;Mackeesha Jno-Charles
Professor Smartt
ENGL 1102
23 October 2017
No Uterus, No Opinion
Thesis: If women had the necessary information and means to carry out full-term pregnancies, raise their children in safe comfortable environments, and have safe abortions, then the controversy over abortion would cease. The solutions to reducing abortion, or at least making it safer for women, are better leadership in Congress and commitment to women’s health, providing up-to-date sex education along with supporting pregnancy assistance programs.
“No matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.” (Montopoli)
Women with low income in the US have been at the mercy of this corrupt government since abortion has been legally recognized. The solution to decrease abortions should not reflect increasing the cost of unnecessary clinic regulations along with making waiting periods a requirement, while decreasing the number of doctors available for abortions. This only results in grave injuries and infertility from unsafe at home abortions. Public funding and assistant programs should no longer be a “privilege” to women who want abortions. It should be a automatic given, like guns to a redneck or hopes
The topic of abortion is one of the most controversial topics in and out of politics. There are two main sides that have the most dominant opinions. There is the pro-abortion side that believes that all women should have the right to get an abortion and that the procedure and the pill should be covered by basic medical insurance. Of course there are different variations of this opinion, and some of them are they may believe in abortion but they only believe they should be allowed to get it for a certain amount of time, that it shouldn’t use it as a form of birth
The topic of women’s reproductive rights has become a major, controversial issue in today’s society. Grounded in a history of opposition for religious, political, and moral reasons, reproductive rights have only legally been around for a short period of history. Specifically, the landmark case Roe v. Wade was the major stride that this country took towards enforcing women’s reproductive rights. The ruling for this case determined that reproductive rights are legal rights women hold, inclusive of the right to have abortions. However, many laws today are made in an effort to prevent abortions, acting as “undue burdens” that aim to create obstacles for women who seek this type of medical procedure.
Then I kept reading, and the more I read the more I found myself nodding at what the writer, in this case the President of NOW Terry O’Neill, was saying about abortion, or as she called it “abortion care.” She mentioned the high rate of infant mortality, of which one of the causes she says is the high preterm birth rate due to the failure of the public health system. She mentions that adolescent mothers, especially those who are poorer, are unable to gain access to prenatal care, which results in low birth weight and the possibility that the newborn could die in the first month or even be born premature, which in some cases can be fatal as well. The other statistic that she mentions is the rise of maternal deaths, either during childbirth or during pregnancy. She believes that abortion care could help prevent these deaths. I have to admit that I never gave paid too much mind to the pro-choice/pro-life debate except to say, “My body, my decision. The government can shove it.” It surprises me to see that so many people believe that the government should have a say in what a woman can or can’t do with her body. I’ve only seen a bit on abortion rights in our readings, and while the reading itself states that not all feminists are pro-choice, I can see it’s a very important issue in the women’s movement. The ability to make such an important decision
For women in large swaths of the United States, access to abortion services is more limited now than at any time since Roe v. Wade. The goal of antiabortion advocates is to make abortion impossible to obtain by layering multiple restrictions, even though many claim that their motivation is only to protect women’s health. Attempts to stop abortion by making it illegal or hard to obtain, however, have never succeeded in ending abortion, either in the United States before Roe v. Wade or in other countries where it is currently banned or severely restricted by law. The primary result of abortion restrictions is to expose women to more health hazards. Women will self-induce if that is their only option, despite the fact that it puts their health at risk—and in many cases, their liberty, as well.
Politicians, especially the old men who think that they know what is best, should not be voting on whether women should have their basic rights to their own bodies. President Obama agrees, he even stated, “As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman’s health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters,” (Obama, 2012). Most states have strict abortion policies, which makes it difficult for women. Forty-two states have gestational limits, in which the states can prohibit the abortion unless it is dangerous for the woman. Gestational limits should be removed because it closes the door on many women who want or even need abortions. There are 17 states that require mandated counseling, where they discuss, and almost perpetuate the idea that abortions are bad by lecturing about a connection between abortion and breast cancer, the chance of a fetus to feel pain, or long-term mental health effects for the woman. This draws out a time period where it might not be safe anymore for the woman to have said abortion. Elizabeth Nash, the leader of a pro-choice health research group from Guttmacher Institute, discusses, “The people developing these counseling materials are not really interested in talking about the facts. They are interested in persuading a woman from getting an abortion in the first place,” (Nash 2012). Even after the counseling, 26 states would make the woman go through a waiting period of one to two days, while making more than one visit to the clinic, before she is allowed to receive an abortion. It is too inconvenient and difficult for women to be able to enjoy the basic right to their own bodies. The legal limitations need to be revised in order for women to really be able to be a part of this society. Restrictions, including refusal to perform an
In 1973, the United States Supreme Court voted to uphold the legality of abortion. In the period immediately after the decision, small steps were staring to be made to make basic women’s healthcare available to all women in the country; regardless of race, religion, or income bracket. The role of pro-choice activists, however, quickly began to need to shape itself around countering antiabortion initiatives. At the front of the conservative agenda is the restriction of affordable contraception and pregnancy care. In the current political climate, for the first time since Roe v. Wade, for many women of all backgrounds, it is hard to receive an abortion safely and privately. Modern laws and policies have so greatly
Abortion is a hot topic in United States politics as of late, and rightly so. Though religion, costs, maternal psychological damage, and societal morality are often cited as reasons to oppose abortion, a woman’s right to make her own decisions should always prevail. Abortion should be nationally legalized during the first trimester of pregnancy because Roe V. Wade has declared abortion a “fundamental right” to women, fetuses are incapable of feeling pain during the period when most abortions take place, women should be given the right to choose what happens with their body, and access to legal abortions decreases the
The ability for women from all walks of life to have access to affordable and safe healthcare including abortion is something I’m passionate about. It is appalling to me as both a woman and as a citizen of the United States that women have had their reproductive choices made for them or extremely limited by legislatures, especially when these decisions seem to come from a place of ignorance. It’s been incredibly disheartening to watch the reproductive rights of women within the United States be chipped away and restricted over the past decade by state and federal legislatures.
