Abortion and Women's Rights: Unification of Pro-Life and Pro-Choice through Feminism
Knowing the Body
2004 Second Web Report
On Serendip
Abortion and Women's Rights: Unification of Pro-Life and Pro-Choice through Feminism
Claire Pomeroy
January 22, 1973 is a day that, in the eyes of many modern feminists, marked a giant step forward for women's rights. On this date the U.S. Supreme court announced its decision in Roe v. Wade, a verdict that set the precedent for all abortion cases that followed. For the first time, the court recognized that the constitutional right to privacy "is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy" (Roe v. Wade, 1973). It gave women agency in their reproductive choices; no longer were they forced to succumb to second rate citizenship as a housewife, a single mother, or a mother in poverty on account of pregnancy.
Was this decision really a step forward for women, or was it a step backwards? The abortion debate has polarized women, pitting them against each other in the binary of pro-choice and pro-life. This leads to a destructive division between women, one that is detrimental to the furthering of women's rights. How can we, as women, fight for our rights as women if we are so divided? Is there any way to unite these two apparently irreconcilable sides of the abortion debate?
A good starting place is to look at abortion from a feminist standpoint. Within feminism, the debate over abortion is not based in the morality of abortion or the integrity of people who support or are against abortion; it is about how abortion fits into our culture and how a women's choice to undergo or not undergo an abortion influences the status of women within our culture. Abortion has become a double-edged sword for women's rights. Without the right to choose women would be locked into their role as mothers, but being given the right to choose also acts to bypass the greater issues of patriarchy, such as the lack of support for women as mothers within our society. It is important, to further women's standing in today's society, that these two sides on the abortion debate become united through feminism.
Feminism is the advocacy of the rights of women based on the theory of equality of the sexes (Oxford English Dictionary). It is built on the principle that women have innate worth, inalienable rights, and valuable ideas and talents to contribute to society. Feminists fight for equality in every dimension of society, for both equal rights with men and equal respect.
Pro-choice feminism views the right to an abortion as integral to a women's right to sovereignty. Without abortion, women would unjustly be forced into motherhood. From a feminist standpoint, denying the right for women to choose to have an abortion forces them into submissive roles in society. Pregnancy works to condemn women to second class citizenship, since in our society, mothers are second class citizens. Once a woman becomes a mother, her resources to education, employment, and health care become severely limited.
Gaining the access to safe and legal abortions finally allowed a woman to have the basic right of controlling her own body. Prior to legal abortion, women had two options: to undergo an unsafe, illegal abortion that put their bodies at risk or to continue their pregnancy, even in situations that were disadvantageous to both the woman and the unborn fetus. Society has no right to control what happens to a person's body, and does not try to manage men's bodies in such a manner, so the right to abortion has equalized women by giving them the right to manage their own bodies.
Without legal abortions, underground unsafe abortions will still occur at the expense of a woman's health. Denying women the right to abortion serves to diminish women within society. There is the claim that fetus is a person and, by revoking a woman's right to chose abortion, society places more value on the fetus. From the pro-choice standpoint, the implication that an unborn fetus, which is unconscious and without thoughts, has rights equal to or superior to a woman's, serves only to diminish the recognition of women as living, breathing people who are able to consciously make their own decision about their pregnancy. Compulsory pregnancy laws also violate the traditional American ideals of individual rights and freedoms.
Pro-life groups, though often touted as anti-feminist, do not disagree with the need for women to become equals in society. Instead, the feminist pro-life groups see abortion as a mode used by patriarchal culture to keep women in submission by not adapting its structure to encompass mothers. Patriarchal culture has devised abortion as a way to manage pregnancy while maintaining its domineering structure.
The beginning of discrimination against women is based on the simple fact that they are not men. Women's bodies are defined by men through the male gaze that shapes the male dominated culture. Because of our lack of a penis, women are relegated to the periphery of society, unable to succeed. The fact that women are able to give birth only serves to continue to define women as the other. The way women can succeed is by adapting ourselves to the patriarchal society. An example of this is displayed through women's bodies. Socially, women's beauty is defined by thinness. Some sections of pro-life feminism argue that by having an abortion, women are succumbing to the social pressure to be thin; they are not embracing their womanhood. Instead of defining what a "woman" is by the standards of living as a woman, womanhood is defined by men. Pregnancy, one of the times when a woman feels most beautiful and in charge of her body and life, is discriminated against. In society, pregnancy is not considered beautiful and, through medical institutions, pregnancy has become considered to be a precarious condition that must be monitored and looked after. This serves to alienate women from their own feelings of beauty. By not embracing our bodies during pregnancy, we resort to defining ourselves in men's terms.
Not only does abortion serve to alienate women from identifying with what defines us as special, it also acts as a device that eludes the root of discrimination against women: patriarchal culture. Abortion serves as an easy escape from confronting the discrimination of women by taking the guise as fundamental to women's equality. The truth is that women's equality is still based in a man's world. In order to be equal, women must adopt the characteristics of men. To be on an equal level politically, socially and economically, women cannot become pregnant, because that is, quite obviously, something that men do not do. Our society is not made for women with children. There is a significant lack of good, reliable child care. Businesses do not have flexible hours which suit women with children. Women are still considered the primary care-givers to children, keeping the burden of responsibility for children off of men.
