Rationale for the Right to Abortion

 Rationale for the Right to Abortion

Following the landmark ruling of the U.S Supreme Court that legalized abortion in 1973, the critics of the decision have been using every means to persuade the court to reverse the decision. As such, some states, including North Dakota, Mississippi, Arkansas, Ohio, Louisiana, and Kentucky, among others, have passed legislation that criminalizes abortion when conducted after a particular period. According to the World Health Organization, 25% of pregnancies end up in abortions (WHO, 2019). ICPD (International Conferences on Population and Developments) argues that every woman has the right to have the utmost reproductive health as well as the right to decide on the number, timing, and spacing of their kids without restrictions, violence or any form of coercion. Besides, the World Health Organization asserts that it is the right of women to access information relating to their reproductive health, including the means to ensure proper timing and spacing of their kids. According to WHO, abortion is one of the stated essential reproductive health rights of women WHO, 2019).

Both health practitioners and WHO, among other health institutions, agree that abortion conducted by a well-trained practitioner and adhering to the recommended procedures for the pregnancy by World Health Organization is safe (WHO, 2019). Therefore, enforcing policies that restrict abortion attract unnecessary unsafe abortions among women. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate why women should have the right to abortion as one of their essential reasons for their reproductive health and condemning any effort to criminalize abortion or overturn the landmark ruling of 1973 that legalized abortion in the United States. It is noteworthy that abortions include different clinical conditions, including induced and spontaneous abortions, as well as intrauterine fetal deaths or incomplete abortions.

Restricting abortion increases health complications

As highlighted above, it is the right of women to high quality reproductive health without restrictions. From this perspective, every woman should have the right to decide the person to engage in their relationships for breeding purposes and sexual pleasure as well as understand why they should give birth. However, banning abortion is highly likely to increase mental challenges among women because of varied reasons (Rebouché, 2016). For example, criminalizing abortion implies that women who conceive following sexual harassment or rape should continue and give birth to a child that they do not wish to have. In the case that the mother bears the child, she is likely to neglect her duties in raising the child because she has no love for a child that she conceived from a rape (Ireland, 2018). Also, the mother is likely to suffer from mental disorders because the child will keep on reminding her of the rape experiences. As such, many women are likely to suffer from mental challenges, including anxieties and Posttraumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD), among others.

Besides, women are human beings with feelings and desire to love and have sex with the persons they love. However, sometimes women can fall in love with men that seemingly responsible but only to change the behaviors a few months during the pregnancy, leading them abandoning the women to give birth in inadequate conditions in addition to leaving the task of raising the child to the mother (Rebouché, 2016). Even though the mother may have a love for the child, she might end up in a critical dilemma between giving birth that will expose the child to other dangers or conducting an abortion. Bringing up a child is never an easy assignment. Therefore, women should be free to have an abortion when they foresee unbearable hazards to them and the child, for example, because of their economic status.

Considering that at least 25 % of all pregnancies end up in abortions for different reasons, banning abortion will lead women to seek abortions through unfair means, thus ending up conducting unsafe abortions. Unsafe abortions are likely to lead to increased deaths of women and kids or critical health complications among women. In all the states that have passed laws prohibiting abortions, abortion is no longer in the list of the medical services that Medicaid program provides. Also, various clinics that used to conduct abortions no longer offer these services to pregnant women. However, many women are still traveling to other states or countries to exercise their right to reproductive health (Segers & Byrnes, 2016). The research by Segers & Byrnes (2016) shows that women that can afford to travel to other countries or states do so in pursuit of abortion services while poor women look for other avenues that will lead to the termination of their pregnancies. In the process, women from low-income families end up having unsafe abortions exposing them to significant health complications or deaths.

Often, unsafe abortion happens when the person conducting the abortion has no essential skills when the abortion is performed in an environment that lacks the least health standards for an abortion or both conditions. For example, some of the unsafe abortion processes involve the insertion of particular substances or objection catheters, twig, or traditional concoctions into the woman’s uterus. Other practices include the performance of curettage by unskilled persons, the application of external forces, or the consumption of substances that are harmful to human health. In other cases, traditional midwives forcefully pummel the lower abdomen of the pregnant woman to interfere with the pregnancy, a process that can easily lead to the rapture of the uterus while killing the mother.

Rocca et al. (2015) argue that while conceiving pregnancy is typically a product of sex between persons of a male and a female, the process is traditionally inevitable among the majority if not every biologically healthy individual. Feelings are usually natural. Even though the control of the emotions as a natural state is essential, it is wrong to deny the body its pleasure. Notably, some abortion laws are likely to bar many women from exercising their natural reproductive rights (Rebouché, 2016). The pro-choice activists claim that the choice of baring children is the reproductive decision of women and therefore, should never be under the control of abortion laws.

The research by Segers & Byrnes (2016) demonstrates that various factors, including social factors, economic and political factors, largely contribute towards the desire for women to carry out an abortion. According to the research, a high cost of living increases the chances of carrying an abortion among women. While some states enact laws that prohibit abortion only within a particular duration, some factors forcing an abortion may occur at any time of pregnancy. Often, a drastic change in one’s economic status influenced by an unforeseen loss of the sole source of income can affect an abortion. Arguably, it is not reasonable to give birth to a child with the full knowledge that the child is not likely to get the basic needs to leave alone the attainment of secondary needs.