Abortion has taken the lives of more than 50 million babies since 1973 (“About Abortion”). The issue of abortion is one of the most common controversial issues in American politics and culture. In modern society, many women that have an unintended pregnancy and they result to abortion without researching other options. Abortion is not a substitute for birth control and this issue should be taken seriously. The individual woman needs to understand that by agreeing to have an abortion she is agreeing to kill an innocent fetus. Abortion rips the unborn child from his or hers right to life. Society needs to let women see through the eyes of the fetus and find alternative ways to raise the baby. Abortion should be
Throughout American history, women have faced many challenges to earn equal rights in almost all aspects of life. Although changes have been made, today there are still battle to be won. One of these issues is the struggle for improving reproductive rights. Women are often judged for their maternal decisions, whether that is in choosing surrogacy, abortion, and even those who choose different forms of contraception. Over the years, Planned Parenthood and other health services have recieved a negative connotation for what services they provide, especially on the basis of providing abortion services. With our new president in office, women are concerned that their reproductive rights, such as the right to have an
The Women’s March on January 21, 2017 also stirred the emotions of American citizens, for different reason. The vast response to the March throughout the country left some wondering why such action was needed, when women’s rights have come such a long way from when the US was founded. Those unware of the March’s mission are likely unaware that it was centered around many principles including: ending violence, LQBTQIA rights, worker’s rights, civil rights, disability rights, immigrant rights, environmental justice, and reproductive rights (Women’s March, 2017). The focus on reproductive right’s centered on reproductive freedom and an access to quality reproductive healthcare services, birth control, HIV/AIDS care and prevention, medically accurate sexuality education, and access to safe, legal, affordable abortion (Women’s March,2017). Access to abortion is an issue that varies state to state, similar to the issue of gun regulation.
Abortion has been one of the biggest controversies of all time. Many people believe it is 100% wrong and even consider it to be murder. The definition of abortion is; “The termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to being capable of normal growth.” These pro-life believers do not support the idea of abortion and believe it should be illegal. Many of these supporters do not know that if abortion were illegal they would still be performed, unfortunately by an uneducated staff. Over 70 thousand maternal deaths occur every year because of unsafe abortions. These women die, so the idea of supporting pro-life is contradictory, this is why the nation should be pro-choice.
During the debate over health care reform, we often heard that health care is a basic human right. That’s true — and just as true is the fact that women have the basic human right to safe, legal abortion care. And that means all women, not just the ones with the resources to overcome medically unnecessary, demeaning and stigmatizing
Just because a woman acted foolishly and carelessly does not mean that an innocent third party, the child, should have to accept the punishment for their mother’s actions. Another alarming statistic is that twenty-two percent of all pregnancies in the United States end in abortion (U.S. Abortion Statistics). Many of these abortions occur from people who live below the poverty level and cannot afford proper birth control. While abortion has been decreasing among most groups of categories that are determined by characteristics such as age, race, and financial income; abortions among poor people have been on the rise. In 2008, poor women were responsible for forty-two percent of all abortions that took place in the United States. Likewise, the abortion rate of poor women escalated by eight-teen percent from 2000-2008 (Wind). This problem can be solved by providing more heath care clinics through the country for those individuals who cannot afford birth control. With more available heath care clinics, the amount of abortions that occur will be diminished significantly and wrongful killing of unborn children will come to an end.
Many individuals fail to understand the sheer magnitude of bloodshed, tribulation, and despair legalized abortion has initiated into the human experience – both in the United States and worldwide. Far more human lives have been violently ended by this immoral decision than any other war or genocide in history. It is one of the most controversial issues in today’s society. Abortion is the intentional decision to murder a human fetus by chemical, medical or surgical procedures. Those who support the rights of abortion argue that women should be able to decide what can be done to their bodies, yet the unborn baby inside a woman is a living being, and terminating that pregnancy is the equivalent of murder. These innocent children should not be held responsible for your mistakes. Don’t terminate pregnancy now, because you may not have children in the future at all.