Her Body, Her Rights 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 …show more content…
This makes for a major divide in what should be done in the case of women having an abortion. In Paula Abram’s The Bad Mother: Stigma, Abortions, and Surrogacy, she talks about how stigma is placed on both surrogacy and abortion because conservatives view them both as unnatural ways of maternity. What people on this side of the argument fail to understand is that women seek a surrogate when they are physically incapable of carrying a child, but want to start a family. Stigma is tied heavily into surrogacy, because not only are women seeking this service, but gay and trans people seek to start families, and use surrogacy to do so. Stigma is also placed here because others believe that surrogacy disrupts the traditional expectations regarding pregnancy. But because of recent laws that allowed gay couples the right to marry, this opened up the opportunity for gay and trans couples to start families. This is not to say that gay and trans couples weren’t already starting families through surrogacy and adoption, but the right to marry allows them the opportunity to make for a more traditional process of marriage and family. Surrogacy has allowed married couples, unmarried couples, and even singles to raise children and families, which may seem untraditional to some, but a way of life for others. On the spectrum of abortion, most conservatives view abortion as the murder of an unborn child. Most conservatives will
The topic of reproductive rights surrounding women in Texas has been a hot buttoned issue since the closing of many reproductive centers across the state. Recently damaging abortion restrictions were passed and therefor encroach on women’s reproductive rights even more by decreasing access to abortion care. Texas’ 84th Legislature, both passed HB 3994 as a law and had it Governor Abbott make it effective with his signature on July 8, or this year. This law complicates access to abortion services for mistreated and neglected minors and for those who do not possess specific identification cards in Texas.
In 1973, the US Supreme Court declared abortion a nationwide fundamental right through a trial called Roe vs. Wade and protected this right underneath the Fourteenth Amendment, more specifically, the right to privacy. A basic human right, especially one outlined by the Supreme Court, must never run at risk or threat chiefly because not everyone agrees with it. Under no circumstances should a pregnancy ever adjudge mandatory. Abortion is a Constitutional right and as a nation we must fight to give the right and freedom of safe abortions to women all around the nation, make birth control and sex education accessible to women, and raise awareness about the topic itself. (LawCornell)
In the news article “Abortion: Every Woman’s Rights” Sharon Smith wrote an article about women’s rights to get abortions prior to the hearing of the Planned Parenthood v. Casey court case, “which threatened to severely restrict women access to abortion” (Smith). Women wanted reproductive control over their lives and felt that they were not equal to men no matter what advances they got at work and how high their level of education was. The women’s right movement wanted women to have the choice of abortion for all women, the rich and the poor. In the US, thirty- seven states did not provide
The first argument for supporting Planned Parenthood is that it provides women with other health services and not just birth control or abortion. Without these services, women’s health will decline because many people can afford treatment. “Every year, Planned Parenthood’s doctors and nurses provide more than 3 million women with preventive health care, including nearly one million lifesaving screenings for cervical cancer, 830,000 breast exams, contraception to nearly 2.5 million patients and nearly four million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Literally, they are a trusted health care provider to millions of women (Whitman).” The statistic proves that Planned Parenthood does more than prevent unwanted pregnancy but also take on tasks care for women’s health.
Many controversial debates concerning Planned Parenthood and an exceeding amount of government funding to the organization are occurring in today’s news. A recent case in particular that caught the eye of many who weren't yet aware of the deliberation was when President Trump decided to sign an executive order on January 23, 2017 concerning the defunding of Planned Parenthood (Richardson). Not only did he sign this policy surrounded by seven privileged white men, but he signed it two days after the largest peaceful protest in U.S. history: The Women’s March. This matter does not only concern women, but it concerns men and children as well. As an organization, Planned Parenthood provides affordable
According to Bryce Covert and Mike Konczal’s article, “Born, Not Free,” the government funds constitute about $500 million of the $1.1 billion total Planned Parenthood receives in funding. However, the money coming from the government cannot legally be used towards the administration of abortion, which is the main topic of controversy. Politicians who are in favor of defunding argue that by giving money to the facility whose services are in part constituted by abortion, those funds are essentially being given in support of abortions. On the contrary, though Planned Parenthood has come to be known as a symbol for abortion, abortion constitutes only 3% of the services provided. According to Nancy Gibbs, a managing editor for TIME magazine, the other 97% is made up of “family planning, immunizations and screening for cancer and sexually transmitted diseases” (Gibbs). Due to the funding from the government, Planned Parenthood is able to provide the aforementioned inexpensive yet crucial services to women. $500 million dollars is a small price to pay to ensure the health and wellbeing of half of the population of the United States of America. Also, even though abortion is only a small part Planned Parenthood, a woman is able to have the procedure done safely and without further damage to her physical welfare. To conclude, Planned Parenthood is able to vastly improve women’s overall health through its facilities, like cancer screenings and family planning. However,
Abortions only make up three percent of the procedures done at Planned Parenthood clinics (“2014 2015 Annual Report”). There are a variety of other life saving and essential health care procedures done at the clinics, such as STD and STI testing, pregnancy tests, contraception, exams, and other health issues relating to both men and women. Many people believe that the federal government should defund planned parenthood; however, this would make it almost impossible for many low-income individuals to receive the care that they need. The federal government should not defund Planned Parenthood (PP) because abortion is not a valid reason for opposing funding because it is allowed by law, low-income individuals and families need the affordable
