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Should Abortion Be Illegal In The United States?

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Should Abortion Be Illegal in the United States? On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court’s decision of Roe v. Wade to legalize abortions in the United States began the controversial debate about abortion that has continued to dominate current ethical and political debates. Over fifty-two million abortions have been performed legally in the United States from 1973 to 2010 (Ertelt). Even with scientific advancements showing fetus development, abortions are still performed on 21% of all pregnancies in America according to a national statistic in 2011. Currently there are about 1 million abortions in the United States each year (“Abortions in America”). With the exception of saving a mother’s life, abortion should be completely illegal in …show more content…

This harkens back to before 1973, when birth control and sex education was not as readily available, not always effective and never discussed in most families. Those old cultural issues are no longer relevant and therefore women should be responsible enough to use birth control and find effective contraceptives. Boston Globe columnist Ellen Goodman, an advocate for abortion, recently wrote, “After all, those of us who remember…when 10,000 American women a year died from illegal abortions don’t have to imagine a world without choices” (Goodman). This is one of many reasons why pro-choice members support legal abortion. This statistic, however, contradicts the Center for Disease Control who recorded in 1957 that only thirty-nine women died due to illegal abortions (Horn). While thirty-nine is still a significant number, it does not compare to Goodman’s estimate of 10,000, a number pro-choice supporters use to justify legal abortion. It is also very difficult to determine if abortions are safe because only “27 states require providers to report post-abortion complications” (“Abortion Reporting Requirements”). Another topic that enrages pro-choice supporters is the issue of rape. Many Americans believe that abortion should be allowed because of rape cases, albeit, less than one percent of the majority of abortions are due to rape cases. Pro-choice supporters also tend to argue that the legality of abortions must be continued following rape. There are however, emergency post-rape contraception that significantly reduces the incidents of pregnancy. According to some doctor’s views, this is a neglected preventative health measure (Steward and Trussell). While legal abortions, according to pro-choice members, are instituted for giving women the choice to choose, it

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