Instead of liberating women, abortion liberates men and society. "Abortion on demand liberates men who want sex without strings, promises, responsibility, or the rituals of romance" (Gargaro). Since abortion is an option, it enables employers to not have to make concessions to pregnant women and mothers. Abortion only serves to support the idea that childbearing is solely a job for a woman and, now more than ever, men are exempt from being involved. In the case of an unwanted child it is a woman's "duty to undergo an invasive procedure and an emotional trauma and so sort the situation out" (Greer, 95). Germaine Greer encapsulates the feminist pro-life reaction to the legalization of abortion:
"What women 'won' was the 'right' to undergo invasive procedures in order to terminate unwanted pregnancies, unwanted not just by them but by their parents, their sexual partners, the governments who would not support mothers, the employers who would not employ mothers, the landlords who would not accept tenants with children, the schools that would not accept students with children. Historically the only thing pro-abortion agitation achieve was to make an illiberal establishment [patriarchal culture] look far more feminist than it was" (Greer, 92).
What type of "right" does abortion allow? Most women choose abortion because they feel like they have no other option. How is this real choice? To continue to live happily in the patriarchal world, women submit themselves to the social structures that favor men. As society is structured today, women risk losing everything they have worked for by choosing to have a child. Childbearing, as an option for pregnancy, fits into this society in a marginalized way.
On the most basic level, the abortion issue is not really about abortion, but is about the value of women in society. Feminism is pro-woman rather than pro- or anti- abortion. This is where the pro-life and pro-choice groups can begin to relate to one another. But where can we go from here?
These two groups need to come together for the sake of equality for women. Instead of focusing their energy on protesting each other, they should unite their energy to change the structure of society. Women must work together to create a business world that supports mothers by petitioning for legislation that protects their right to work, even if they have children. Focusing energy on advocating for better, more reliable childcare would help to combat the male bias in business. We must start at the root of the problem, the lack of space for women within our society, and work from there.
Not all of the change can be made by altering the laws that govern our society. We must change our attitudes. Women must stop yielding to patriarchal society in order to succeed. We must demand from everyone around us the equality that we deserve, in both the public and private spheres. This includes pushing men to take initiative and responsibility within relationships to uphold their half of the duties. Women have moved into the workforce, so men must compensate by helping in the home. We must demand from men equal responsibility in caring for the children that they took equal part, and pleasure, in creating.
Only when this change is accomplished and when women and men do equally participate in all aspects of our society, will the abortion issue become actually about abortion within feminist thought. As for now, we have to establish ourselves as a powerful force. We must fight for the acceptance of motherhood in society, but until then we also work to keep abortion legal so that we can live without the fear that everything we have worked for, including the acceptance of motherhood and truly equal rights, could be taken away with one sexual mishap.
Bibliography
Gargaro, Carolyn C. "What is a Pro-Life Feminist?" Problems of Death:
Opposing Viewpoints Series. Greenhaven Press, 1997. found at
http://www.gargaro.com/lifefem.html accessed on 11/20/04
Greer, Germaine. The Whole Woman. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1999. 91-100.
McClain, Linda C. "Equality, Oppression, and Abortion: Women Who Oppose Abortion Rights in the Name of Feminism." Feminist Nightmares: Women at Odds, Feminism and the Problem of Sisterhood. Ed. Susan Ostrov Weisser and Jennifer Fleishner. New York: New York University Press, 1994. 159-188.
Planned Parenthood Website. www.plannedparenthood.com accessed on 11/20/04
Pro-Life Feminism Website. http://members.tripod.com/~SLV80/ accessed on 11/20/04
Young, Iris. "Pregnant Embodiment." Body and Flesh: A Philosophical Reader. Ed. Donn Welton. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1998. 274-290.
Comments made prior to 2007
Abortionby
must be left a lone. I had one in 1993. I was raped and
beaten by my then husband. I was left in a shelter for battered
woman.
No protection for me.
I learned I was pregnant during my divorce procedings. If I had
gone through the pregnency I would have been forced to have that man
another 9 months into my life.
Politic;s have no place in a woman medical prodecure. IT is non of there business ... Jeannette, 8 November 2006
how can you say this???
How can you say this is a womens right? Yes people think that a women has a right to do what she wants with her own body if that were true than you should agree that all drugs should be legal because it is your "right" to put the drug into your body and over use if you want. Also if you kill someone you go to jail when your found guilty, when you decide to spread your legs you need to learn to face the repercussions of your actions just as the person that killed someone has to face the repercussions of there actions.
Because its Legal!
Its a woman's right because it was made legal by the decision of Roe vs. Wade. It doesn't say women have the right to do whatever they want with their bodies, there are limits and standards, defined by the trimesters. So that negates your point about putting drugs into your body whenever you want. Some drugs are illegal for a reason, the government made them that way. You can put all kinds of drugs into your body if their legal, thats a personal choice the government can't do anything about that. And sure you can use illegal drugs but if you get caught using them there are consequences just like if you murder someone there are consequences. However when a woman gets an abortion she is not killing a citizen with rights but rather a fetus. Now there are limits and situations when a woman can and cannot get an abortion and if she receives and abortion outside of those limits or situations then there will be consequences. Look like that negates your third point. You should really do your research before you talk because you sound really unintelligent.
