Abortion. A very controversial topic in today’s society. Many people think that abortion should be legal and available to anyone, whereas others think quite the opposite. In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion was a “fundamental right” and that it shouldn’t be denied to anyone. In this battle, the proponents brought up many issues regarding the women’s needs and focused on how the government shouldn’t be the one to deny this. The opponents were on the opposite side. They refuted the proponents statement and thought that human life begins at fertilization and that it was unconstitutional to kill an innocent human. So since this is still a relevant and important topic in today’s society there is one common question that arises: “Should abortion be legal or illegal?”
In the US, pro-choice is very common. Many have come to the conclusion that abortion is a women’s right and it shouldn’t be limited by governmental or religious authority. They say that the women’s’ choice outweighs any right claimed for an embryo or fetus. In an article called “Why Abortion should be legal”, it talks about how even if abortion was outlawed women would find a way to get abortions illegally. As a society, we wouldn’t want that because getting an abortion illegally is a very unsafe way to get rid of a fetus and in some cases, lead to death. During Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court went over the issue on the constitutionality of laws that criminalized and/or restricted access to abortion. They made the executive decision that under the due process clause in the 14th amendment that they had the right to privacy to decide what they wanted to do.
On the other side of the argument, many people think that abortion is the killing of an innocent child and that that is morally wrong. The federal Unborn Victims of Violence Act was enacted “to protect unborn and children from assault and murder.” It states under federal law, that anyone intentionally attempting to harm or kill an unborn child should “be punished.” Another huge argument made is that life begins at conception. This means that unborn babies are human beings with the right to life. Upon fertilization, a human individual is created with a unique genetic identity that remains unchanged throughout the span of its life. This individual has the right to all human rights, especially life. Jerome Lejeune, a French geneticist, says “The human nature of the human being from conception to old age is not a metaphysical contention, it is plain experimental evidence.” These are just a few of the arguments that are presented on the other side.
So what do you think? Do you think that abortion should be legal or against the law? Do you think that women have the right to choose what they do to their body or not?
Dear Maggie,
I am pleased by your post ” Should abortion be illegal?” because I personally think any woman should have the choice to do what they want with their bodies. Especially having the choice to keep a baby or not having a baby is a lot to go through. However not everyone has the same opinion.
One sentence you wrote stood out to me is ” Many have come to the conclusion that abortion is a women’s right and it shouldn’t be limited by governmental or religious authority. ” I think this is key to my opinion about abortion. I don’t think authorities should have the choice on what anyone wants to do with something they created. If abortion isn’t decriminalised woman will continue to do it illegally no matter what but in a different way.
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next, because these type of topics are very interesting to me. I find it more important for me to reply to because I’m also a woman and have a so about things like this since its about woman.
Ashley Renteria
Dear Maggie,
I am impressed by your post, “Should Abortion be Illegal?,” because it gave us two different opinions on a serious topic that is being discussed daily in the United States. Although, I believe that abortions should be legal because every woman have the right to choose what they want to do with their own body.
One sentence you wrote that stood out to me is: “In an article called ‘Why Abortion should be legal’, it talks about how even if abortion was outlawed women would find a way to get abortions illegally.” This is important because I personally have met girls who had an abortion but not the correct way. There are many girls who are scared to get pregnant at a young age and with abortions being illegal it would affect them deeply.
Thanks for your writing. This post is very informative to anyone in the public and spreads awareness of abortions.
Melissa
It should be illegal. Women’s rights? Anything is excusable now.
Dear author, after reading this I disagree with the fact that we should make abortion illegal in the United States. I disagree because I believe that every women should have the choice whether to go through something they don’t want to in this case birth. They should have the right to control their body instead of having someone else telling them what to do. Some other people may say adoption is the answer but many children either don’t get adopted or they get treated badly. The system has failed many children in keeping them safe. No one wants to bring a child into a world where they’re not wanted and feeling lonely. That’s why I believe that it should be legal to be able to do this. Like I said a women should be able to make that choice in whether or not to bring a child into this world or going through difficult changes in their bodies.
i believe that abortions should be illegal because it is just wrong and these babies are innocent that you are killing, why should they not have the right to live if a person who kill another human dose????
