Woman´s Right on Abortions

The battle for reproductive rights began well over a hundred years ago. At a time when families were producing more children than they could afford to feed, many women were seeking primitive forms of birth control and undergoing abortions. It was in the 1860s that a postal inspector turned politician named Anthony Comstock, in partnership with the Young Men’s Christian Association, set out on a crusade to condemn all forms of birth control and any kind of abortion by claiming they violated “anti-obscenity laws” (Baer). These men eventually succeeded and created the Comstock Laws in 1873 that prohibited all “sales, advertising, or information on birth control” (Baer).

Although societies with rigorous rules such as the ancient Greeks practiced the use of birth control and the invention of modern contraceptive methods---such as condoms, diaphragms, and douches---have been around since the early 1800’s, birth control still did not prevail in the twentieth century and was highly controversial. Margaret Sanger gave people a new and radical ideology stating how birth control helped women in many more ways than their sexuality. Sanger published many literature pieces about her opinions on options and freedom for women in society. Several other women and doctors acknowledged her argument by broadcasting it during the Progressive Era. When the 1920’s came around,

Women in today’s society have never known a time when contraceptive options were not available to them. As a general statement, acquiring some sort of contraceptives whether it is the pill, patch, condom, emergency contraception, or another of the many types of birth control is not difficult with the many options available to women today. However, backtrack to the early 1900’s and the story was completely different. In 1916, Margaret Sanger made contraceptive history by opening the first birth control clinic in Brooklyn, New York. The fight for birth control began. It was not until years later in 1960 that the birth control pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration and since then many other varieties of birth control have made their way into the market (Kim & Wasik, 2011). Today, thanks to those like Margaret Sanger who fought for contraceptives, women and couples who wish to avoid pregnancy have more choices than ever before. (Egarter et al, 2013; Perry, 2015).

“The 27-year-old Salvadoran garment worker and single mother had miscarried without ever knowing she was pregnant….hospital staff had suspected her of inducing an abortion and reported her to the police.. A judge sentenced her to the maximum punishment for murder: 40 years in prison” (Albaladejo, A Witch Hunt Against Poor Women,27). This tragic story is sadly not the only one that has happened in countries where abortion laws are not as free as those of the United States, which since the Roe vs. Wade has confirmed women’s rights to abortion. Domestically, the United States seems to be progressive compared to other countries such as Nicaragua, Chile, and Haiti who according to Albaladejo “Have complete bans on abortion” (A Witch Hunt Against

Birth control has always been somewhat of a taboo subject. Even though it has come a long way from when it was first introduced many are still against the idea of it. Margaret Sanger devoted her life to legalize birth control and to make it universally available for all women today. I chose her for my paper because I strongly believe that birth control should be available to all women and that women should have the right to be able to control if they will produce children or not. Sangers fight for birth control started when she was 19 and didn’t end till she was 81. She devoted her life to seeing it legalized and was extremely passionate about women being able to have it available to them in order for them to have a safer and healthier life.

This essay will examine the demand for and prevalence of contraceptives in the United States. The history of birth control in the U.S. begins long before the infamous 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision affirming the legality of abortion. Birth control has not always been accessible, safe or reliable. Despite many myths, there are a multitude of reasons why a woman would choose to prevent or end a pregnancy including not being able to support a child.

Everyone has heard the saying, “history repeats itself”. We’ve seen it time and time again from multiple Stock Market crashes, reasons for starting wars, to even patterns in fashion and music. The debates contraception poses proves to be no exception. While opinions differ from person to person based on their religious beliefs, political standing, and physical health condition, the argument always seems to be whether or not contraception should be easily accessible. This topic has been discussed since the early 1900’s, and is showing no signs of being solved anytime soon. Currently, the argument surrounding birth control is whether or not the government should be providing it at little to no cost for those who cannot afford it. It is hard

Abortion is a topic that is controversial to many. There are people who believe that abortion is a sin and that women who do this, are vile and sickening humans. Women get abortions for many different reasons and that should be their choice. It is no one else’s decision because it is not their body that is going to have to go through that.