Roe v. Wade? Do yourself a
Roe v. Wade? Do yourself a favor and look up the Norma McCorvey affidavit. The entire trial was FIXED. It was a SETUP.
I really can't take seriously
I really can't take seriously that your basing your argument on "because the government made it legal". The government is not the know all and end all. Because drugs at one point were not illegal; smoking, at one point, was considered good for you. I can't see a difference in taking the life of a child outside of the womb or taking the life of a fetus inside the womb. Both of them are still lives. You have no foundation for saying that a fetus is not a life. Just because your unwanted, or an accident doesn't mean that you don't have a purpose. Does more freedom just qualify as less responsibility? The problem that you were descussing was not enough responsibility was taken on the part of the guy. Abortion takes away even more responsibility from the guy. Shouldn't our action have consequences?
I agree with the "legal" claim being stupid!
i agree completely!!!...what kind of an idiot says that its ok because its legal. The woman knew that she could get pregnant when they were having sexual relations , and still they did it, so she was concious of the consequences that could come of it. People, grow up, and take responsibility for your actions. Quit being stupid already.
I agree with you. It's our
I agree with you. It's our body, and it's not conscious yet!
REAL Facts
A baby's nervous system (brain, nerves, etc.) is well in place and working at 6 weeks - before the time that most women get an abortion. abort73.com/abortion/personhood/
Just because it's in your womb, and it's eyes are closed, does NOT mean that it's not conscious! If it weren't conscious, then what about the scientific study that says that newborn babies cry in their native tongue?
Also, if it's your body, then why are 64% of women saying their abortions were FORCED, and 80% of women reporting that they were never told that there was any other choice? Some women have been told that their children will have something wrong with them, and are ordered to get an abortion, but then they find out that there was nothing wrong with the child. Women have DIED getting abortions! The risks are awful! The traumas they may have gone through only get worse! Sometimes the after-affects don't show up for years, like breast cancer or uterine cancer, but sometimes they're immediate, like in the case of sepsis or uterine lacerations. Women are lied to, told that it's "just a missed period," "just a piece of tissue," "just a blob of cells," "not a baby," etc. Take a look at this and tell me if you still feel that way: herestheblood.com
Abortion is not healthy. It's a health risk - to both mother and baby. It's time we took care of them BOTH. It's time that men took responsibility for their actions, instead of making women put their lives on the line, endanger their health, and kill their children. It's time that we supported those who are going through trauma. It's time we started looking at abortion through the eyes of those who have aborted and those who have been aborted.
who decides who is a CITIZEN
who decides who is a CITIZEN with RIGHTS? a mother? the goverment? Society? every person has the right to decide what they want to do with their bodies but who decides for that baby? or Fetus as everyone wants to refer to. yes a woman undergoes a lot of pain with abortion an is not an easy process but that is not the only option.
how can you think of doing
how can you think of doing something like that. That is just wrong its a baby that your are dealying with here.If you didnt wanted a baby why didnt you just took care of your self its not only good to not get pregnant for your body to cause if you keep on having abortions you can total destroy your life.That means when later on in life when you really want to have a baby you cant cause your had your chance and you lost it.All cause of that abortion you wanted to have.Its not the babys fault its yours so why should he surfe???!!!
why cant you think of doing
why cant you think about doing it? A woman has the right to make decisions that can/will affect her own body. Also, im pretty darn sure, she does knows the consequences she will face, whether it be the lost of her first baby or her future health. you dont think that the women who go thru this operation does not go through grief and pain? do you think they just sit and laugh and talk about how easy it was to get over their situation? i say, YEAH RIGHT!! personally, i think abortion should be legal and those who dont think its right, dont be a part of it then and dont abort it. keep it. its that simple. people who have different opinions and beliefs shouldn't ruin it for the rest of the women who need abortions. keep your belief systems to yourselves and mind your own business. its the significance of being a human being. Freedom of belief.
If you belive that women that
If you belive that women that want an abortion should be able to have one and those that dont should just move on and not say anything, than why is it that those that dont belive in abortions should have to pay for it?
To everyone who thinks
To everyone who thinks abortions are evil and that you're killing a child who is defenseless and helpless, what about the mother? I don't see how women can look down on each other for choices made that doesn't even effect them. Lets say a woman does get an abortion? How is that anyone elses business? If you're so concerned about the loss of life go have a child of your own. Some of us don't want to have to ruin our entire futures or have to go through the pain and uncertainty of adoption. Besides there's thousands of kids homeless and parentless already, why bring more into the world when you probably can't even give them a real future. Some women don't have anything to offer their children except for a lifetime of being on the bottom. However I stick to my earlier point, IT'S NO ONE ELSES BUSNIESS!
that's just stupid..!
if the problem is bringing more kids into the world when there are already homeless and parentless children, then why don't you (that believe in abortion because you don't want to "riun" your lives with children) just get your tubes tied done and be done with the issue already?!?! You think u can justify it by making it look like a good cause of sparing the child. FYI...,Thats not how it works. Life isn't a choice that's made, its a GIVEN RIGHT, whether they can fight for it or not. And frankly, NO ONE has the right to take the right of LIFE away.
i tink diz person is right
i tink diz person is right let people do what they want probably is the best for both of then accidents happen.and you never know when your going to be inthe the same position.so if that was on my case i would do it.um theres no0thing wrong with it aslong ass you feel is right
its there.
the fact that you say its no one elses business, is totally irrelevant. Think about it, did your parents have an abortion with you? Obviously not because I am writing you this comment. You say what about the mother? What about her? She is the one who made the choice to go and have sex. Now, whether or not she used protection, that is on her. But she is still the one who made the choice. Me as the person that I am, I do not judge people for the choices they may make. But i do talk to them. I ask why the baby? What did that poor little HUMAN do to you? And which in most cases my point is proven, and the abortions are not followed through.