After reading both points, I believe that abortions should be legal up to a point. I agree with a lot points you stated, because in some cases there is a very good reason why someone should get an abortion. But we can’t let women get an abortion constantly for what they have done. With responsibility comes action, or consequences. Abortion is murder whether the fetus is still a human even if it is in a mother’s womb. An article stated that “Unborn babies are considered human beings by the US government. The federal Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which was enacted “to protect unborn children from assault and murder” (1). Another reason that getting an abortion is murder, is as mentioned in an article, a baby’s heart starts to beat at 6 weeks, and you may be able to feel it at 8, (2). It is obvious that once a heart starts to beat the baby is alive. And by that time it possibly shouldn’t be your decision on what to do, though you may not get an answer from it, it still would most likely want to stay alive.
Another reason why abortion isn’t a good thing is, because it is your responsibility to use protection if you don’t want to risk having a child, and even then still be cautious. Experts say, “to be fully effective, birth control pills need to be taken correctly. Missing even a few doses greatly increases your chances of pregnancy: while only 0.1 percent of women get pregnant when using the pill properly, pregnancy rates soar by 30-80 times when pills are missed.” (3) After reading more I learned that even after using protection, you still may risk getting pregnant. Studies show, “ about 15 out of 100 people who use condoms as their only birth control method will get pregnant each year.”(4) It’s a risk whether it says it’s safe or not. Also experts say that 9,090 women get an abortion after their 21st week of pregnancy, that is 1.3 percent of all abortions, meaning that the baby’s heart is already beating and that baby is alive. (5) Getting an abortion is murder and I would never be able to forgive myself after a decision like that. There are simply better ways. Women who are pregnant and don’t want it can always give it up for adoption and give it a better life.Finally abortion is bad because, it’s not only hurting the baby but hurting you. Getting an abortion may risk you of getting an infection, and in some cases needed surgery costing more than the abortion. Evidence shows as stated, “Germs (bacteria) from the vagina or cervix may enter the uterus during the abortion and cause an infection in the pelvic region. Antibiotics can treat infections but, in rare cases, a repeat suction abortion, hospitalization and/or surgery may be required,” and you can get a blood clot as well. (6) Baby can feel pain, and it is alive, so the last thing it will remember is the pain where the fetus got punctured. Specialists say, “From six weeks the baby has sensation around its face and mouth. At seven weeks the baby can feel a needle stick and drawback.” (7)/(8). Killing a baby is pain, to you but the baby itself.
I don’t think abortions should be illegal all the way because, kids, or raped victims may have their life ruined, or they arent ready to be mom’s, but I don’t think a woman who wanted to have sex get an abortion after a heartbeat is heard. A woman's experience of not being able to get an abortion, says “I found out I was pregnant when I was 19. It was during a rape kit after being assaulted by my boyfriend’s father. I probably should’ve known I was pregnant, but I thought the nausea was the result of drinking and my eating disorder.” (9). Also there are women who kept their baby but suffered physical pain, and later lost their baby because their body was not ready to carry a baby. And I understand because there are cases with severe circumstances and it’s not fair for a women, but for a women who wanted sex, she should give it up for adoption or get an abortion as quick as possible. What i’m trying to say, that women who did it knowingly and willingly shouldn't get an abortion.
After I read your article I agreed with some things you said like that you said that “The woman’s choice outweighs any right claimed for a embryo or fetus.” I also like how you used the Roe vs Wade case and the 14th amendment to help quote and use evidence for you reasoning of abortion should be legal(1). But I do disagree with you on your second reason of why abortion should be illegal. (2) You use the Federal unborn victims act as evidence, but they say anyone that has a abortion should be “punished” which is not very specific or relevant to why abortion should be illegal. But also, its a woman’s right to have a abortion which is stated in the 14th amendment. You also state that upon fertilization a fetus is now a person, but that’s not true, according to (3) a Fetus becomes a human being after it becomes viable, which means it can survive outside the Womb. Also I found in the Roe v Wade case that it was about women having the right to do what they want with their children and it won 7-2 in a vote, so that means abortion is illegal(4)..
