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Dylan Krug

Rachael Newlon

English 122

14 April 2020

Should Abortion be Illegal?

Abortions cause a lot of controversy, and there are people that are against it, but also

people who are for abortions. An abortion is when a pregnant woman decides to terminate her

pregnancy, and this causes the baby inside to die. The Fourteenth Amendment protects a

women’s right if she chooses to do this as it states that they have the right to privacy. Abortions

became legal in the United States around 1973, and every state today has a minimum of one

abortion clinic. Abortion is a necessity as it is a women’s right if she wants to have her child or

not as she is legally allowed to decide if she can raise it given what her circumstances are.

Abortions should not be abolished because it is a women’s constitutional right, todays modern

abortion procedures are safe, and for the circumstances that cause a woman to follow through

with an abortion.

The United States Constitution protects a women’s right to privacy as it states that in the

Fourteenth Amendment. After twelve weeks of a woman being pregnant then it is up to state

laws, and medical advice from doctors if the abortion would be a health risk to the recipient.

“… the Constitution protects a woman's right to an abortion through the end of the first trimester,

or the twelfth week of pregnancy” (Abortion). People who are against abortion state that it

should not be allowed as it terminates a viable human life, and these people are known as pro-

life. People who support the pro-life movement do believe that all abortions are murder. Then

there is pro-choice which includes people who support todays safe, and legal abortions. If a
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woman was raped for example then it was not their choice to have the baby as it was forced, and

an abortion should be done without being against it, but the counter claim is that even if a

women has been raped she should still have the child as it is a human life that should not be

destroyed. People in the pro-choice movement feel that no restrictions at all should be placed on

abortion as it is a women’s right to get a procedure done. More are favorable towards the pro-

choice movement as today’s abortion practices are legal for women in every state, and it protects

them against unwanted pregnancies.

Modern abortion medical procedures are safer than they ever were currently. According

to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an abortion that was carried out within

the first trimester displayed fewer risks to a women’s health than if she was to actually give birth.

The most common type of procedure done is called vacuum aspiration, and this performed in

very early stages of pregnancy. “Health care providers generally consider first-trimester surgical

abortions performed by trained medical professionals to be among the safest and simplest forms

of surgery” (Abortion). There are also medical abortions which take place no later than the ninth

week of pregnancy. These medical abortions require the patient to take two pills that will expel

the embryo out, and does not require surgical removal. Women who follow through with these

medical abortions early on have experienced them to be very safe and effective. In contrast,

people feel that late term abortions are cruel, and too common. “an unidentified woman is able to

schedule an abortion at 30 weeks of pregnancy, even after she says there's nothing wrong with

the fetus” (Late-Term). Late term abortions are going on around the United States that are not

legal as late term abortions do require special circumstances. “Embryological studies show that

at 20 weeks, babies have developed pain mechanisms” (To Prevent). People argue that abortions

should be banned after the 20-week mark as the fetus can feel the intense pain of the procedure.
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Late term abortions are just as safe under good medical care with limited health risks.

“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 21.6 million women had unsafe

abortions in 2008” (Safe). In countries were laws prohibited abortions there are women who

perform the procedure themselves, and this results in serious injury or death. Ease of access to

abortion centers protects a women’s health in so many ways. Every single year medical

procedures will continue to improve, and get safer as technology advances.

Many expecting mothers choose to do an abortion for a variety of reasons, and this could

be in the best interest of the child as no baby should be born unwanted. These reasons could

range from a women’s mental health to financial reasons. “I don't feel like I could raise a child

right now and give the child what it deserves." (Women). A woman should be physically and

mentally prepared to carry out a pregnancy as it is a lot of responsibility. The reason why women

choose abortion are complex, and should be taken seriously. Countries that deny abortion need to

recognize the emotional, physical, and financial impact that a child birth would have on a

woman. A lot of protesters feel that abortion is wrong, unethical, and evil, but they do need to

consider the pregnant women’s situation as she may not be to the point in life to raise a child.

Opponents of this believe that Id the mother can’t raise the child given her circumstances then

the baby should be put up for adoption once born. If the mother does not feel safe to have a child

given her reason, then an abortion is acceptable.

Abortions continue everyday all around the world and will not stop at any cost. It should

not get abolished as it is a legal right to all women in the United States, modern procedures are

safe and humane, and also the circumstances that a woman may be in might not be suitable to

raise a child. Overall abortion today is ideal, and most people agree that it should not be
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abolished, but you will always have protesters. The majority of the population are all for abortion

as it supports a women’s constitutional right, and her health.

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Works Cited

"Abortion." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.arapahoecc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/PC3010999336/OVIC?

u=apcc&sid=OVIC&xid=144010cc. Accessed 15 Apr. 2020.

"Safe and Legal Abortion Is a Human Right." Abortion, edited by Tamara Thompson,

Greenhaven Press, 2015. Current Controversies. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link-gale-com.arapahoecc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/EJ3010946212/OVIC?

u=apcc&sid=OVIC&xid=ddb37c97. Accessed 15 Apr. 2020. Originally published as

"Safe and Legal Abortion Is a Woman's Human Right," reproductiverights.org, Oct.

2011.

Biggs, M. Antonia, et al. "Women Seek Abortions for a Variety of Complex Reasons." Abortion,

edited by Tamara Thompson, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Current Controversies. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.arapahoecc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/EJ3010946207/OVIC?

u=apcc&sid=OVIC&xid=1fdfd9b7. Accessed 15 Apr. 2020. Originally published as

"Understanding Why Women Seek Abortions in the US," BMC Women's Health, 2013.

Burke, Monica. "To Prevent Painful Suffering for Children, Late-Term Abortion Should Be

Banned." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.arapahoecc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/PJWTRN539932313/OVIC?

u=apcc&sid=OVIC&xid=b4cd79a0. Accessed 15 Apr. 2020. Originally published as "To

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Prevent Painful Suffering for Children, Late-Term Abortion Should Be Banned," The

Daily Signal, 2 Oct. 2017.

Richardson, Bradford. "Late-Term Abortions Are Cruel, Common, and Unjustified." Gale

Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.arapahoecc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/PNMAQW734355301/OVIC?

u=apcc&sid=OVIC&xid=aeb16034. Accessed 15 Apr. 2020. Originally published as

"Recordings back Trump assertions on late-term abortions," Washington Times, 20 June

2017.