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Katie LaMorte

Professor Geppert

English 15 03

30 November 2020

Keeping Abortion Legal

The war on abortion has been fought for many years but the thought of losing this right

has recently become reality however still being legal. Abortion is the process of terminating an

unwanted pregnancy for various reasons. Attempts having been made to over-throw the legality

of abortion striking positive and negative feedback from the public. The two sides of this matter

are pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-lifers are against abortions and believe they are cruel, swaying

toward adoption. Pro-choice people believe that the option for an abortion should be available to

all who may need it without judgement or question. Understanding what is at stake with

criminalizing abortion is crucial. Abortion provides an immense feeling of safety for women and

is extremely necessary.

The history of abortion

In 1972, abortion became constitutionally protected. The court case Roe vs. Wade was

argued. Roe attempted to file a lawsuit against Wade because she believed abortion being illegal

went against various amendments. Eventually, 7-2 majority ruled abortion a constitutional right.

Thus, in the first trimester the mother may decide for herself. The second and third trimesters,

the state may regulate abortions (Oyez 1). Since this has not changed; though, the supreme court

is currently attempting to change this.

At the beginning of the 20th century terminations were criminalized throughout the world.

Even after the criminalization died off, in 2008, 21.6 million abortions were done illegally
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(Marecek 6). This being extremely dangerous for women because they were done in various

nonhygienic ways and women died from them. In 2017, 45% of abortions were done by medical

professionals (7). This may be because women are scared of judgement or they do not have the

means to obtain an abortion. Though women have the right to an abortion they are not morally

accepted driving women away. Family members and significant others make women feel as if

they do not have the right to choose abortion (8).

The validity of abortion

Among the reasons women may seek an abortion is poverty. Women who are below the

poverty line cannot provide the child of everything they may need to have a successful and

healthy life. Poverty plays a large role in the need for an abortion, “60% were below 200% of

the federal poverty line” (Finer 112). Women often do not have the money to provide for

themselves let alone nurture a growing child with various needs and medical bills. In this case,

saving a life may not really be saving a life because of the hardships these children will have to

deal with as they grow older. Poverty often goes hand in hand with drug use and mental health

issues.

Often assumed, the adoption system is a great alternative to abortion. The truth about the

adoption system is masked by the media. Abuse is quite common in foster homes. Children put

into these homes are burdened by not having a biological family and the foster families

frequently have poor intentions. When children are first placed into the adoption system, they

usually develop mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. These can make the

children harder to deal with in foster homes leading to abuse (Tyler 2). A study conducted on

children in foster homes reported ½ of the children reported some sort of abuse leading to them

running away and getting into more trouble (3). The children experience roadblocks in their
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development leading to delinquency, “As children progress from one stage to another, they gain

new cognitive abilities and psychosocial structures. They look at adoption differently and, often,

have more concerns or questions (Paediatr 282). This leaves kids feeling confused and they do

not know how to correctly cope with the changes they experience as they develop. Drug-use,

delinquency, homelessness, and crime are all directly associated with the adoption system.

Pro-life people tend to believe abortion is cruel and painful to a fetus, scientifically, being

false. After 6 weeks gestational period, abortion is no longer acceptable in certain states because

of potential fetal pain. Women usually find out that they are pregnant around 6 weeks therefore

they would surpass their abortion deadline before knowing about the pregnancy (Lyons 1). At

24 weeks fetus’ finally have the ability to live unsupported. This being true with a respirator up

until 21 weeks. Before 21 weeks the fetus has no chance of supporting itself outside the womb.

The thalamocortical fibers appear around 23-30 weeks; before this they cannot feel pain because

the painful stimuli cannot reach the brain (Lee 947).

The fight for abortion in PA

Almost half of the women in Pennsylvania live in a county without an abortion clinic

(NARAL 1). The post-viability ban makes PA a state where abortions are not allowed after 23

weeks gestational period, “abortion restriction states that no abortions may be provided after the

23rd weeks of pregnancy unless… the procedure is necessary to preserve the women’s life…” (1).

Thus, late-term abortions are not legal in PA. Abortions are done strictly in designated clinics.

Doctors are allowed to reject abortions if they are against them. Terminations are never done

with taxpayer dollars due to the Hyde amendment (Planned Parenthood 1). Insurance companies

will cover the abortion if a life is at risk, rape, or incest. The mother has to report rape and incest

to law enforcement for the termination to occur. Girls who are under the age of 18 need parental
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consent to obtain the abortion. Therefore, if the parents are against it the girl will be forced to

carry out her pregnancy regardless.

The truth about pro-life vs. pro-choice

The pro-life side has formulated four aspects to prove the fetus is living: distinct, living,

human, and organism (MCCL 1). It is believed that even in cases of rape abortion is wrong,

“compounds the violence of rape by taking the life of a vulnerable human being” (1). They also

believe that abortion is painful to the child. Before 23 weeks there is no possibility of the fetus

feeling pain making the abortions before then humane (Lee 947). However, the mother will be

enduring the trauma of being raped and carrying her abuser’s child forever.

The pro-choice side believes that everyone can choose for themselves. If a woman’s life

is at risk while she is pregnant, it could lead to the mother and fetus dying rather than losing one.

A woman has experiences and a full life outside of the pregnancy, the fetus, does not. A person

can be pro-choice even if they would not personally have an abortion. Supporting other women

and not putting each other down is their main goal. The importance of understanding someone’s

decision is immense.

The pro-choice argument is completely back up by science. Banning abortion stops safe

ones. Taking action and standing up for opinions has been a major part in the legality of

abortion today. The difference between a life being saved and a child living a real, happy life is

massive. Being pro-choice is about considering everyone’s life and how their lives are affected

now and later.

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Works Cited:

Finer, Lawrence, et al. “Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative

Perspectives.” Guttmacher Institute , vol. 37, no. 3, 2005, pp. 110–118. Accessed 29 Nov.

2020.

Lee, Susan, et al. “Fetal Pain.” Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 294, no. 8,

2005, pp. 947–954., doi:10.1001/jama.294.8.947.

Lyons, Joseph D. “When Do Women Find Out They're Pregnant? The GOP ‘Heartbeat’ Bill

Would Severely Limit Abortion Access.” Bustle, Bustle, 1 Nov. 2017,

www.bustle.com/p/when-do-women-find-out-theyre-pregnant-the-gop-heartbeat-bill-

would-severely-limit-abortion-access-3195694.

Marecek, Jeanne, et al. “Abortion in Legal, Social, and Healthcare Contexts.” Feminism &

Psychology, vol. 27, no. 1, 2017, pp. 4–14., doi:10.1177/0959353516689521.

MCCL. Why Pro-Life? The Case for Inclusion. www.mccl.org/whyprolife. Accessed 29 Nov.

2020

NARAL. “Pennsylvania.” NARAL Pro-Choice America,

www.prochoiceamerica.org/state/pennsylvania/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2020.

Oyez. "Roe v. Wade." Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/1971/70-18. Accessed 29 Nov. 2020.

Paediatr. “Understanding Adoption: A Developmental Approach.” NCBI, vol. 6, no. 5, 2001, pp.

281–283., doi:10.1093/pch/6.5.281.
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Parenthood, Planned. “Hyde Amendment.” Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Planned

Parenthood, www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/hyde-amendment.

Accessed 29 Nov. 2020.

Tyler, Kimberly, and Lisa Melander. “Foster Care Placement, Poor Parenting, and Negative

Outcomes Among Homeless Young Adults.” National Institute of Health, vol. 19, no. 6,

2010, pp. 787–794., doi:10.1007/s10826-010-9370-y.