After reading your post, I not only agree with your beliefs on abortion, I disagree as well. But I truly do like how you did both sides of the argument. It gave me a good perspective of both sides point of view of the argument. You gave a good point that abortion is the woman’s right. However, I would add that the US Supreme Court “declared abortion to be a “fundamental right” guaranteed by the US Constitution. The landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade, decided on Jan. 22, 1973 in favor of abortion rights, remains the law of the land. The 7-2 decision stated that the Constitution gives “a guarantee of certain areas or zones of privacy,” and that “This right of privacy… is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy” (1). The woman has a right to choose if they want to have an abortion. How would it be fair for people to make a woman disiton on if they can get an abortion? Along with that “More than forty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that secured a woman’s right to abortion. Since then, extremist politicians have been trying to take that decision out of a woman’s hands” (2). As you can see it’s the woman right to get an abortion. It’s the woman’s own body. Why would it be okay for it to be illegal for a woman to get an abortion. If a woman is not ready for a child then they should not have to be forced to keep it,. Nobody should be able to tell them is they have to keep living thing in their body.
Next, after doing some research of my own I have found that abortion should not be illegal because being pregnant can affect the woman’s mental health. I have found that “Contraception can fail. The best plans do not always work out. And when that happens, abortion is an essential part of health care. Abortion allows woman to plan and space their pregnancies, which improves their physical, psychological and economic well-being. Evidence shows that people who are able to obtain an abortion are better able to maintain a positive future outlook and achieve their aspirational life plans. Conversely, evidence clearly demonstrates that if a pregnant person seeks an abortion and access to that care is delayed or denied, they are at greater risk of experiencing adverse health and economic outcomes…” (3). This shows that there can be complications when it comes to being pregnant. If your health is being affected by being pregnant, sometimes you have to get an abortion. You might not have a choice because it will affect you health.. Additionally “For people with certain health conditions, an unintended pregnancy can be devastating, if not dangerous. And even with a planned pregnancy, unexpected tragedies can arise. Imagine the woman who gets a cancer diagnosis and must decide between continuing the pregnancy or life-saving chemotherapy. And what about the parents who discover in the second trimester that the fetus has severe anomalies and has no chance of living” (4). Conjointly according to theatlantic.com, a woman says that “I found out the way scientists realized what the Rubella virus did to a fetus was when someone connected delivery-room personnel coming down with the three-day measles to a baby with severe birth defects. Although the mother recovers in three days, the baby stays sick throughout the remaining time of gestation and is still contagious at birth” (5). She was sick while she was pregnant. She had to get an abortion. Why would any mother want to see their baby with severe birth defects because of them?
Furthermore, I have found that abortion should not be illegal because fetuses are incapable of feeling pain when most abortions are performed. According to a “2010 review by Britain’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, “most neuroscientists believe that the cortex is necessary for pain perception.” The cortex does not become functional until at least the 26th week of a fetus’ development, long after most abortions are performed. This finding was endorsed in 2012 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which stated that that there is “no legitimate scientific information that supports the statement that a fetus experiences pain.” A 2005 University of California at San Francisco study said fetuses probably can’t feel pain until the 29th or 30th week of gestation. Abortions that late into a pregnancy are extremely rare and are often restricted by state laws. According to Stuart W. G. Derbyshire, PhD, Senior Lecturer at the University of Birmingham (England), “…fetuses cannot be held to experience pain. Not only has the biological development not yet occurred to support pain experience, but the environment after birth, so necessary to the development of pain experience, is also yet to occur.” The “flinching” and other reactions seen in fetuses when they detect pain stimuli are mere reflexes, not an indication that the fetus is perceiving or “feeling” anything” (6). The child cant feel any pain at all. When you get an abortion you really don’t have to worry about the child feeling pain. If i was pregnant and was going to get an abortion, I would definitely not want know that my child is feeling pain. Would you? Finally, I have found that “The science shows that based on gestational age, the fetus is not capable of feeling pain until the third trimester,” said Kate Connors, a spokesperson for ACOG. The third trimester begins at about 27 weeks of pregnancy” (7). Personally, abortion should NOT become illegal because of all the effects it can cause to woman, it’s the woman’s right to choose abortion, and the baby would never know that they are dying because the baby can not feel pain.
