Inhumanity and murder are the words that are often associated with the term “abortion” because people think that the termination of the life of a soul, whether through an unwanted pregnancy, is a negative thing and more likely a sin. However, women have the right to determine whether they want to keep the pregnancy or have an abortion because they have the right, by all means, to choose whether to have children or not. The procedure of abortion is part of being a mother and of having care for children, as it concerns when it is not a good idea to bring a child into the world — for instance, when the environment might not be safe to raise a child, or when the fetus is brain dead (Berer). This paper builds on the reasons why abortion should be supported and legalized to give women their due right to choose when they are ready to have a child in their life, depending on their relationship status, the condition or defects of the fetus, and their financial stability.
Sometimes a married couple or a single parent is not ready for having and taking care of a child because of a few reasons, including financial burden, the age of the pregnant woman, unpaid bills, existing children, or because the woman might be a victim of rape. Having an abortion in such conditions offers women an appropriate choice not to have a child in an environment where he or she would not be loved or safe. Every woman has the right and desire to raise her children in a safe, loving, and caring environment in a proper home. Similarly, a child has every right to be born into a place where he or she will be served and loved in the best possible way, as a child raised in an unhealthy environment is at risk of neglect.
Furthermore, a woman who is not in a committed relationship — depending on the country she is from — or a victim of rape cannot bear the burden of raising a child, because taking care of a child requires a great deal of effort financially, morally, socially, and legally. There may also be situations where women are not married at the time of the pregnancy, and having a child would be considered shameful or is against the law in that country. Therefore, legalizing abortion gives women an appropriate choice regarding when they are ready to give their child a better and healthier life. Abortion is a contentious and sensitive social problem with cultural, political, religious, and moral dimensions, but it is performed regardless of religious and legal status in some countries (Frederico et al.). The act of not legalizing the procedure of abortion does not stop, ban, prevent, or restrict it; rather, it forces people to seek out unsafe options through unskilled practitioners, which leads to women losing their lives. Therefore, legal abortions will save many women’s lives and allow them to make their own choices regarding motherhood.
In addition, some children are born with life-threatening defects such as heart defects, Down syndrome, clubfoot, or cleft palate, which lead to constant suffering and adversity for both the parents and the child for the rest of their lives. Every parent desires to have a healthy newborn to complete their family life. One cannot even imagine a doctor informing them that the fetus or their baby has a life-threatening defect that cannot be cured for his or her entire life — meaning countless surgeries, high medical costs, and frequent hospital visits. It may also be revealed that the defect has no known cure and that the child will suffer throughout their life in pain — not just pain for the child, but a constant heartache for the parents as well. Thus, legalizing and supporting a woman’s choice regarding abortion gives her a reason to protect her own well-being, especially if the defect the child would face is genetic, thereby advocating for social justice for all (Beddoe et al.).
Abortion is also a public health concern, so women should be given the right to determine and decide whether they are prepared for motherhood in order to avoid serious consequences for their own health and that of their families. One of the fundamental rights of women is that they should have the privilege to control their own bodies, which gives them the choice to decide whether they have the physical, mental, and emotional strength to bear a child, as the child depends entirely on the mother to survive. Bringing up a child while maintaining her own physical and mental well-being are rights a woman holds for herself; therefore, it is better to preserve the life of the mother through the procedure of abortion when necessary. Moreover, raising a child is not an ordinary task, as it requires financial resources as well as emotional and social responsibility combined.
In sum, legalizing and supporting abortion or termination procedures has been a major concern in many countries around the world, as governments have banned the procedure. However, it should be legalized, building on reasons such as a person’s financial stability, defects of the fetus, and relationship stability. Based on these reasons, it can be concluded that the procedure of abortion should be legalized because it is not the place of the government to legislate against individual decisions — especially those of women — as ignoring the need for abortion ignores a person’s right to privacy, life, and health.
Works Cited
Beddoe, Elizabeth, et al. “‘Social Justice for All!’ The Relative Silence of Social Work in Abortion Rights Advocacy.” Critical and Radical Social Work, vol. 8, no. 1, 2020, pp. 7–24.
Berer, Marge. “Making Abortion Safe and Legal: The Ethics and Dynamics of Change.” Reproductive Health Matters, vol. 1, no. 2, Taylor & Francis, 1993, pp. 5–10.
Frederico, Mónica, et al. “Factors Influencing Abortion Decision-Making Processes among Young Women.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 15, no. 2, 2018, p. 329.
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