Abortion is a commonly discussed topic, but the points concerning abortion are usually the same. They are also never the points that are actually useful when it comes to determining if something should be legal or not because most of the claims being made are concerned with the mother’s choice and not her health, the baby’s life or the father’s choice. Most people like to argue that abortion should be legal because a woman should have complete control over her own body. Others argue that it should be legal because the fetus isn’t technically a person during the time that it is in the mother’s uterus. I on the other hand would like to argue the reasons that abortion should not be legal. Abortions should be illegal or at least more thoroughly regulated because although sometimes they may seem like the only option or “solution”, they are in fact more harmful then helpful in almost all situations. Abortions are likely to cause fatalities or complications during a future pregnancy, they take away the rights given to that unborn child, and they often times give the father of the child or parents of a minor no say in the matter. 

Abortions might be safer now than they were twenty years ago but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the whole thing is considered safe. A woman might have the procedure and come out completely fine. Just like any other medical procedure however, there are many things that could happen later on or things that just go unnoticed if you aren’t bothered by them. Women who undergo abortions are at higher risk for subsequent depression. A medical study showed that out of 173,000 women who received an abortion were 154% more likely to commit suicide as a result. It has also been found that 15% of first trimester miscarriages are in those of women who have had an abortion prior to that child. Studies throughout China have found a link between breast cancer and abortions. Women who have had an abortion seem to be at higher risk to develop break cancer.  According to afterAbortion.org, 10% of women suffer from some type of complication immediately after the procedure. This includes things such as infection, excessive bleeding and ripping of the uterus. I visited the website” www.aul.org “ and their studies preformed showed that there is numerous complications that may follow abortion. The list of these post abortion issues include premature birth which can have a huge affect on whether or not the baby is able to fully develop and placenta previa which is where the placenta covers the mother’s cervix. This can cause severe internal bleeding before and ever during childbirth. 

Many people believe that life doesn’t begin until a baby is born. I could not find that further from the truth. Scientifically speaking life begins at the moment of conception. As soon as you have conceived that baby, it is now a living and growing human. That being said, abortions completely disregard the unalienable right we all have to life. People like to argue that taking away womens’ right to an abortion is interfering with individual rights but the Declaration of Independence states “All men are created equal, they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” When a woman decides on her own that she is going to abort her child she is not giving that baby the option to have a happy life let alone a life at all. After reading “The Pro-Life Argument from Substantial Identity: A Defense” by P. Lee, I was giving a new perspective on the importance of an unborn child. He discussed that whether or not a woman planned to be pregnant or not that unborn child has value and purpose. That child may not fulfil it’s purpose in the biological mother’s life but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t go on to do something great in someone else’s life. 

When the topic of abortion is on the table the main issue is always women’s rights. Myself, being a woman, I tend to agree that we should have just as many rights as a man and that controlling our body should be one of them. But in this certain situation I do not think men right should be completely left out of the equation. Not all men are giving the ability to conceive and in some cases a miracle occurs and they find themselves with a baby on the way. In some of these cases the mother may decide she does not want that baby on the way. Although it is the woman’s body and she should not have to be put through anything she isn’t comfortable with, I also feel that it is completely wrong to take that man’s one chance of a child of his own away. “A woman can legally deprive a man his right to become a parent or force him to become one against his will.” This quote was found on bbc.co.uk in an article discussing how women are the ones who get the final say no matter what the situation may be. When you choose to have sex with someone, you are doing so completely aware of all the repercussions. Woman and men of all ages know that pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are always a possibility. Even with the use of various forms of birth control or have spoken to your partner about diseases, none of this means it will never become reality. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, ten to fifteen percent of men are found to be infertile. Given those numbers, doctors are not able to tell fifty percent of those men the reasoning behind their inability to conceive. That being said, pregnancy isn’t always completely impossible even if a man has experienced complications when trying to conceive or has been told that their sperm may not be completely adequate. If a woman is with a man she believes to be infertile and happens become pregnant, it makes no sense that the woman is allowed to take that mans possibly only chance of having a child of his own away from him. 

In addition to the father being left out of the equation, often times parents of minors are as well. Most young teenagers do not decide to talk to their parents about sex and some may feel as if even if they wanted to that they can’t. Sex is often a hard topic to discuss unless maybe it is with your best friend. Throwing in the words “I’m pregnant” make that conversation all that much harder. There comes a certain age where your child has grown up enough to be able to make certain decisions on their own. However,  whether or not to have an abortion should not be one of those decisions. Teenagers make up about 30 percent of all abortions according to afterAbortion.org. Even though a minor may or may not have made the decision to have sex, they shouldn’t be given the opportunity to just go to a clinic and have an abortion without a parent present. This is a medical procedure. It is not buying a pack of gum at the convenience store when your mom told you that you couldn’t have gum. “There are approximately 1 million teenagers that become pregnant each year.” According to choicespregnancy.org. Meaning any of those one million teens could be under the age of 18 and are able to receive an abortion. There are currently eleven states in the US that require a minor only to contact their parents or guardians to inform them that the procedure is being preformed and five states that have no laws in place at all concerning parental involvement. 