After I read your article I agreed with some things you said like that you said that “The woman’s choice outweighs any right claimed for a embryo or fetus.” I also like how you used the Roe vs Wade case and the 14th amendment to help quote and use evidence for you reasoning of abortion should be legal(1). But I do disagree with you on your second reason of why abortion should be illegal. (2) You use the Federal unborn victims act as evidence, but they say anyone that has a abortion should be “punished” which is not very specific or relevant to why abortion should be illegal. But also, its a woman’s right to have a abortion which is stated in the 14th amendment. You also state that upon fertilization a fetus is now a person, but that’s not true, according to (3) a Fetus becomes a human being after it becomes viable, which means it can survive outside the Womb. Also I found in the Roe v Wade case that it was about women having the right to do what they want with their children and it won 7-2 in a vote, so that means abortion is illegal(4). ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
After I read your article I agreed with some things you said like that you said that “The woman’s choice outweighs any right claimed for a embryo or fetus.” I also like how you used the Roe vs Wade case and the 14th amendment to help quote and use evidence for you reasoning of abortion should be legal(1). But I do disagree with you on your second reason of why abortion should be illegal. (2) You use the Federal unborn victims act as evidence, but they say anyone that has a abortion should be “punished” which is not very specific or relevant to why abortion should be illegal. But also, its a woman’s right to have a abortion which is stated in the 14th amendment. You also state that upon fertilization a fetus is now a person, but that’s not true, according to (3) a Fetu becomes a human being after it becomes viable, which means it can survive outside the Womb. Also I found in the Roe v Wade case that it was about women having the right to do what they want with their children and it won 7-2 in a vote, so that means abortion is illegal(4).
After I read your article I agreed with some things you said like that you said that “The woman’s choice outweighs any right claimed for a embryo or fetus.” I also like how you used the Roe vs Wade case and the 14th amendment to help quote and use evidence for you reasoning of abortion should be legal(1). But I do disagree with you on your second reason of why abortion should be illegal. (2) You use the Federal unborn victims act as evidence, but they say anyone that has a abortion should be “punished” which is not very specific or relevant to why abortion should be illegal. But also, its a woman’s right to have a abortion which is stated in the 14th amendment. You also state that upon fertilization a fetus is now a person, but that’s not true, according to (3) a Fetus becomes a human being after it becomes viable, which means it can survive outside the Womb. Also I found in the Roe v Wade case that it was about women having the right to do what they want with their children and it won 7-2 in a vote, so that means abortion is illegal(4).
After reading your post I agree with that Abortion should be legal.You made an great point when you incorporated the 1973 Supreme court case and focused on how the supreme court “ruled that abortion was a “fundamental right” and that it shouldn’t be denied to anyone.” After I researched this topic more I found that the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendment gave women the right to make the decision to have abortion. The 14th amendment says that “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”(1) And In the 1973 landmark case Roe v. Wade, “the Supreme Court applied this core constitutional principle of privacy and liberty to a woman’s ability to terminate a pregnancy. In Roe, the Court held that the constitutional right to privacy includes a woman’s right to decide whether to have an abortion“(1). In my opinion this shows that the state has no power in what a woman does with her body the United States constitution protects that women’s right to abort her child. I have also researched the Roe v Wade case and found that they said:” Women have the right to make decisions about their own bodies. Fetuses, prior to viability, do not have rights. Therefore, until the fetus is old enough to have rights of its own, the woman’s decision to have an abortion takes precedence over the interests of the fetus”(3). In that case this means that Women have the constitutional right to abort their baby. The baby is unborn so it doesn’t have rights yet. According to Tom Head, “The specific right of a woman to make the decision to terminate her own pregnancy is generally classified as a privacy right implicit in the Ninth Amendment“ (4). “At the Supreme Court level, most justices do believe that the Ninth Amendment has binding authority, and they use it to protect implicit rights hinted at but not replicated elsewhere in the Constitution. Implicit rights include the right to privacy outlined in the landmark 1965 Supreme Court case of Griswold v. Connecticut”(5). All of this goes to show that abortion is legal because women have a right to choose what they do with their bodies. In my opinion this would be irrefutable evidence that women are protected by the constitution to have abortions.
You also said in your post that “If abortion was outlawed women would find a way to get abortion illegally” I did more research on that and I found that was true and I also found that illegal abortions are so much more dangerous. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) “Unsafe abortion methods take the lives of approximately 47,000 women around the world each year”(6). Forcing the women of america to undergo this life threatening treatment is cruel. After researching i’ve discovered that according to Human Rights Watch (HRW) “18 percent of maternal deaths around the world are due to unsafe abortion, and estimates of the number of abortion-related deaths in 2014 ranged from 22,500 to 44,000.Nearly all deaths and morbidity from unsafe abortion occur in countries where abortion is severely restricted”(7). This shows us that where abortion is already restricted people are dying because they have found a way to illegally do it. If it was restricted in America women would find a way to get an illegal abortion and put themselves in danger of dying. As stated in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 2014,”Unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity”(8 ). If there weren’t so many countries that restrict abortion then we wouldn’t have as many maternal deaths every year.
