Abortion: The Choice to Choose

Abortion has been one of the more controversial topics in United States history. The legality of the procedure has been in question for years and even after a decision was made, it is still not a closed case.

There are two main opposing groups on this issue, those who are Pro-Life and those who are Pro-Choice. Pro-Life advocates believe that aborting a fetus is essentially the murdering of a child. Pro-Choice advocates believe that the woman has the choice to do with her body whatever she feels. The latter group has received the most support on the legal end of the issue. The most ground breaking case concerning the legality of abortion was that of Roe v Wade in 1972. Roe was a resident of Texas and in Texas, abortion was illegal unless it is imperative to the woman's life. The case decided that abortion fell under the right to privacy and was protected by the 14th amendment. Roe v Wade was a ground breaking case in the issue of abortion because it offered Constitutional evidence in support of the legality of abortion.

We can not simply outlaw abortion based on a group's moral values because that one group only represents a fraction of the total population and imposing their views upon everyone else would only cause more issues. It also would be unconstitutional. Abortion is a decision that should be made by the woman herself, not by the general population. Today, with the internet, it is possible for women to become more well-informed on the dangers and risks so that she may make the decision that is morally right to herself.

If abortion was to be made illegal, what is to stop government from making birth control illegal also? Although it is not a form of abortion, but it does stop an already fertilized egg from implanting itself. In the Human Life Amendment, is states that once an egg is fertilized, it is a person. So technically, if abortion was to be made illegal, then birth control could also be made illegal.

If abortion was to be made illegal again, it would not stop women from getting abortions, they simply would seek out the seedy doctors who would perform the procedure in unfit conditions like they did before abortion was made legal. Many woman in the past have died from hemorrhaging and loss of blood or acquired some sort of life threatening infection that could cause sterility from these unsanitary conditions. A big part of the legalization of abortion was to stop these back alley butcher shops. So, in the end, wouldn't it be best for society as a whole to keep abortion legal so that those who do undergo the procedure, are guaranteed safe and sanitary conditions?

Personally, I believe it is up to the woman whether or not to get an abortion or not, yet, I probably would most likely not have an abortion because of the guilt I would feel. But that does not change the fact that I am Pro-Choice. The second I let a group, the majority of which are male, decide what I can or cannot do with my own body, is the day I give up my civil liberties.