slowly increasing as personal bias towards abortion has gradually stepped into play. Due to religious beliefs or personal position, doctors choose to decline work and helping a patient so that they do not go against his beliefs. Women seeking the doctor's help do not wish to go against the doctors beliefs; they simply want what is best for them in their situation. It takes much time and heavy thinking to decide to go through with an abortion. Because of this, a woman should not have to go through the humiliation and conflict that comes from the rejection of a doctor. Doctors are sought out to perform their job and women should not be forced to leave unfulfilled when they need help.

Doctors refusing their services out of their own personal bias is more common than one might image. A woman by the name of Lori Boyer had been raped. She went to her doctor the next day in hopes of receiving the morning after pill to prevent pregnancy. The sooner one takes the pill, the better the chances of not becoming pregnant. Her doctor, knowing what she had been through, still refused to give her the medication due to his own personal bias. It is against his religion for a woman to take the morning after pill under any situation. Because of this, he refused to provide her the medication she needed to save herself from potentially carrying the offspring of a rape case. She ended up leaving the doctor's office that day with no medicine. It left her feeling "powerless" and "victimized all over again". She went to a rape counselor who ended up directing her to a doctor that would give her the proper medicine she needed. Since her visit with the first doctor who denied her medicine two and a half years ago, she has yet to see a gynecologist because she is fearful that she will be judged again (Erdely). This is occurring more and more. Women are seeking help from doctors, either to prevent pregnancy or to put an end to it, and they are rejected. This leaves them feeling embarrassed and insecure which ultimately makes them too nervous to ever go back. This can be dangerous for a women's health over the long run. Without yearly checkups from a gynecologist, women are clueless to vital information about their health and what is happening to their body. Gynecologists, when performing examinations, check for a variety of things from STD's to cancerous lumps. Sometimes these things women cannot discover on their own and for that, a doctor must perform tests and examinations to make sure the woman is in good health. Doctors must stop refusing service because no matter their beliefs, a woman is seeking help because she is sure her decision is the best for her situation. In this case, taking the pill was best for Boyer to stop a pregnancy that would be a result of a rape. Doctors must put aside their own beliefs to help another woman. The consequences to denial of service can lead to issues with a woman's mental health, like Boyer, and could potentially lead to a child the woman will have to look after even if it is not what is best for both her and her baby. 

The doctor that denied Lori Boyer of her medicine did so due to his own personal bias stemming from his religion. Religions, such as Catholics and conservative Christians, are refusing to give women common and legal healthcare. Patients have been known to go to Planned Parenthood after having been denied service from other doctors solely because the doctors will not perform the operation or even give out birth control prescriptions. It has been reported that "[i]nfertility clinics have turned away lesbians and unmarried women; anesthesiologists and obstetricians are refusing to do sterilizations; Catholic hospitals have delayed ending doomed pregnancies because abortions are only allowed to save the life of the mother" (Erdely). These religions are using their own beliefs to do what is best in their opinion rather than what is best for the patients themselves. No matter what the situation, the doctors still refuse service out of judgment and their beliefs. Also, The New England Journal of Medicine published a survey that stated, "63 percent of doctors said it is acceptable to tell patients they have moral objections to treatments, and 18 percent felt no obligation to refer patients elsewhere" (Erdely). More than half the doctors that took the survey believe it is right to deny a woman service if it goes against their religion. This shows how common it is for doctors to refuse the abortion treatment and birth control prescriptions. This must end because doctors are compromising the women's healthcare due to their own religious beliefs and personal bias. Like Boyer, women can receive long-lasting negative effects, both mentally and physically, due to the refusal from doctors.

While doctors refuse patients of service due to their personal bias, some people feel believe that doctors are entitled to their opinions and religious beliefs and therefor are not required to perform any actions they do not wish to do. They believe that a doctor does not have to drop his personal beliefs to help a patient take care of her issues. They feel the patient should go elsewhere for treatment instead of forcing the doctor to go against his religious beliefs and feelings. While this may be true and women should go elsewhere if their situation is not pressing, they do not always have the chance. Sometimes women are too worried or nervous to seek help early on out of fear of judgement or embarrassment. By the time they seek help, it could be too late to get rejected, make another appointment, see another doctor and get the proper procedure or medication in time. The woman did not expect to be rejected nor did she plan on waiting so long to get help. Timing does not always work out and because of that, women and their health should not be compromised due to their doctor's religious beliefs. The doctor should find it in themselves and realize the abortion is the best solution for the patient and help her receive the treatment she needs. 

As the government and doctors hinder the ability for women to receive abortions, women are struggling to achieve the best treatment for their situations. When women seek abortions, they have thought through their options and concluded the best solution for them is to receive an abortion and better themselves without struggling to be a mother as well. First, the government and doctors should not be allowed to restrict women from the right to choose what happens to their own body. The Roe v. Wade case showed that sometimes struggling, pregnant women need abortions as a result of their hard and sometimes unpleasant situations. Her case changed laws across America; this should be enough to show the importance of abortions yet some states have made it so abortions in their region is either illegal or hard to obtain. This is wrong and should be stopped. Secondly, doctors should not have the right to hinder a woman's choice for adoption based on their own personal beliefs. What suits a doctor and their lifestyle may not be what is best for their patient and the child. In times like this, when the patient does not have time to seek another doctor, they should do what is best for the patient and her needs. Thirdly, as the controversy with Planned Parenthood continues, I feel strongly that it should still be funded by the government in order to give women a proper and safe place in which to receive an abortion. Without the safety Planned Parenthood can give, women will choose and encounter unsanitary or dangerous means of receiving an abortion since the procedure will not be done properly. While some feel adoption is the best option for mothers and children, they are simply neglecting the fact that in some circumstances, women can encounter life-threatening health issues or the fetus would be born with birth defects that will make living life extremely hard. In this case, adoption is either not an option at all or it is definitely not a very probable solution. With this information, all women in all different situations should have the right and privilege to choose whether to raise a child or receive an abortion.

