Nguyễn Thị Ánh Hồng - 20010091

Nguyễn Khánh Diên

Trần Thị Diệu Linh - 20050871

Topic: Abortion should be banned. To what extend do you agree with the statement

Abortion, the termination of a pregnancy, has been a subject of controversy and debate
throughout history. In many ancient societies, abortion methods were known and utilized, but
the moral and legal implications varied widely. The legalization of abortion is essential for
women because women have right to interfere with their body, illegal abortions result in far
more fatalities, many unwanted pregnancies result in economic deprivation and an on-going
cycle of poverty.

Abortion opponents contend that it is a woman's duty to procreate and that no woman
should be allowed to refuse (Berg, A). While this perspective has merit, it prompts concerns
regarding women's rights. The Constitutional Court's 2006 ruling, Judgment C-355,
decriminalized abortion in cases when the woman's life or health is in danger and the pregnancy
resulted from rape or incest. This led to the development of the health exception debate in
Colombia. Women should have the freedom to decide whether to continue a pregnancy based on
their individual circumstances, including their health, financial stability, and personal
aspirations. Sweden has comprehensive laws and policies that protect women's reproductive
autonomy, including access to safe and legal abortion services. Legalization of abortion is a
good idea because it respects a woman's autonomy over her body and health, including the
choice of when and if to have children. Women now have choice and control over their
reproductive health thanks to legalized abortion As a result, it is evident that outlawing abortion
is perfectly lawful because it respects women's rights.

The stance of the anti-abortion movement is that a fetus, even in the embryonic stage, has
the status of human life. The fundamental tenet of this viewpoint is that any deliberate
termination of fetal or embryonic development is a "unjustified" method of taking a person's
life, classified as homicide . This idea has some valid points in science. Since some conception
about abortion is still exist but in a special circumstance, it is clear that legalized abortion
reduced the number of illegitimate babie. Child is permitted to be born in an adverse
environment, both of which threaten or deny the child's basic human and constitutional rights
and opportunities for normal human development. The effects of denied abortions on the
development of the child can be significant. Children who are born to parents who did not want
them or were not ready to care for them may face a range of challenges. These can include
“neglected and abused’ from parents who are ill-equipped to handle the responsibilities of
raising a child (Prescott, J. W(1976)). Regarding to consequence, It is emphasized that legalized
abortion can reduce the number of illegitimate and unwanted children also it can reduce the
potential for future homicides and child abuse.

Those against abortion expect that prohibiting abortion its practice will discourage its
occurrence (Oberman, 2022). There is a fact that abortion bans will cause some to carry to term
pregnancies they might otherwise have aborted. Banning abortion could result in a temporary
decrease in the number of abortions as individuals adapt to the changing circumstances.
However, this decline is unlikely to be long-lasting. Banning arbortion may not lower the rate of
abortions, instead, women just turn to hazardous means of getting an abortion. According to
Zara Ahmed (2020), efforts by anti-abortion advocates to criminalize abortion face a significant
obstacle that abortion rates remain comparable in both nations where it is widely legalized and
those where it is not. Intriguingly, low-income countries, where abortion is restricted, exhibit
rates four times higher than high-income nations where it is more permissible. Enforcing
abortion bans pushes women towards unsafe procedures, posing serious health risks .And the
abortion rate in a country will not always be proportional to the level of tightening of the laws in
that country. Therefore, banning abortion does not mean that this rate will decrease, it may even
have the opposite effect.

Abortion poses threats to women's autonomy and health, overlooking the nuanced
reasons behind their choices. Prioritizing women's reproductive rights, access to safe abortions,
and implementing comprehensive healthcare, education, and support systems is vital for their
well-being, equality, and societal progress. Instead of imposing bans, the emphasis should be on
empowering women and creating a society that respects and protects their rights.

Reference

1. Berg, A. (2002). Mothering the Race: Women's Narratives on Reproduction, 1890-1930.

University of Illinois Press.
2. González Vélez, A. C. (2012). “The health exception”: a means of expanding access to
legal abortion. Reproductive Health Matters, 20(40), 22–29.
3. Oberman (2022). What will and won’t happen when abortion is banned. Journal of Law
and the Biosciences, 9(1), 3-21.
4. Prescott, J. W. (1976). ABORTION OR THE UNWANTED CHILD: A CHOICE FOR A
HUMANISTIC SOCIETY. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 1(2), 62–67.
5. Zara Ahmed (2020), Abortion rates don't drop when the procedure is outlawed. But it
does make it more dangerous.