Abortions: Legal or Illegal?
By Ashley Hardy
Abortion is a hot button topic in America today. About half of all pregnancies in America are unplanned and four out of ten of those pregnancies end in abortion with a total of about 3,000 abortions in the United States per day (1).
By banning
abortions America runs several risks. Common arguments from people who are pro
banning abortion are concerns about it being considered murder, it taking away
the rights of the unborn baby, and the decision of abortion being offered to
young teens who may not be mature enough to understand the risks and side effects
(2). I can understand all of those opinions. Why should we be able to control
the life of an unborn baby? I’ll be the first to admit that we as teens make
some really stupid decisions so thinking in that mentality I can understand why
our age and maturity level is a concern in the decision of having an abortion.
However there is another side to this debate that I can also understand.
The main
complaint I have heard from people that are against banning abortion is that
it’s another way for the government to once again stick their noses into our
business and control what should be a personal decision for a woman and her
family. I must say that I 100% agree with this statement. I believe that
abortion should be a woman’s private decision however I personally do not agree
with having them. Women should have the option of choice and if I am ever in
that predicament I personally wouldn't choose it. But that doesn't mean we should
just ban abortions because some people disagree with it. Tons of people
disagree with smoking and alcohol consumption so why isn't it banned?
Another opinion
of those who are against banning abortion are that it’s cheaper especially in this
day and age where the cost of living and maintaining a good quality of life is
much more difficult. The cost of a vaginal delivery without any problems is
about $9,000 while the cost of an abortion within the first twelve weeks of
pregnancy is around $451 (3). Now that’s a significant difference that can make
anyone understand why people would opt to have one.
After doing this
research of abortion and how each side feels it makes me realize how important
it is for the woman and anyone involved in the abortion decision to have their
privacy. It can’t be an easy decision to make and I’m sure emotions are in a
wreck through this period. They do not need someone over their shoulder
criticizing there decision. It’s hard enough deciding on what kind of life your
child might have in the given situation and it is not easy.
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