I want to add to your argument by saying that some women rely on abortion because it’s vital for individual women to keep themselves healthy and safe. Sometimes women get pregnant and they are sometimes not medically ready to have a baby. In agreement with Sarah Weddington (an American attorney, law professor and former member of the Texas House of Representatives) in Supreme Court case Roe v Wade stated that “A pregnancy to a woman is perhaps one of the most determinative aspects of her life. It disrupts her body. It disrupts her education. It disrupts her employment. And it often disrupts her entire family life”(9). If a women is not ready for her whole life to change she should not have the baby. Sometimes abortion can damage a woman’s body in ways that aren’t healthy. A woman can get an abortion to make sure she won’t get severely hurt. According to David Grimes a Physician board certified obstetrics and gynecologist, “Women at higher risk of poor medical and social outcomes of pregnancy disproportionately rely on abortion”(10). It is cruel to take away something that women rely on for there own well being. Forcing women to just accept that there life and health with change for possibly the worst is not fair.
Some might argue that abortion is the killing of an innocent child and that is morally wrong. One reason that’s completely wrong is that aborting a child is not murder. According to cappitalizm.org “Murder is the taking of the life of another human being through the initiation of physical force. Abortion is not murder because a fetus is not an actual human being—it is a potential human being, i.e., it is a part of the woman”(11). In some instances abortion is the best option for the potential child. According to David Grimes a Physician board certified obstetrics and gynecologist, “Unplanned births are linked with child abuse and neglect. In families with two unplanned births, children are twice as likely to be victims of abuse as are children in families without an unplanned birth”(12 ). In my opinion it would be better for the potential child to be aborted before it’s neglected or abused. It is not worth it for an innocent child to be treated so unfairly because of something that their parents did. If a parent does not want want the child she should not have the child. David Grimes States that “an individual who has studied, provided, and taught abortions for over four decades, Says that States with limited access to abortion have higher rates of child maltreatment than do states without these restrictions”(13 ). Putting children through mistreatment and knowing it could have all be avoided seems almost inhumane. Why make a child suffer when it doesn’t have to. If the child was never born it wouldn’t have a chance to be mistreated by anyone. If the chance of mistreatment is higher when abortion is restricted,In my opinion it wouldn’t make any sense to restrict it.
Prior looking at the Your research and adding my research it would only make sense if abortion is legal. I enjoyed looking at abortion from another person’s perspective.
After reading your post, I agree with you that abortion should be illegal. The first reason is because allowing abortion conflicts with the non-negotiable right to life recognized by the Founding Fathers of the United States. The Declaration of Independence states that “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Abortion takes away from the unborn the unalienable right to life that the Founding Fathers intended for all human beings. (1) Also, abortion should be illegal because many states have already enacted their own abortion restrictions. The Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, reports that 27 states currently enforce waiting periods of between one and three days for women seeking abortions. 11 states limit abortion coverage offered through private health insurance plans, most commonly to restrict abortions to instances in which women’s lives are in danger. To add on, abortion sends the unholy message that some human beings are disposable and it hurts the child. There is solid medical evidence that unborn babies feel pain by at least 20 weeks after fertilization. And abortion is brutally painful. (2) Although some may say modern abortion procedures are safe and do not cause lasting health issues such as cancer and infertility, another reason is because abortions can cause psychological damage. A 2008 peer-reviewed study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health found that “Young adult women who undergo… abortion may be at increased risk for subsequent depression.” A peer-reviewed 2005 study published in BMC Medicine found that women who underwent an abortion had “significantly higher” anxiety scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale up to five years after the pregnancy termination. (3)Almost everyone talks about abortion being morally bad. However, I want to talk about a different matter. If people abort their children, then the population will decrease.Also, sometimes women abort girls to have boys, due to cultural stereotypes that boys are better than girls. In China, there are 914 girls for every 1,000 boys. (4) I believe that abortion is basically saying “ I didn’t mean to get pregnant i’ll just kill the baby.” I fully disagree with this statement in its entirety. If someone truly doesn’t want a child, they can put it up for adoption for someone who isn’t able to get pregnant due to certain circumstances. Instead of doing this, women are just throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime for someone else. In conclusion, there are very many negative things that abortion can lead to therefore, abortion should be illegal.