What about the women who cannot just go out and have a baby of their own? Ever think of them? They sure dont like the fact people who can have babies go and have abortions just because "Some of us don't want to have to ruin our entire futures or have to go through the pain and uncertainty of adoption."- quoted by you. Well people should take responibility for their actions. If you look at birth as a way to ruin your life, Im sorry but that was your choice so thats inhumaine.
Now, like i said before, If you can't take the responsibility of having the child, then don't do the practices of it. If you take care of yourself, and take responsibility, there would be no homeless and parentless children.
BETTER TO BE ON THE BOTTOM THAN TO BE DEAD. My point exaclty. Thanks for your time.
REPLY to this Foolish POINT!!!
This person has a point... Sure it is none of anyone else's business but..... On the other hand if you can lay down and make a baby you should take care of it by all means... No matter what you can or cant offer your baby.....!!! ITS STILL YOURS... You knew you couldnt give this baby a future when you were enjoyin the Penetration...(unless you were raped... its still your living seed)) Only ignorance and selfishness can allow a woman to abort there child.... And my opnion is that "Independent Women can MAKE a future not worry bout it"....
Why?
Why are you all bickering about this subject. Whatever a woman feels is neccessary and proper to keep her alive should be law. Nobody should change that. And if your religion tells you that abortion is a sin, it's not, unless after the brain has properly started functioning. So until that pregnancy has developed to that stage, aborting that fetus may seem immoral to some, but that specific woman chose it for a reason, and that choice should always remain hers and nobody else's. Those of you who are pro-life, go be pro-life, thats your opinion, but don't feel like you are responsible for all those "innocent children", because you aren't, plain and simple. You worry about your views, and the people who are pro-choice, you worry about your own. Stop telling each other "you are wrong" or that's stupid, because this is all just a test of immoral views and qualities of the human species.
The brain starts functioning
The brain starts functioning at six weeks gestation. Biology 101. Also in "The Biology of Prenatal Develpment", National Geographic, 2006
If you think that the brain starts "properly" functioning only after birth, you obviously missed biology class that week.
Also, it is something that we should be allowed to have an opinion in and be active about because 64% of abortions are forced, and 80% say they were never given any other choice. Or don't those women get a choice? That's why we protest. The abortion industry does abortions to get money. They tell lies to get women in the door and on the table. Women need to be informed that there are people who care, and are willing to help them. It's not just the innocent children, it's innocent women, too.
Furthermore, by you stating that it's not a sin, you opened the door on religious argument:
Psalm 139:13-16. "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them."
Luke 1:15. "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb."
Jeremiah. 1:5. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you."
Genesis 9:6 - Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.
Exodus 20:13 - You shall not murder.
Deuteronomy 27:25a - Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to strike down an innocent person.
Proverbs 6:16-19 - There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood...
See also Exodus 23:7 and Deuteronomy 19:11-12
From abortionfacts.com:
"The Bible consistently uses the same word for a 'born' or 'unborn' baby.1 This is because the divine Author of the Bible did not recognize a material difference between the two. In Scripture, there is not some special event when a 'human being' becomes a 'person'. Rather, he or she is a person from the beginning who goes through growth and development both inside and outside of the womb.
"In the New Testament the Greek word 'brephos' is used to describe the unborn, newborns and youth. In Luke 1:44, the word is used to mean unborn baby: 'For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.' Then, in Luke 2:12, it means a newborn: 'So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.' And in Luke 18:15, 'brephos' refers to a young child: 'And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them.'
"In the Old Testament the Hebrew word 'yeled' is used in the same way. In Exodus 21:22 it means an unborn child, 'If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely...'. And yet, in other Old Testament usages, it means 'youth' or even a teenager."
Well put.
Well put.
Let females decide without making them feel guilty for it!
It should be the female's decision as to whether or not if she wants to get an abortion. Especially if she was the victim of rape, incest or molestation. Why should females be forced to become parents because some idiot decided to violate her well-being? Society always put emphasis on the woman to think about the baby, why not think about the women who were killed by the person who got them pregnant because the women refused to get an abortion? If a man can get a woman pregnant and then abandon her and the baby and not be made to feel guilty about it,then a female should be able to get an abortion without being made to feel guilty also.
No.
