Should abortion be made legal?

Pros and Cons of abortion being made legal

Even long after the Supreme Court gave its decision in Roe V Wade, declaring the procedure a fundamental right, the debate about abortion has continued. There are both proponents and opponents of abortion. The proponents mainly argue that the choice should strictly be of the women and not of the society. It is for the women themselves are most affected by this choice.  According to them, the right of the women is more important than what society or law have to say over it. The opponents on the other hand mainly claim that killing the fetus should be made illegal.  Killing a human fetus is just like killing a human and therefore should be considered against law. An unborn defenseless child that cannot claim its right to live is killed in the womb. This makes abortion an immoral act. Thus, a wide variety of claims are made by both the groups. However, the debate is nowhere closing its end.

 

Pro side of abortion

One important argument that most proponents cite is that the US Supreme Court has declared the right to abortion a fundamental right and should not be taken away from women. The decision in Roe V Wade was in the favor of women. The 7-2 decision made in the case stated that the fundamental right to privacy was broad enough to encompass a women’s decision regarding termination of her pregnancy. Another frequently made argument in this regard is that the women should have control on their own bodies. What they do to their bodies is their own choice and right. The law or society should not try to interfere with this right. It is not just an issue of an unborn child but also of women’s rights and whether they own their bodies or not.  They should be left free to decide when or whether they want to have a child.

Another important argument made in favor is that an unborn child or the fetus cannot be considered a person. Personhood starts after birth and not before birth. Whether it is the question of age or the person’s rights calculations begin from the date of birth. Therefore, considering an unborn person a complete person will give rise to issues and anomalies. Conception is not the beginning of a person. The child in the fetus is a part of the mother and not a separate person till it is born. However, this is not the end. There have been made several other and strong arguments in the favor of abortion rights for women. The proponents also argue that women should have access to legal and professional sources of abortion. Modern abortion techniques and methods are highly developed and do not leave behind any lasting health problems. While unsafe and illegal abortions might cause mental and physical issues for the mothers, it is not so in case of legal and professionally performed abortions. Moreover, the women who have been denied their right to abortion face the risks of mental issues in their lives.

 

In cases where the fetus is abnormal, the women should have full rights to abort it. Rather than bringing an abnormal child to the world, it is better for the mother to undergo an abortion. Many times a woman has to make choice under financial pressures. Several of the women that were forced to have an abortion were forced to do so because they did not have the financial resources to take care of the child.  In such conditions also it is logical to let the women have a right to abort than make her face undue financial pressures that come with a child. Moreover, having a child is an important decision. There are several important considerations related to it. Therefore, whether it is the couples or single mothers they should be allowed to make their choices freely before deciding to have a child.  Another argument that the proponents make to justify abortion is that of population control. Abortion is also an effective means of population control. However, this was the proponents’ side. The number of arguments made by the opponents is also large that requires to be evaluated with regards to the debate on abortion.

 

Cons of abortion

The first and foremost argument made by the opponents is that abortion is nothing less than a murder.  Killing an innocent being is immoral whether it is a fully born and developed person or a fetus that is only half developed. In this regard, the Federal Unborn Victims of Violence act is also cited to support the argument. Moreover, the opponents also consider that the unborn babies are not lifeless and should not be killed. Every human being, whether born or unborn carries a unique Genetic identity. Moreover, according to the opponents abortion is a painful procedure for the fetuses and they should not be made to undergo it. Religion also condemns killing of a being whether it is a human or an animal. Murder is against what religion or religious scriptures say. Even if law does not recognize an unborn baby as a person, God does it. So, killing an innocent unborn is against the word of God.  Many of the opponents even find the decision made in Roe V Wade illogical. If abortion be considered exclusively related to privacy then there are several questions that remain unanswered. What about the killing of the unborn child? Even if it be related to privacy, murder is illegal. Several research studies highlighting the side effects of abortion are also cited in this regard. Research studies have even highlighted that the suicide rate among the women having undergone an abortion is particularly very high.

 

Apart from it, the rates of depression and mental illnesses among the partners of such women is also high.   There are a large number of pairs who have not been able to conceive their own babies. They are waiting to adopt children. Abortion reduces the number of such babies that can be adopted. Abortion even if done selectively can be wrong. The kids that have physical abnormalities at birth are not any less human than the normal children. So, cancelling their right to live is inhuman. One cannot discriminate against which child should be born and which one should not be. If people were allowed to make their decisions freely in this regard, this would give birth to the wrong trends. Allowing the women to use abortion as a form of contraception would leave more space for illegal killing of fetuses. Women should make their choices before they fall pregnant and not after it. If a woman chooses to be pregnant, she should also accept the responsibility that comes with motherhood. The right to live is inseparable from human beings. People advocating abortion are arguing against it. The disposability of human life is another issue that calls for abortion being considered illegal. By promoting abortion, one would be promoting a culture that considers life disposable. Any human being, if allowed to live can grow to become a valuable member of the society. In such a case, making a choice should not be left entirely to one individual.

Thus, you can see that both sides have made strong arguments regarding the issue of abortion. The debate continues and the heat has kept rising. However, a thing is clear and that is abortion is a highly sensitive issue. There may not be an easy way out and so many things would require consideration before a final verdict can be reached.