Over a hundred years later, Planned Parenthood still operates under the goal of providing comprehensive reproductive health care services to women. This provision of a full range of reproductive services has been deemed in a study by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and National Partnership for Women and Families to be “essential not only to their health and well-being but also to their ability to pursue an education, hold jobs, support their families, achieve economic security, and function as a free and equal member of society” (Lawrence). The study goes on to say that “without access to the full range of reproductive health services, all that is in jeopardy.” (Lawrence). Planned Parenthood will no longer be able to fulfill its mission of providing a full range of reproductive services if the current federal government achieves their goal of overturning Roe v. Wade. Lawrence, the author of the study, also describes a need for “health care decisions based on patient’s health and needs rather than insurance coverage or payment capabilities.” An interesting point is presented here in that if Planned Parenthood concedes its abortion services, there is no guarantee that whatever organization fills in that gap will do so honestly. There is no other organization so committed to the concept of family planning and reproductive services that they do not run the risk of providing inadequate
Another consequence that will have to be dealt with in the event that a bill stripping Planned Parenthood of funding is passed, is the loss of a safe, non-judgmental place for men and women to receive sex-education, birth control, general health care, treatment for STDs, pap smears and breast exams, and refuge and support for those in abusive relationships. All of these services make up 97% percent of what Planned Parenthood does, leaving only three percent of what they do as being abortions. With the help of Planned Parenthood, the rate of teen pregnancy is declining and is a 20-year low, one million people outside the US receive health care they wouldn’t otherwise have access to, the rate of the diagnosis of and death from cervical cancer has
Planned Parenthood is an organization that provides healthcare and education to both men and women, having over 650 health centers that provide healthcare to countless communities around the world. Shockingly, 78% of those who use Planned Parenthoods services live at or below 150% of the federal poverty line, showing how important this organization is to low-income families (Topulos, Greene, Drazen). Their mission statement is “A Reason for Being”, which is shown through their efforts to provide health care, advocate public policies, create educational programs, and endorse research. There are those who do not believe Planned Parenthood should be funded by the government, though, due to the fact that they provide abortions to women in need. Studies show that the effects of not having Planned Parenthood available are disastrous, causing low-income families to lack a healthcare provider and the number of those who are infected with STD’s and STI’s to rise. The biggest concern communities have about the government defunding Planned Parenthood is the effects that it would have on low-income families who would no longer have access to something that many people take for granted: health care. Although many believe that Planned Parenthood mostly provides abortions, in reality, only 3% of the people that seek help from them receive an abortion, while 97% receive affordable and, in many cases,
Millions of women across America will struggle to receive the medical attention they need if the federal government stops funding to Planned Parenthood. Every year 363 million dollars goes into the funding “pot” collectively at Planned Parenthood’s nationwide (Clark 5). This money is used predominantly by women; for six in ten women, Planned Parenthood acts as their main source of health care (Clark 4). Many individuals with low incomes depend on these clinics to maintain or help better their health. Recently, the federal government is trying to pass the Pence Amendment, which would eliminate funding to these institutions. The federal government needs to realize how important Planned Parenthood
Women having been fighting for equal rights for many years. Because of our genitalia, we will be paid less, we will be judged more, and we will have to fight to protect our basic human rights. Most women are born with the amazing ability to carry life; this is a blessing and a curse. Because of this ability, some people believe that a woman’s body is not completely her own, but that the government has rights to that body as well. We have been fighting to control our own bodies for many years. All women must understand that fighting for our reproductive rights is not just a simple pro-life or pro-choice battle, but a complex fight to teach proper sex education, maintain women’s health facilities, and protect our essential human rights.
Besides the fact that abortion has killed millions of innocent children and can have some barbaric techniques, it has had adverse effects socially and globally. Abortion has led to a damaging impact on the family, including difficulties in mother-child bonding, and the devaluation of the child. When a child learns that his mother aborted a previous pregnancy, he comes to realize this could have just as easily been him. He begins to think that his mother may not have wanted him, leading to difficulties in mother and child bonding. In addition, as abortion activists continue to campaign, citing abortion as a women’s right and choice, a child is increasingly looked at as property or a right instead of a blessing or gift. This has been shown to be responsible for the devaluation of the child. According to Dr. Philip G. Ney in an article on the impacts of abortion on
With so many women choosing to have abortions, it would be expected that it would not be so greatly frowned up, yet society is still having problems with its acceptance. Every woman has the fundamental right to decide for herself, free from government interference, whether or not to have an abortion. Today, more than ever, American families do not want the government to trample on their right to privacy by mandating how they must decide on the most intimate, personal matters. That is why, even though Americans may differ on what circumstances for terminating a crisis pregnancy are consistent with their own personal moral views, on the fundamental question of who should make this personal decision, the
Some view altruistic surrogacy as a form of exploiting the surrogate. There is no monetary compensation to woman placing her health and well-being on the line for another’s benefit. However, it can also be held that the woman knowingly entered into the agreement with full disclosure of the risks and benefits to her health and body. Again, autonomy and justice are extremely prevalent ethical principles to explore when discussing the topic of surrogacy. Same-sex marriage has become a hot topic in the United States in the last few years. The idea of raising a family by homosexual