Foetuses are defined by pro-choice people as aliens, parasites. Things that feed off a woman for 9 months and are evil. Every single living person in this world were that same parasite, and then for 18 or more years after birth were a "parasite" to their parents. And the human race as a whole is feeding off the earth. What right do you have to make that decision for something that has a beating heart, a gender and fingerprints?
abortion
there should be no such thing as abortion and for anyone who is with it, there parents should have aborted them. those babies have no say in it. how would you like it if your mother had an abortion with you?? you wouldnt be alive. its murder to your own son/daughter's life. how could you live with that. if you dont want them put them up for adoption, but maybe you should have thought about if you wanted a baby before you had sexual contact. now if your raped and you dont want the kid, adoption not abortion. its just not right to the child.
I dont know, and neither
I dont know, and neither will that child! It does not have any feelings.
Discriminatory much?
The same used to be said about the black, Irish, Scot, and Chinese slaves. The same is said by those who discriminate against those with mental and physical disabilities.
And the nervous system is developed and is fully working by the 6th week. Therefore, they do have feelings.
Furthermore, try telling that to Gianna Jessen, Sarah Brown, or any other abortion survivor. I'm sure they'd LOVE to hear how you don't think they felt anything in the womb while being aborted!
wahh
apparently you have no feelings beacuse a child alive or in your body still has right to wat ever we do!!
so u agree to murder???
you made love and didnt use the right hings but you cnt take the consuquienss??
pro-choice
you say it is not right for the child well maybe its right for the mom. i have had an abortion before and im glad i did i feel right for doing it i dont live in a place where that child would be safe and i cant go nine months with something inside me then just giving it away. you had that thing in you for ninie months, you took care of your self for the health of it. so your going to do all that then just give it away? after all that really? do you no how hard that is? so why not just get rid of it before you gat atached to it and bofore you have to go through all that pian! if smeone is in the right place and dont need one then they shouldnt have an abortion but there are other situattions that are going on and children shouldnt have to be put into that place be put in a bad nabor hood where there life is at stake every day!
Murder is MURDER
It doesn't matter your situation and where you live or your age. You are responsible for getting yourself pregnant, not that child you just threw away, if someone dropped a box of puppies on your door step and you couldn't afford to feed them could you hold them under water in your bath tub til they stopped breathing because its better then letting them starve. No you would find them a home because if nine months was all the time and care you could give your child then you should be pround and love it enough to give it to someone who cares and can raise it, not just kill it because you can't use protection.
no man
no man has the right to tell a woman what to do with her body so if they were going to marke a law banding abortion then its women who should be the voters not the men. why? because their not the ones carrying the child for nine months or givig birth that might end up costing a womans her life.
yeah but doesnt a man have
yeah but doesnt a man have the right to not have to pay for the next 18 years...it makes no sense a woman can abort without consent from father yet she can also keep it without consent and make the man pay...something isnt right there maybe thats why we have guys like peterson killing his pregnant wife...
Abortion is in the rights of the women.
Abortion, is it right?
What is murder? How is murder classified? Is ending the possibility of a life still considered murder? Murder is the ending of a life without the consent of the person whose life is being terminated but what if said person could not give consent? What if ending there life would benefit them? These are all questions that are brought up when you speak of abortion. Abortion is defined as the termination of a pregnancy or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or causing its death. Since 1973, when the Supreme Court made abortion legal, many people took sides between pro life which is the baby’s right to live or pro choice which is the mother’s right to decide whether or not to continue with the pregnancy. "January 22, 1973 is a day that, in the eyes of many modern feminists, marked a giant step forward for women's rights. On this date the U.S. Supreme court announced its decision in Roe v. Wade, a verdict that set the precedent for all abortion cases that followed. For the first time, the court recognized that the constitutional right to privacy 'is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy. It gave women agency in their reproductive choices; no longer were they forced to succumb to second rate citizenship as a housewife, a single mother, or a mother in poverty on account of pregnancy." (serendip.brynmawr.edu). The Supreme Court should continue legal abortion because it is a woman’s constitutional right to privacy. She should be able to do whatever she wants with her body and what develops in it. Pro life activists became so engulfed in their belief that abortion is murder that we started seeing picket lines at abortion clinics. Women with the intention of getting an abortion started to feel threatened and afraid. Some extreme pro life activists have actually gone to the extent of bombing and destroying abortion clinics around the United States. Doctors who perform abortions are even at a high risk of being physically hurt by pro life extremist. On October 24th 1999, Doctor Barnett Slepian was shot to death in his home in New York. His killer has not yet been identified but many believe he was murdered by a pro life activist. The United States federal government should uphold legalized abortion laws because it will let women exercise their first amendment right to privacy, it will allow a rape victim to prevent having an unwanted child as a result of that catastrophic event, and legal abortion is a safe alternative to having an unplanned or unwanted child.
