Abortions Can Be a Good Thing
Abortion is controversial topic in the United States today, mainly because some people think that abortion is murder. When it comes to abortion, there are two categories that people fall under “pro-life” and “pro-choice”. “Pro-life” is the side that is against abortion, and feels that abortion is murder because the baby is a human-being. “Pro-choice” is the side that feels abortion is not murder and that the woman should have the right to choose if she wants an abortion or not. I believe that the woman should have the right to choose if she wants an abortion and no one can say otherwise because it is her body. An abortion can be a good thing, for instance, if the mother has AIDS or any other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), if she gets an abortion that would save the child from an early death or any pain and suffering that the child might endure. Since 1973, abortion has been legal in the United States; since abortion is legal in the United States it should not be considered murder. One of the reasons being is that the United States Supreme Court would not legalize a procedure that kills another, innocent, living breathing human-being (I don’t consider the fetus a living breathing human-being). Another reason abortion is not murder is because the fetus does not possess the qualities that a living breathing human-being does. I want to add that I’m only for abortion if the baby is 28 weeks and younger because that is the point which the fetus becomes viable (Wikipedia). Throughout the essay I will be evaluating abortion, stating the reasons why abortions can be good, and why adoption is not the answer. Abortions are good because it can prevent a child from being born into poverty and it can prevent a child from being born with Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) that were passed onto them from the mother.
Since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in the U.S. in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, women have benefitted from significant advances in the medical field and now have greater access to high quality services. Typically, the earlier the abortion takes place, the less complicated and safer an abortion is. Here are some statistics about abortions being safe:
The safest time to have an abortion is between 6 and 10 weeks from the last menstrual period (LMP). Serious complications arising from abortions before 13 weeks are quite unusual. About 88% of the women who obtain abortions are less than 13 weeks pregnant. Of these women, 97% report no complications; 2.5% have minor complications that can be handled at the physician's office or abortion facility; and less than 0.5% required some additional surgical procedure and/or hospitalization. Complication rates are somewhat higher for abortions performed between 13 and 24 weeks. General anesthesia, which is sometimes used in abortion procedures, carries its own risks (Dudley, 2002).
All those statistics show that abortions now-a-days are safer than ever because of advances in the medical field, also, because we have learned more about abortions over the years.
An abortion can be a good thing because it can prevent a child from being born into poverty/homelessness. If a child is born into poverty his chances of being successful in life aren’t likely; there are a few exceptions to this, but, they are rare. One of the reasons a child born into poverty might have trouble becoming a successful person is the quality of education they receive. Being poor/homeless can prevent the child from even going to school because of the lack of transportation (assuming the school doesn’t proved buses), or they might not have the supplies necessary to succeed in school (utensils, notebooks, etc...). Also, being born into poverty can mentally affect the child and that can be something that they never get over. For instance, growing up homeless can make the children to turn to drugs to cope with their problems; the drugs can affect the well-being of the child physically and mentally. As author homeless are urban vagabonds, drug-addicted down-and-outers, many of whom rebel against a shelter's hospitality requirements for cleanliness and sobriety” (Marciniak, 2004). Homelessness and mental illness seem to go hand-in-hand. According to Science Daily, one-fourth to one-third of all homeless people are estimated to have a serious mental illness ("Science Daily"). Having an abortion can prevent all these problems from ever occurring.
Another reason an abortion can be a good thing is because it can prevent a child from being born with an Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). According to the American Social Health Association (ASHA), women are more vulnerable to STDs than men are ("American Social Health Association"). That means that the fetus has a greater chance of being born with an STD because women are more vulnerable to them. As well as, “the direct and indirect medical costs associated with the treatment of STDs extremely high, STDs also have a high cost in terms of pain, suffering, and grief” ("American Social Health Association"). If a woman chooses not to have an abortion, her child would suffer because of the STD and live a shortened life; specifically HIV/AIDS. “People with HIV could expect to become ill with AIDS within about 10 years after becoming infected, and then lived only 1-2 years on average after being diagnosed with AIDS” ("HIV InSite") .On the other hand, if woman were to have an abortion, it would save the potential child from any pain and suffering, and the mother future depression/anxiety because of the loss of her child.
On the other hand, pro-lifers (the ones against abortions) feel that the answer to problem is adoption; one problem being a financial one. They see this as the alternative for teenage mothers, opposed to them having an abortion. But, having an adoption can affect the mother more, mentally, than if she were to have an abortion. In 1992, there were 1.5 million babies aborted, and 0.1 million babies put for adoption (Alcorn, 1992). What does this statistic show? It shows that mothers rather have an abortion than put their babies up for adoption. In an abortion there is no connection between the mother and the fetus, emotionally. In an adoption the mother and the child have a brief connection, but that is all it takes. After the adoption the mother might feel depressed because she gave her child away. An adoption is not an easy thing to do for teenage mother, neither is abortion, but at least with an abortion the mother hasn’t made any emotional connection with the fetus.
In conclusion, an abortion can be a good thing. It’s not a negative thing as the pro-lifers make it out to be. An abortion can prevent a child from being born into poverty and suffering from all the negative aspects of a homeless person. Also, an abortion can prevent a child from being born with a STD, which could end the life of the child prematurely. And just to reiterate my previous point, an adoption is not an alternative to an abortion. That being said, that’s why in 1992 there was such a huge margin between babies being aborted and babies being put up for adoption. Deciding to have an abortion is not an easy thing to do for mothers, but, in the long run it is better and easier for the mother than giving her baby away.
Work Cited
Dudley, Susan. "Abortion Is Safe." Opposing Viewpoints: Abortion. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Wayne State University Library System. 1 Apr. 2010
Marciniak, Ed. "Deinstitutionalization of the Mentally Ill Contributes to Homelessness." Current Controversies: Poverty and the Homeless. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Wayne State University Library System. 1 Apr. 2010
"More Homeless Mentally Ill Than Expected According To UCSD Study: Interventions Urged." Science Daily Feb. 2005: n. pag. Web. 4 Apr 2010.
American Social Health Association. "The Impact of Sexually Transmitted Diseases: An Overview." Contemporary Issues Companion: Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Wayne State University Library System. 4 Apr. 2010
"What is the Average Life Expectancy of Someone with HIV?." HIV InSite 2010: n. pag. Web.
"Annual Abortions and New Adoptable Babies plus those currently wanting to adopt." (Randy Alcorn, ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments, 1992 ).Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Wayne State University Library System. 6 Apr. 2010
"Abortion ." (2010): n. pag. Web. 1 Apr 2010.
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