There are many reasons that a woman might have an unwanted pregnancy and choose to have an abortion. Lack or misuse of contraceptives is one of the top reasons. According to guttmacher.org 70% of women in the childbearing range are at risk for unplanned pregnancy because themselves and/or their partners aren’t using contraceptives correct or consistently. This may not be completely their own fault if resources aren’t available or if they are unaware. Ruling out abortion as an option in the future could hopefully lead to better sex education in schools and easily accessible forms of birth control whether that be the pill, condoms or even the morning after pill.

People who argue that abortions should be legal occasionally have valid reasons. The majority of the time these reasons aren’t reliable and are very inhumane. Doctors have done tests to show that there is a chance a fetus is able to detect pain. Some may argue that this is untrue because certain parts of the baby haven’t developed yet so there’s no way they could feel it. Researchers on “ www.livescience.com “ discuss that in order for the fetus to feel pain certain pain receptors on the skin must be developed because the receptors in the brain are fully developed until 25 weeks. Pain receptors in the brain develop that late but the ones on skin develop between 7 and 15 weeks. The fact that there was evidence that it’s a possibility should be enough to stop you from potentially harming the baby. Other than the fact that some women just may not want a baby when they find out they are pregnant, other women terminate pregnancies because there is a possibility something may be wrong with the baby. Giving women the option to abort babies who have abnormalities and birth defects may seem okay to some people but honestly it is discrimination. Not all people were intended to look or act the same and that is okay. No one should be allowed to decide that they shouldn’t be a part of our lives. People supporting abortions also argue that it reduces welfare costs to taxpayers and that it is a form of population control. People shouldn’t view the world in a way that makes money and other resources more important than one’s life. I found it extremely interesting while reading “Open for Debate: Abortion” that only 21% of people are opposed to abortions. Another major topic concerning abortions is that victims of rape shouldn’t have to carry that child because it is just a reminder of that traumatic experience. While this may be a tough decision to keep this baby, this is an instance where I believe there is another option besides abortion. I understand that pregnancy isn’t always an easy journey but I feel like an woman, knowing that their bodies were created for the purpose to carry a child, would be willing to do so even if it wasn’t a baby they were planning to keep. Hospital costs can be pricey when it comes to prenatal care but maybe by making abortion illegal some money can now go towards things like that. Rape is a serious crime but a completely innocent life shouldn’t be punished because of another’s actions. A study shown on operationrescue.org illustrates that less than one percent of abortions are victims of rape. Meaning homes for those children could be found. Money is also a common issue. People think it is okay to have an abortion just because they aren’t financially stable. While you shouldn’t be having children if you can’t provide for them, maybe you also shouldn’t be having sex. As I mentioned before, pregnancy is always a possible outcome and you shouldn’t rely on abortions to fix your problems. “Women living at 100 percent or less of the federal poverty level (single households earning approximately $11,200 per year or less) who are not actively trying to conceive are twice as likely not to use contraception as their wealthier counterparts.” Says a reporter from slate.com. When you don’t have the means to support a child, contraceptives should be the first thought in your mind when it comes to intercourse. Condoms are actually free at local heath departments and depending on where you go or your insurance birth control isn’t too pricey either. 

In certain situations, people may possibly benefit from an abortion. If a mother of 3 becomes pregnant and the baby most likely wont survive and the mother definitely wont survive I feel as if she should be given the option to stick around for her children that need her. In this situation, the risks of having the baby out weigh those of having an abortion because you are talking about so many other lives being affected. I don’t think that people who failed to use contraception, women who don’t ever want kids or those that just don’t feel like dealing with their consequences of decisions they’ve made should be allowed to have an abortion whenever they please. Anyone deciding to take that step and have sex whether that is sex that is protected or not, are aware that pregnancy is always a possible outcome. Being aware of this, if it becomes reality you shouldn’t be able to just erase it like a mistake on a piece of paper. Being aware of this you should also be as prepared as possibly even if it isn’t something you are expecting. Even if a woman sees a pregnancy or a sexual encounter as a mistake or wrong, as adults we have to learn to deal with our “mistakes”, not just try taking what we assume to be the easy way out. Abortions definitely do more harm than good and should be a thing of the past so that more children are given a future. 