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Scarlet Letter A Is For Abortion Analysis

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In her “The New Scarlet Letter -- A is for Abortion”(2011), Linda Bergthold argues that the passing of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, as well as the Hyde Amendment, not only berates women who consider abortion an option to an unpremeditated pregnancy, but also may financially “overwhelm” and metaphorically cripple the expecting mother. Bergthold provides statistical evidence in which she states the outrageous cost of having an abortion, and the “stupid” idea of abortion coverage in insurance policies due to the fact that one does not “plan on having an abortion when they sign up for insurance coverage”; not to mention the fact that it may not work as planned in the new health system. Bergthold aims to disprove those who are attempting to …show more content…

In her expose, Bergthold makes a convincing argument on the insufficient attributes of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment that had me think about some of the many issues this amendment has brought to the table. For example, Bergthold states that an abortion can cost up to $18.000 by the second trimester, but due to the recent passing of this amendment women are forced to either come up with the money on their own, or have the baby and pay approximately this amount per child annually for the next eighteen years. In addition, we must take into consideration the fact that if we, as a nation, are going to decide to legalize the termination of an infant in its embryonic stages, shouldn’t we provide the finances to support these women in their decision to undergo such a process? Furthermore, we as society tend to judge others harshly when it comes to an issue we feel strongly opposed to; much like that of which the puritans in The Scarlet Letter displayed when Hester was standing on the scaffold in front of everyone, or how her dresses were never used in weddings due to the fact that she committed the adulterous sin. Although some might argue that abortion is a sin in the eyes of God, or the fact that there are other alternatives to having an

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