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The Importance Of Legalizing Abortion In The United States

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Imagine being a woman with an unplanned pregnancy and no ability to get an abortion because the law prohibits it. Imagine being scared, confused, and anxious because you don’t have the basic right of control over your own body. Imagine having to succumb to illegal, life-threatening procedures because you feel like you have no other choice. There are women across the nation who feel and endure these unimaginable and terrifying hardships, which is why abortions should be legal throughout the United States. First, illegalizing abortions will not eliminate the practice of the procedure as intended, but will instead leave women scared, confused, and without any safe options. In fact, “abortion rates are similar in countries where it is legal and …show more content…

For instance, anti-abortionists argue that a slight flinch detected in the fetus during abortions is an indicator of pain. However, this flinch is merely a reflex that occurs “at the level of the spinal cord,” which does not involve the brain, a necessity for the perception of pain (Miller). Furthermore, various studies have shown that fetuses are incapable of feeling pain “until the 29th or 30th week of gestation,” which is “long after most abortions are performed” (“Should Abortions Be Legal?”). Moreover, many neurologists argue that the fetal nervous system and the neurons that are essential to carry pain signals to the brain aren’t fully developed until late into gestation (Miller). In order to experience pain, “all the pathways of the nerves need to be connected and functioning,” and “it’s not until around 30 weeks that there is evidence of brain activity that suggests the fetus is ‘awake’” (Miller). Even so, it is “extremely rare” and “often restricted by state laws” to have an abortion that late into a pregnancy (“Should Abortions Be Legal?”). Despite the countless arguments from protesters across the country, scientific evidence validates that fetuses cannot feel pain when the vast majority of abortions are performed. Thus, everyone should stop being so concerned with the lives of the unresponsive, unconscious fetuses and focus on providing women with access to …show more content…

It is utterly unfair and immoral to place women in a situation in which they are helpless and voiceless, especially when there is an option to give them the jurisdiction over their bodies that they rightly

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