Ali Gonzalez 1

Brianna Ali Gonzalez

Professor Mario Martinez

English 1302-104

6 December 2022

Legalizing abortion

What is abortion? Abortion is the termination a pregnancy before the fetus has become

somewhat fully developed (can live outside the uterus). Abortion can be spontaneous or

triggered. This is not to advocate for increasing or promoting abortion, but rather aims to make

every abortion safe, legal and stigma free, performed by any women through informed choice.

Now informed choice means that the woman is aware about the process, pros and cons of doing

abortion, and chooses to do so, under unavoidable circumstances or out of choice.

Some argue that abortions should be illegal and considered murder, while others, from a

religious point of view, say that no one has the right to take away the life of a person, in this case

the fetus. However, others insist, that abortions are a basic women’s right. Abortion has become

a social issue in the United States because there is a political argument on weather human rights

should be given to unborn children. Giving an unborn child right would abortion illegal.

The current judicial interpretation of the U.S. Constitution regarding abortion, following

the Supreme Court of the United States’ 1973 landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, and

subsequent companion decisions, is that abortion is legal but may be restricted by the states to

varying degrees. Since the US Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion,

states have enacted laws restricting access to abortion services. Previous studies suggest that

restricting access to abortion is a risk factor for adverse maternal and infant health. There are

controversial arguments between pro-life; those who believe abortion should be illegal and with
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pro-choice; those who believe abortion should be up to the women to decide. Doctors have two

methods to complete the procedure; the most common one being suction curettage which involves

removing the fetus from the womb by scraping the woman’s uterus. The other method is by taking

a pill which causes the body to block the hormone progesterone, which helps with the development

of the embryo. I strongly feel that a woman should be able to choose what weather they want to

continue their pregnancy or not. Abortion shouldn’t be a topic on right and wrong but on an option

a woman can choose from. Denying a woman an abortion is a violation of rights. An abortion may

sometimes seem like the only option for many women. Abortion is not a procedure that you go get

done and forget about it forever.

Woman who undergoes an abortion procedure have to live with that thought every day.

The fact is that there are many circumstances that come into action when it comes to choosing

abortions. People need to understand that this is about human right, it’s about the women who are

the heads of important companies, women who are housewives, women who are students, and all

other women. Abortion isn’t about politics, religion, or men who think women shouldn’t have

the right to decide. Abortion is about all the woman in the world who have suffered or are

suffering due to an unplanned pregnancy,

Restrictive abortion policies may have a detrimental effect on both maternal and infant

health via several mechanisms. First, restrictive abortion policies may jeopardize patient

health by undermining providers′ medical counsel. For example, some US states require

counseling that provides inaccurate information about negative mental health

consequences of abortion or a link between abortion and increased risk of breast cancer

[10]. Second, restrictions may increase psychological distress, which is a known risk

factor for poor birth outcomes. Both human and animal studies show that psychological
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stress produces a cascade of neuroendocrine changes that increase the risk of serious birth

complications (e.g., pre-eclampsia) and thereby increase infant mortality [11–14].

Third, these policies may increase the risk for postpartum depression by inducing

dramatic, but unwanted life changes. Postpartum depression can contribute to infant

death in cases where the mother is unable to properly care for her infant [15,16]. Previous

research indicated that women in states that prohibit the Medicaid funding of abortions

have significantly higher rates of postpartum depression than those in states that fund

Medicaid abortions [17]. Mental illness among pregnant women has been associated with

increased risk for infant mortality [18]. Postnatal depression has also been observed as a

risk factor for sudden infant death (SIDS) [19] (Pabayo, Roman, et al., 2).

Especially now that Roe V. Wade has been overturned women have to find new illegal and

dangerous ways to get rid of unwanted pregnancies. Also, women’s mortality rate has been

expected to also rise due to the situation. “New data shows that banning abortion would lead to

more maternal deaths than previously thought, a critical finding less than a week after the

Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to overturn Roe v. Wade.” (Mueksch). With the ban it is believed that

women’s mortality rate should increase by at least 20%. Women are at more risk of death during

pregnancy than when having an abortion.

Woman who are forced to continue an unwanted pregnancy may suffer from pre and

postpartum depression. Not only is postpartum depression dangerous for the mother but it also

affects the child. There are many cases of child neglect and deaths because of it. “- these policies

may increase the risk for postpartum depression by inducing dramatic, but unwanted life

changes. Postpartum depression can contribute to infant death in cases where the mother is

unable to properly care for her infant.” (Pabayo et al.)

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In conclusion, the right to have an abortion should have never been overturned. The

overturn has done more damage than good. Women’s rights should have never been something

anyone can question or take away.

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Sources

Henderson, Charley, and Philip Q Yang. “Support for Health Insurance Coverage for Legal

Abortion in the United States.” International Journal of Environmental Research and

Public Health, vol. 19, no. 1, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010433.

Herd, Pamela, et al. “The Implications of Unintended Pregnancies for Mental Health in Later

Life.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 106, no. 3, 2016, pp. 421–429.,

https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302973.

Mueksch, Nicole. “Abortion Bans to Increase Maternal Mortality Even More, Study

Shows.” CU Boulder Today, 30 June 2022,

https://www.colorado.edu/today/2022/06/30/abortion-bans-increase-maternal-mortality-

even-more-study-shows.

Pabayo, Roman, et al. “Laws Restricting Access to Abortion Services and Infant Mortality Risk

in the United States.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,

vol. 17, no. 11, 2020, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17113773.