Another critical factor that encourages abortion in society is a stigma. It is noteworthy that different cultures uphold specific values for girls and families at large. When a pregnancy may bring shame or disgrace to the mother, she is likely to opt for an abortion to avoid stigma and retain her dignity and acceptance in society. It is noteworthy that the perception of people on particular matters is different (Rebouché, 2016). As such, women should be accorded the right support towards exercising their right to good health and expression as well as movement and association. Illegalizing abortion is one way of making women of slaves of their bodies and the society (Ireland, 2018).

Like other humans, women desire to live a good life. However, because of the discrimination experienced in a patriarchal society, many women fear to lose their jobs because of their pregnancies. Therefore, they opt to carry out abortion as a right to excellent health and social life (Rocca et al., 2015). Notably, restricting abortion by making laws that require waiting periods and unnecessary medical tests or delays can quickly force women to seek abortion services that might not be safe for their health.

Abortion is necessary for gender equality

It is noteworthy that many women lack various chances in life because of pregnancies. Notably, carrying a pregnancy that the woman loves is important. However, with the banning of abortion, some women will bear the consequences of some relationships while leaving the man to enjoy freedom. For example, many women who carry abortion after a rape, they are likely to endure the suffering throughout the pregnancy and after giving birth while the person who commits rape may continue enjoying life. According to a recent report by a world health organization, more than 70% of therapists end up escaping while the women suffer both mentally and socially because of the action (Beckman, 2017). Therefore, making a law that bans abortion will increase inequality between men and women. As such, the decision to carry or terminate a pregnancy should be a woman’s decision because it is the woman who will suffer the greatest risk.

Pregnancy blocks women from attending certain functions or performing particular tasks at workplaces. Therefore, many employers prefer men or women only when they are physically fit to perform particular tasks. When they become pregnant, regardless of how the woman acquired the pregnancy, the employer begins to become harsh on the pregnant woman or looking for reasons to fire the woman. Consequently, the pregnant woman may end up losing the job because of a pregnancy that she even did not want but forced to carry by the law (Beckman, 2017). The latter increases inequality between men and women because men will never lose jobs based on pregnancy. Instead, it is another man who will occupy the vacancy left by the pregnant woman.

Achieving full potential with abortion

Many women fail to realize their full potential because of pregnancies. Considering the pregnancies from the women of poor background, the WHO claims that socioeconomic factors influence the pregnancies and not the desire for women to carry the pregnancy. For example, while citing a report by World Vision conducted in households in Detroit, Rocca et al. (2015) demonstrate that more than a third of pregnancies in Detroit end up in abortion. Two reasons are behind these abortions. First, most women and young girls become pregnant when engaging in sex as a source of living. As such, women cannot continue with their pregnancies that they do not want.

Secondly, Detroit has a poverty rate that is more than double the country’s poverty rate. However, the region has a considerable population of responsible women who would wish to bring up their children in a way that will eliminate them from poverty (Beckman, 2017). However, these women may get pregnancies at a time that they do not plan. While knowing that they can easily lose their jobs and social status in society, they decide to conduct an abortion to ensure that they realize their full potential. Therefore, restricting abortion will coerce women to live in situations that will make them not only live poorer but also deny them chances to explore their chances of success in life.

Also, restricting abortion highly discriminates against the marginalized groups and the poor. As highlighted above, banning abortion indeed implies that removing services from the society including the clinics that would prefer offering the abortion services. Therefore, women from poor backgrounds and the marginalized population lack this essential service towards women’s reproductive health. The primary reason is that these groups will suffer the most because the wealthy society has a choice to move to other regions that can offer abortion services. Therefore, society will discriminate against the poor rather than providing a level ground for all.

It is noteworthy that the pro-life activists or organizations that are anti-abortion argue that abortion is painful to both the fetus and the mother. However, the research by the WHO demonstrates that fetuses cannot feel pain, and hence the abortion is safe when carried out within the set procedures (Rocca et al., 2015).

Conclusion

The discussion above demonstrates that women should never be denied the right to take desired controls over their sexual and general reproductive health. Despite the efforts of the pro-life activists to illustrate the importance of criminalizing abortion by forcing unnecessary laws prohibiting abortion, it is evident that abortion is a fundamental right of women. Therefore, only women should have control over the number of children, time, and spacing for their babies. Of importance, enacting laws that prohibit abortion is harmful to the society as it is likely to create a community with women that are highly disadvantaged in terms of their social and reproductive health. The above discussion shows that the right to abortion increases gender equality while improving the chances among women to realize their full potential.

References

Beckman, L. J. (2017). Abortion in the United States: The continuing controversy. Feminism & Psychology, 27(1), 101-113.

Ireland, N. (2018). We must all support women in the fight for abortion. Lancet, 391, 2642-92.

Rebouché, R. (2016). Abortion rights as human rights. Social & Legal Studies, 25(6), 765-782.

Rocca, C. H., Kimport, K., Roberts, S. C., Gould, H., Neuhaus, J., & Foster, D. G. (2015). Decision rightness and emotional responses to abortion in the United States: A longitudinal study. PLoS One, 10(7), e0128832.

Segers, M. C., & Byrnes, T. A. (2016). Abortion politics in American states. Routledge.

World Health Organization, WHO (2019). Abortion: Safe Abortions helps Women’s and Girls’ Health and Human Rights. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-topics/abortion#tab=tab_1