Abortion always has been and probably always will be a debated topic among American people in today’s society. There will always be those who oppose every law but who’s actually right? According to Carolyn C. Gargaro, a pro-life activist, “Human life begins with the union of sperm and egg, because fertilization creates a unique individual with a complete genetic code” (Abortion 36). Since an unborn child has a different genetic makeup than its mother, it should be seen as a separate life. This “separate life" should have all the same rights as a baby already born. I do not agree with this statement because according to Brian Elroy McKinley (a pro-choice activist), “the embryo or fetus is not a separate human being because it is not able to survive outside the woman’s body” (Abortion 49). A fetus’ “rights” should not sit higher than a woman’s right to decide what goes on inside her body. If a fetus cannot survive on its own, than it does not have rights, especially those higher than a grown woman. Women should have the right to decide whether or not to have a baby. Although abortions should not be used as birth control, abortion should be an option that is open to all females. The woman should be able to decide if the time is right to have a baby. Rhonda Copler for the Center for Constitutional Rights believes that “no decision of the Supreme Court of the United States has meant more to the lives, the health, the well-being , the freedom and the dignity of women in this country than the decision of Roe V. Wade” (A Serious Issue 57). Roe V. Wade was the well known case in 1973 that made abortion legal and established the “trimester approach” to abortion (A Serious Issue 59). Having an abortion should be a normal decision is American households. The Supreme Court should uphold there decision to legalize abortion because this country is based on the rights of individuals and society should not decide what is best for a person he or she does not know. It is the woman’s body and if she can choose to alter it by means of makeup or plastic surgery then she should be able to decide whether or not to carry a baby (A Serious Issue 67).
Society also puts the fetus at a higher value than a woman by making abortion illegal. "The implication that an unborn fetus, which is unconscious and without thoughts, has rights equal to or superior to a woman's, serves only to diminish the recognition of women as living, breathing people who are able to consciously make their own decision about their pregnancy" (serendip.brynmawr.edu). The right to abortion has equalized woman in society. A fetus’s rights should not supersede the rights of a woman in American society. Women had to fight for equal rights to vote, go to school and work so why should they have to fight to have more rights than an unborn child? Why should they have to fight to have the right to decide what goes on inside their own body and affects their life in such a drastic way?
Many people who are pro-life feel that if we keep abortion legal, more teenagers will abort their children. They feel that a teenager who had irresponsible sex should be forced to have the baby (mrdata.org). I do not agree with this statement because there are many accidents that can happen. If the Supreme Court supports legal abortion, a woman would not be forced to have a child she does not want and become impoverished or be forced to deal with the hassles of a child. And if we force a teenager to have a child, that child will be more likely to become a teenage parent themselves. We should not force a teenager to live a life of joblessness, hopelessness and dependency, as most teenager mothers end up, when an abortion would allow them to continue to a productive adulthood. Another hardship of unwanted pregnancy results from rape or incest. William Norman Grigg says that sexual assault does not justify an abortion. “Abortion only creates more traumas for victims of rape…” (Abortion 138) Many rape victims believe that having an abortion will erase the memories of the incident. This statement is not accurate because a rape victim, if she has a child as a result of the rape, will have to look that child in the face every day. She will have to look at that child and know that the “father” is her rapist. This will probably result in her abandoning the child, neglecting or abusing it. (Abortion 134) A woman who becomes pregnant due to an act of either rape or incest is the victim of a horribly violent and morally reprehensible crime. Although pregnancy as a result of either rape or incest is extremely rare, there is no getting around the fact that pregnancy does occur in some instances
Another point the people supporting pro-life make is that “Physical injuries, medical complications and even deaths have resulted from legal abortions” (Abortion 164). They believe that having an abortion is unsafe for the woman that is getting one. I do not agree with this statement because according to Dr. Susan Dudley, “Physical complications resulting from legal abortions are relatively rare…"”. One death occurs for every one hundred and sixty thousand abortions performed, and these are usually as a result from the anesthesia or uncontrollable bleeding. A woman’s risk of death in carrying a pregnancy full term is ten times greater (Abortion 172). If abortion becomes illegal, unsafe, unsanitary abortions will still take place which endanger the woman’s health thus increasing the death rate.
Is legal abortion any better than illegal abortion? Legal abortion is a very safe practice. It is done by a licensed doctor using sanitary equipment. It is illegal abortions that are unsafe. Before abortions became legal, many women tried to induce their own abortions or went to untrained abortionists. These women had many medical complications like cervical wounds, poisoning, or gangrene. Wealthy women were able to leave the country in search of safe legal abortions while less fortunate women were forced to deal with either having the child or getting an unsafe illegal abortion. Abortion needs to remain legal because this could happen again. Women who do not want a baby will find a way to not have the baby even if it means putting themselves in danger. Legal abortion is the only safe way to terminate a pregnancy. It is one of the safest types of surgery (Abortion 170).
The United States supreme courts should uphold legalized abortion because doing so will result in women being comfortable with their first amendment right to privacy which includes their decision whether or not to continue a pregnancy, legal abortion also greatly reduces the number of unwanted child births in the United States and this law helps teens and rape victims make a decision that gives them the opportunity to get their lives back on track after becoming prematurely pregnant. Pro life activist believe that the fetus should have the right to live. Parents should not be able to abort their pregnancy because anti abortionists believe that they have a responsibility to deal with their mistake, but this point of view is influenced by right wing conservatives, religious zealots, and sometimes regional opinions. The United States Supreme Court judges have earned their seat on the court, which means they are not stupid people. They are appointed by the President of the Untied States to ensure that the rights written in the constitution are upheld. Abortion has been legal thirty five years now. If abortion was damaging our population or hurting this country then the law would be changed, but abortion has given many good people a opportunity for their own “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness”
i cant believe it!
honestly i cant believe anyone would want to kill a pore inocent child.