In history, women have demanded for women’s rights on numerous occasions whether it was for their voting rights, fair treatment in the workplace and more. Reproductive freedom is talked about in “How It All Began: I Have Had an Abortion” and “What is Reproductive Justice?” by Loretta Ross. These articles discuss abortion as a choice and a part of reproductive justice. “How It All Began: I Have Had an Abortion” talks about abortion in a direct way by talking about anti-abortion law and Project 218 being one of many responses to the law. Loretta Ross states what reproductive justice is and how the right to abortion falls into the framework for fighting reproductive oppression. However, they are linked together by their points of being able to have abortions as a woman’s right.

On January 22, 1973, the supreme court justices came to a decision about abortion. I am going to start off by giving some general information about the laws passed and other events that have led the abortion laws to where they are now.

1.5 million women in the United States rely on birth control and other contraceptive methods for non contraception reasons (Many American Women ❡1). When people think of contraception they think of birth control, but do not take into consideration the various other reasons it is beneficial. When it comes to contraception, women's rights are belittled and ignored due to others religious or moral beliefs. Society is uneducated on contraceptive options and the lifelong benefits it contains, therefore it is looked upon as an object that only prevents women from getting pregnant. Although contraception is believed to cause health defects and abortions, it has been found to have many more benefits than the medical community has mentioned; considering contraceptive options benefit both women and the government financially, it should always be easily accessible and affordable to all women.

Contrary to popular belief, the notion of “birth control” has been around for centuries, going back to the days of Aristotle who is thought to be the first person use different herbs and oils as spermicides (www.pbs.org). In an age where pregnancy prevention and contraception is extremely prevalent, it is interesting to think of a time where it was just as prevalent, but preformed without the medicines and modes of contraception we use today. Despite the history that surrounds the controversy of “birth control,” which is still relevant to this very day, the amount of women who partake in contraceptives is astounding. Approximately 62 million women in the U.S. are at the age of childbearing years (15-44) and approximately 43

On May 9, 1960, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it would approve the first pill, Enovid, used to control conception in women. For the first time in human history, women finally had control over their reproductive system. A woman could delay getting pregnant to finish school or to start a career. These simple pills lead to a woman’s revolution in the home and in the workforce. This pill also came with a backlash from conservative groups, who felt that only God should control whether a woman became pregnant or not. More than fifty years later, the debate over the pills rages on. States, like Texas, have been actively working to limit woman’s access to birth control by defunding Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides birth control to the poor. If America wants to see the true outcome of limiting the choices to women, we only have to look at countries that actively banned or limited access to birth control. When women are not allowed to have control of their own reproductive rights,

The right of this issue is the Right to Obtain an Abortion. The right at issue is whether or not unwed mothers under 18 should have parental consent to have an abortion. There is an unremunerated right at issue in this situation because the Illinois Law doesn’t explain if they requires both parent’s consent or just one parent or if the mother is under 18 and married, will she need the father’s permission to obtain an abortion. This is a substantive due process because this law is interfering with your individual privacy rights. The case ruling of Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the court reaffirmed its 1973 decision on Roe v. Wade, which established its constitutional right to obtain

Although abortions can be seen in a negative light, with the argument of killing a living organism, a woman should not be forced, pressured, or burdened to keep and raise a child who she does not want or cannot support. Studies have shown that “families and society will benefit from having children that are planned, welcomed, and properly spaced” (Sanger, Alexander 6). Disregarding this option to women imposes injustice to themselves, and also the newborn baby, as every child should be a wanted child. Prohibiting and restricting abortions does not stop women from having them, as it only “forces abortion underground and makes it the privilege of the wealthy, while further disenfranchising poor women, who generally bear the brunt of such policies” (Ginsburg 253). The difference of class statuses can alter how an abortion is processed, as “for poor women, illegal abortions are typically done by unqualified practitioners- the woman herself, backroom abortionists- and the result in increased maternal deaths as well as maternal and fetal physical deformities” (Ginsburg 253). Women of higher status and authority may not enter such drastic measures for abortions, because they may have the resources to implement the abortion in a safer situation. It has been stated that, “Most Americans favor government regulations that officially discourage abortion and that make abortion difficult to access