Women Have the Right to Choose
Abortion is “the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.” Although this is the definition of abortion given by the Oxford Dictionary, the word means so much more to me. Abortion represents the freedom of choice and the empowerment of women.
The Freedom of Choice Act states “that it is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child; terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability; or terminate a pregnancy after viability when necessary to protect her life or her health.” It dictates that women have the freedom to make choices for themselves, and their own bodies. We all have bodily autonomy. In other words, every person has control over their own body, and without abortions, women are being asked to give up that bodily autonomy for months to save what some view as a human being. According to myDr, an Australian healthcare website, the organs of a fetus do not fully form until 24 weeks into the pregnancy, and the fetus heartbeat can be heard around 10 weeks, as claimed by SutterHealth.org. Planned Parenthood.org states, “the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 66 percent of legal abortions occur within the first eight weeks of gestation, and 92 percent are performed within the first 13 weeks.”
When abortion became legal in America in 1973, a period of dangerous and unregulated abortions in the U.S. ended. In countries where abortion is illegal, women go to extreme measures to abort a pregnancy even if that means putting their own lives at stake. Without abortion, expectant mothers unwilling to have or unready for a child are being subject to extreme mental, emotional, and physical distress. Pregnancy can cause lots of stress on women socially, can affect their career and financial-state, and brings a large amount of pain and discomfort. Great strength is needed to undergo not only the swollen feet, extreme back pains, and labor but also the social pressure, which varies depending on age and social customs.
Pregnancy isn’t a punishment. It isn’t a scare tactic or an inconvenience. A pregnancy is a life changing agreement, and it shouldn’t be forced upon anyone who isn’t ready to take on that responsibility. Even if a woman does decide to abort her pregnancy, I believe that she shouldn’t be considered a murderer.
When a mother is forced into taking on the responsibility of parenthood, it can sometimes lead to a bad relationship between the mother and child. Knowing that the mother wouldn’t be able to take care or provide a stable environment for the child, she should be allowed the choice of having an abortion.
Currently, there are millions of children who are in foster care, homeless, in abusive households, running from their homelands, and so much more. Why add more children to the world that cannot be taken care of? The basis of America is freedom, which includes the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, and the freedom of choice. Being pro-choice, I believe in this freedom, the freedom that gives women the right to make their own decision concerning their own body.