yeah if you got raped or something youwould probably not want that baby but seriously that doesnt mean you kill them its not their fault. if you dont want the baby then consider adoption! teenagers think that if they dont get an abortion then its going to ruin their life having to take care of a child. well i have some news for you, my aunt was pregnant at 16 and went through highschool pregnant, she went through with the pregnancy and then filed for an open adoption, she now has a daughter, a husband and a succesfull job, plus she still gets to see parker(the adopted child)and she gets to talk to him whenever she pleases. so think twice before you decide to have an abortion they dont deserve to die
i personally am
i personally am pro-life
merly because i watched someone go through with it and it killed them emotionally to do it but believed that had to because of there mistake in the matter and the fact that they are young and didnt know what they were doing
but i believe that by having an abortion your making your child pay because you made a mistake
do us all a favor and dont put yourself in the situation unless its what you want or your old enough or your very sure.
its nobodies fault but your own, and the that is the price you must pay, its the easy way out of a mistake and no doubt you'll do it again and again because you didnt learn the first time.
truely the reason im pro-life is because
my friend who fell pregnant when she was very young and had a few abortions
increased her chances for cancer
and even though she was one of the healthiest people i know and didnt smoke or drink or abuse her body in that way
she died.
and for all the doctors they went to thats what it all pointed to.
you'll pay for your mistakes, abuse your power kill another living human
thats what you get.
Prochoice vs prolife
I understand what you are saying. However, it is ultimately a womans choice to make a decision about her own body. I value life too. I had a baby in my teen years in spite of urging and even threats form my parents and adult friends of the family, to get an abortion. I listened to my heart and I knew this baby wanted me for her mother. Even more, I wanted to be a mother. I love my daughter and I know I did the right thing by having her, by becoming her mother. I am glad I am still a young woman with a grown daughter. I always supported my self and my daughter. I was healthy enough to do so.
But what if I were raped and got pregnant. Or what if I were very sick, or mentally challenged, or tied to an abusive man, or any number of reasons that would produce a less than healthy pregnacy and most important of all, parenting.
Ultimately, I am pro choice. More than that, I do not believe a woman's reproductive system is a political topic and it should not be a religious issue. I say this because most recognized religions are patriarchal and so are politics. No, this is a women's issue. It is a woman's human right and duty to choose for herself. I do not believe in the human misery caused by being forced into an unwanted pregnacy by male politicians and male oriented religions. Why is this such an issue among women? We are no longer living as chattel to be traded by our fathers. Why do so many women choose voluntary slavery to a male dominated society? Why should we vote our sisters into unwanted misery? Pro-choice IS pro-life.
division of women
It is time for women to come together. It is true we do have our differences but as we can see how women have been treated in this Presidential race is disgusting. I am grateful that Senator McCain has the wisdom to choose a woman for the Vice Presidential role. I am a conservative and pro-life and it has been because of my experiences with friends and family who have had abortions that I am pro-life. Each and every woman who had an abortion was because of the men in these relationships. Two of these women became pregnant soon after their abortions,feelings of trying to replace the child happens a lot to women who have had an abortion. Some had difficulty getting pregnant again at a later time when the time was suppose to be right to have a baby. These women I have a love for and saw what happened to them afterwards,it was tragic. Now with the ultra sounds to prove once and for all it is a baby and in truth we all know that. The abortion industry has preyed on women's fears and men's ego's,men make it known it's me or the baby threat and it works. More women die while pregnant due to murder by a man in the relationship than any other cause of death,example Scott Peterson. As women we want to be loved and we want to love,it's a nature. As long as we have roe vs wade flag waving in front of us a threat,we will never get the respect we deserve as women in our personal and professional lives. It seems as though men have been using the abortion issue to keep us in line. The democrats are fine with making sure we have the right NOT to breed but they don't seem to have the respect enough in us to lead,as in Hillery Clinton and Sarah Palin.
Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to have a women's suffrage plank,republican. Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected as a representative in Montana,republican. We women have been divided way to long because of men in power who keep the abortion issue forever waving in our faces as a threat to keep us in line. But also we have had 50 million dead children because of abortion,we have lost too many children. And we must not forget the women,young girls who have loss their lives because of safe abortions. Remember this, in the case of a women's health risk they can try to save the mother and still save the child but that little info is never brought up in the fight to keep women in line.Also a few years back I met a beautiful young 16 year old girl who was a result of a rape,it was very very emotional for me because when I looked at her and seen that beautiful smile and personality there were people telling us she should not have lived. It had a very deep and emotional effect on me as a woman. We are the stronger sex and the time has come for women to come together. We as women want to be positive in our efforts to have good jobs,assistance with our children,and be taken seriously professionally rather it be mother,doctor,or vice president or President of the United States. It is very much still a man's world but challenges to women are part of who we are. Men could never carry a baby for none months,go through the labor,God in his wisdom knows our strength.
Abortion is none of YOUR business.
