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Jennifer Sleigh

Professor Kretzer

English 1201

24 November 2019

Research Essay

In the United States, there are approximately 125,000 abortions performed daily. This is a

lot, considering many states are preventing people from getting them. I have chosen abortion as

my topic because I believe strongly that any and everyone should be able to access an abortion if

they need or want one. Without abortion, many women would be stuck with a child they either

didn’t want or can’t afford to have. Abortion should remain legal and safe for everyone in all

states to keep people safe.

Roe V. Wade made it so that abortion was legal in every state. This happened back in

1973, when the Supreme Court ruled that abortions should be a woman’s choice. Before abortion

was legal, many women had back-alley abortions. Abortion, a medical procedure was being done

by non-medical personnel. This caused many women to be sent to the emergency room because

of complications. Although some doctors performed private abortions, records were hardly kept.

The Pro-Choice website states that there were an estimated 1.2 million illegal abortions

performed each year (History).

Speaking of illegal abortions, many women are still getting abortions outside of a medical

office. The New York Times did a piece on how America’s abortion rate might be higher than we

realize (Miller). Women are getting “invisible” abortions by getting pills illicitly to get rid of
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their pregnancy. No one knows exactly what is in these pills, but that they can cause harm to

women who are taking them.

This is a reason abortion should remain legal. Those in states that have restricted or

banned abortions are going out and getting them any other way that they can. This puts many

women at risk for injury or even death. Many people think of “self-managed” abortions are those

in which a coat hanger is used or back-alley procedures. But self-managed can be almost

anything. Many women use illicit drugs and prescription pills to pretty much induce a

miscarriage.

Many states have begun putting strict restrictions into place, like one in Ohio. A very

anti-abortion governor, John Kasich, vetoed one of these restrictions. The lawmakers were one

vote short on overriding the veto (Exstrum). This restriction would have made it so women who

are pregnant cannot get an abortion “after a fetal heartbeat is heard, which can happen as early as

six weeks into pregnancy”, when most women don’t know that they are pregnant until they reach

the six week mark.

The article said that this would have been one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the

country. Making it nearly impossible for women to get an abortion in Ohio. The crucial “no”

came from Senator Mike Beagle. He said that “he didn’t think the bill met the standards

necessary to pass”. However, an incoming governor, Mike DeWine has stated that he is ready to

sign the legislature if the bill passes his desk next year. Meaning Ohio might just get one of the

most restrictive abortion laws yet.

Nepal legalized abortion in March of 2002 (Henderson). Though, it wasn’t until

Christmas of 2003 that it was successfully implemented. And in the time since it being legalized
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Nepal's statistics for complications have gone down drastically. There are much less issues with

infection and future complications. This is a good example of how legalizing abortion could be

beneficial for many women in the long run.

Something that many people who are pro-life disregard, or are unaware of, are the needs

and welfare of the child after the mother has given birth. An article written by Marshall Medoff

addressed this issue. The article also stated that, unfortunately, there was no substantiated

evidence that people who are pro-life don’t know about this issue. However, there was evidence

regarding infants who were born into a pro-life state versus a pro-choice state.

Some of the evidence in the article is positive, like how babies born in a pro-life state are

less likely to be given up for adoption or put into the foster care system (Medoff). Though the

positive evidence is great, the negative evidence is eye-opening. The article states that pro-life

states have a higher infant mortality rate as well as a higher child death rate. This also comes

with less severe evidence such as children born in pro-life states are more likely to live in

poverty and also repeat a school grade.

In the opposing side, people who are pro-life, believe that abortion should be illegal.

Admittedly, many pro-lifers believe this because of their religion. There are many websites out

there that portray useful information. One that can be useful is a pro-life organization (Choice). I

used to be pro-life thinking that even a fetus should have rights. Though after straying from my

religion, I began to see clearly why abortion is necessary. Abortion is a necessary form of

healthcare.

In conclusion, abortion is a necessary part of not only women’s healthcare, but the

wellbeing of many children. Many women rely on abortions to rid themselves of unwanted
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pregnancies. Making abortion illegal will not stop women from having them, just make it harder

and much more dangerous for them to get one. Getting rid of abortions will only put more

women in harm's way.

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Works Cited

“Choice Arguments Archives - Pro-Life Action League.” Pro,

https://prolifeaction.org/fact_type/pro-choice-arguments/.

Exstrum, Olivia. “Even Anti-Abortion Gov. Kasich Couldn't Sign This Extreme Abortion

Measure.” Mother Jones, 23 Apr. 2019, www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/12/fetal-

heartbeat-abortion-ban-ohio-john-kasich-veto/.

Henderson, Jillian T., et al. “Effects of Abortion Legalization in Nepal, 2001–2010.” PLoS ONE,

vol. 8, no. 5, May 2013, pp. 1–7. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064775.

“History of Abortion.” National Abortion Federation, 29 Jan. 2015,

https://prochoice.org/education-and-advocacy/about-abortion/history-of-abortion/.

Medoff, Marshall. “Pro-Choice Versus Pro-Life: The Relationship Between State Abortion

Policy and Child Well-Being in the United States.” Health Care for Women

International, vol. 37, no. 2, Feb. 2016, pp. 158–169. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1080/07399332.2013.841699.

Miller, Claire Cain, and Margot Sanger-katz. “Why America's Abortion Rate Might Be Higher

Than It Appears.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Sept. 2019,

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/upshot/abortion-pills-rising-

use.html?searchResultPosition=10.