After reading your post, I agree with you that abortion should be illegal. The first reason is because allowing abortion conflicts with the non-negotiable right to life recognized by the Founding Fathers of the United States. The Declaration of Independence states that “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Abortion takes away from the unborn the unalienable right to life that the Founding Fathers intended for all human beings. (1) Also, abortion should be illegal because many states have already enacted their own abortion restrictions. The Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, reports that 27 states currently enforce waiting periods of between one and three days for women seeking abortions. 11 states limit abortion coverage offered through private health insurance plans, most commonly to restrict abortions to instances in which women’s lives are in danger. To add on, abortion sends the unholy message that some human beings are disposable and it hurts the child. There is solid medical evidence that unborn babies feel pain by at least 20 weeks after fertilization. And abortion is brutally painful. (2) Although some may say modern abortion procedures are safe and do not cause lasting health issues such as cancer and infertility, another reason is because abortions can cause psychological damage. A 2008 peer-reviewed study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health found that “Young adult women who undergo… abortion may be at increased risk for subsequent depression.” A peer-reviewed 2005 study published in BMC Medicine found that women who underwent an abortion had “significantly higher” anxiety scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale up to five years after the pregnancy termination. (3)Almost everyone talks about abortion being morally bad. However, I want to talk about a different matter. If people abort their children, then the population will decrease.Also, sometimes women abort girls to have boys, due to cultural stereotypes that boys are better than girls. In China, there are 914 girls for every 1,000 boys. (4) I believe that abortion is basically saying “ I didn’t mean to get pregnant i’ll just kill the baby.” I fully disagree with this statement in its entirety. If someone truly doesn’t want a child, they can put it up for adoption for someone who isn’t able to get pregnant due to certain circumstances. Instead of doing this, women are just throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime for someone else. In conclusion, there are very many negative things that abortion can lead to therefore, abortion should be illegal.
After reading your post, I agree that restricting abortion is unconstitutional. You made a good point when you said that women would still find a way to get abortions illegally if it get outlawed, but you never really elaborated on your reason that it is unconstitutional. For instance, in The Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case, “Roe established that the right to privacy is broad enough to encompass abortion and reiterated that the right of privacy is a fundamental right triggering strict scrutiny analysis.” (1) Basically in that case they established that since the fourteenth amendment states the right to privacy, that since abortion is a woman’s right, it is considered privacy. Also, the Supreme Court voted in a 7-2 decision that a woman’s right to have an abortion under the Fourteenth amendment to the constitution is legal. (2) Using these evidences, it is clear that the right to abortion is protected under the fourteenth amendment.
Another reason why abortion should be legal is because if it was outlawed, women would find alternative ways to get them, which is extremely dangerous. Lisa B Haddad, a Gynecology and Reproductive Biologist states, “Some 68,000 women die of unsafe abortion annually, making it the one of the leading causes of maternal mortality (13%)” (3). Maternal mortality is deaths related to pregnancy. Thousands of women are dying each year because they do not have the option of a safe abortion. Also, a woman named Lila shares her personal story of how she got an illegal “coat hanger abortion”. Her stepmother took her to the home of someone who did illegal abortions, and Lila says, “I remember walking out with this coat hanger between my legs” (4). This happened before the Roe v. Wade court case, so at this time abortion was illegal. If people went to extremes as bad as a coat hanger abortion back then, imagine the different types that exist now.
Also, nobody should be persecuted or shamed for making one of the most important decisions in their life. In 1992, the Supreme Court stated that, “the ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives” (5). Basically, the Supreme court ruled that since women have equal rights, they have the privacy right to control how or if they reproduce. Additionally, an anonymous woman shared her story of how she was pregnant with a lot of health issues. When she went to her doctor to discuss the health of the baby, she said that, “The baby’s skull had not fully developed and parts of the brain would be exposed. She stated that this condition was fatal, and if I carried the baby to full term, my baby would either be stillborn or only live a few hours or days” (6) This woman had no choice but to abort her baby. If she were to carry it to full term, it would have causes more harm and pain to the newborn. Therefore, the decision was difficult but it was the only option she had at that point. Overall, abortion is completely a women’s right and should not be stripped by the constitution. An individual has the right to decide what she wishes to do with her body.