I thought it was very interesting how you dragged on about women uniting. I agree, we need to come together as women, however, I disagree with most of what you said. You contradicted yourself throughout your entire comment. How can you possibly understand what a women goes through when she has an abortion, if you've never had one? Doesn't matter how many people you know that have had one, you NEVER have; therefor you have no idea what it's like. So, for a women demanding that we need to unite ourselves, yet disagreeing with womens choice, your comment is a waste of space on this page. If a woman decides to have an abortion, thats her business and nobody else. If politics or religion have anything to do with it, that woman can take it up with them herself. I think if woman quit wasting so much time picketting in front of Planned Parenthood and other instituions who perform abortions, we may be able to actually come together and prove to the men in this country that we ARE AND HAVE BEEN equal to them. Now, don't get me wrong, I do not believe in abortion as a form of birth control. I.E. woman having sex with whomever and not using protection, then going and getting an abortion. However, I do believe we have a choice of what we wish to do with our lives. There are millions of children born into poverty, children having children, woman having babies to "keep their man." I mean, c'mon! Why do you think there is so much money taken out of our taxes? To pay for woman who have babies that can't take care of them!! So, in closing, you want to talk about women uniting? How about we unite and support each other for the decsions we make, instead of condeming one another. That might actually be a REAL threat to society.
i myself have never had an
i myself have never had an abortion, but i know people that have gone through with one. it's an emotionally tough process for some. there are circumstances when an abortion is absolutely necessary. i think abortion is a womans right, no one should be able to take that away.
Ive been through it three
Ive been through it three times.... and it made me become a emotional reck.... The first abortion i was only 17 and the guy beating on me and rape me twice, the second one is with my fiance and i was 18, but the abortion was force on me by our parents and the third one i was 20 and it became and threaten abortion due to the fact the fetus had dies in me and didn't come out..... Now as and 21 year old its been hard seeing other was the children and i'm unaware if i can still have any children
yes.
i agree with you i think that women should have the right for abortion. Because if you get raped or something and got pregant you wouldn't want to keep the baby because the person that raped you could of been a creeper. so i totally agree with you. GO WOMEN'S RIGHTS!
You have got to be kidding me!
Ok, so you are saying that it is perfectly fine to kill an innocent, defenseless little baby?! They should have a chance to live!!! I really just CAN NOT see how people think killing a human being is alright. Wow, that is just sick and soooo horrible. GO PRO-LIFE PEOPLE!!!! =)
IT IS NOT THAT EASY........
I say that because in my life i have sine more than enough.I have seen my mother, how terrifying seeking help to raze us three children when she cud not provide enough to feed as.When she had to make the choice rather to keep the pregnancy or to do the abortion she was tearing her self to pieces, it was a really difficult choice to make.My Mather wold sacrifice any thing even her own life for us and we have seen it. That year my father got arrested and send to prison for political reasons.Three kids from ages 6 to 2 that barely had enough to feed them ,with a small income ,with bills and rent to pay .Should she have a rite to choose? All those years i have seen her suffer,but it is not because she made a bed choice ,but a sacrificing one,for her self and for us .My mother is my hero.Life has told us that nothing on it is easy choices that we make can hunt us for the rest of our life but at least we do have the rite to make a choice.
I dont think...
But sometimes, I mean, I know where you are coming from and all, but sometimes what if lets say, a 1 year old girls dad rapes her, and she get pregnant, she doesnt want to have that baby. Sometimes women arent ready for a baby, it can be an accident and they may be too immature and what not, yes of course that could mean giving it up for adoption, but personally Id much prefer if I was a young innocent teenage girl to keep my baby than to give it to some stranger, and knowing that one day, this kid might end up hating me for giving it up for adoption, they could may never have a home, just jumping from one place to another. Im just saying, I know it seems wrong, but it also can be very good at the same time. What Im trying to say, is, everyone should just keep an open mind because young girls could be going through a really shitty time and have to make the decision of either, killing the thing inside of her, having it for someone else, who could end up really mistreating them, or raping them..there are so many possibilities, but you and alot of people..well all people need to keep their minds open for the thought of things like that.
I completely agree
I agree completely with you, if i had gotten pregnant in high school, or even now that I am in college I would have chosen abortion. Although abortion after the first 24 I do not agree with. I would never in my wildest dreams give my baby up for adoption, it would be wore to me than an abortion. Only because if i am going to have a baby its going to be because I am going to care for it not some stranger or an orphanage. I think that as WOMEN we should stick together on what women have fought for, and that is our freedom. Many may not agree with me on the fact that abortion has to do with our freedom, but it does. Would you (anyone who does not agree) want me to force you to do something because i say its right even if it goes against your beliefs, your religion, and the constitution? As women if other people can tell us that we are forced to have an unwanted child where does that shw that women have gained freedom in the past few decades? Why do you have the right to tell me what happend to MY BODY i would never tell you what you should do to yours. It would be like a contoling, abusive man branding you with his name and then raping you and throwing you in a dungen. Would that be fair, NO so why is forcing your beliefs on a women who wants an abortion any different from the abusive man? Pro Choice does not mean everyone would have an abortion, they just agree that a women should be able to CHOOSE what happens to HER body.
first off a 1 year old girl
first off a 1 year old girl cant get pregnant because she hasnt had her period yet.
WHY CAN'T THEY?
If that is the case then why did a five year old and an 8 year old get pregnant? I found the link for the 5 year old but can't find the link for the 8 year old but have read reports of it in my medical class.
http://www.oddee.com/item_90966.aspx
no
no im not saying its alright but honestly a man has no right to say what a woman can do with her body espicalliy if she has been raped.no women shouldnt use abortion as birth control but i believe under certian cercumstances then its ok but as birth control then no
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