2018

The Right to or Not too

JENNA MUELLER
APRIL 5, 2018
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Jenna Mueller
U.S. Federal Government
Mr. Sprague
3 April 2018
The Right to or Not too

Kids are a great thing, right? Most people want to have

kids eventually in their lives, but when is the best time? That

is a question many have trouble answering. Kids are one of the

most amazing creations a man and women could ever have, but that

takes time, money, care, and patience which some men and women

cannot provide. Men and women know the harsh consequences that

could come along with sexual intercourse. For example, not being

financially or emotionally ready for a baby may result in a hard

choice. Officially the” US Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision on Roe

v. Wade declared the procedure a "fundamental right" on Jan. 22,

1973” (Abortion). Abortion became a woman’s right and shortly

after abortion became a controversial topic in the United States

it became up to the states and was at their discretion. The

controversy that rose is weather we as a country should not

legalize abortion or leave it to the women’s choice otherwise

known as Pro Choice or Pro Life. There are many ins and outs

like how late in a pregnancy should an abortion be aloud and the

different circumstances that have and could happen. Religion,

class, and where you’re geographically located influences the

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way another person would view abortion. In the United States we

as a country are divided mostly down the middle, we are not all

pro-choice or completely pro-life. I like most are somewhere in

the middle of that spectrum, I believe that it should have many

regulations as to how late in a term you are able to have an

abortion. I also believe if you have been raped or are diagnosed

with life threatening medical problems or an event out of your

hands you should be able to choose. There is an infinite list of

pros and cons, but some stick out more than others.

There are many good reasons as to why a woman would choose

an abortion rather than adoption. According to Planned

Parenthood about 3 in 10 women will have had at least one

abortion by the time they reach the age of 45. “In the United

States, 9 out of 10 abortions are performed in the first 12

weeks (first trimester) of pregnancy. Most of these are done

within the first 9 weeks of pregnancy (Planned Parenthood). Many

concerns when abortion just became legalized was that it was

unsafe. As we have advanced technology in our society I believe

that the procedures are getting better and safer. As I have done

my fair share of research I have seen many forms and charts

stating the pros and the cons of abortion. The cons on all these

lists were about how a fetus is a living “breathing” human. They

are not wrong; however, the fetus gets a heartbeat at around 4

weeks after fertilization and the only other body parts formed
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in that time are in a smaller than a poppy seed sized cell. A

spine and brain are fit into the poppy seed sized cell. Many

people who choose pro-life choose the point at which the fetal

heartbeat can be heard as a statement that it is a baby.

Abortion in multiple circumstances is much safer for a woman’s

body rather than birth. I as a woman would rather have the

choice if I were to get pregnant rather than it being illegal.

Who are we to tell others what is right for their lives when we

do not know their struggle or views. Many women cannot say they

would or wouldn’t get an abortion until it happens to them. If

abortion becomes illegal in the future there will be an increase

in neglect cases, birth deaths etc. Not all women who get

pregnant are ready to have a child. Young woman is trying to

figure out their lives, if they get pregnant how are they

supposed to care for a child also? Children in foster care and

waiting for adoption is already at a high with 670,000 children

in foster care in 2015 according to Foster Care. The foster care

system and adoption system is badly broken and needs a huge

adjustment. If or when abortion becomes illegal there will be

more children in foster care than ever. These children are our

future lawyers, government officials, they are the future of our

country.

Pro-life defendants have argued that a child or pregnancy

is a gift from god and should not be legal to abort it. Some
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politicians chose pro-life because they want the votes from

religious men and women in America. Religion is the biggest

reason as to why abortion is such an issue. In America it is a

right to have religious freedom, which means we have different

opinions and views of what is “right” and what is “wrong”.

Abortion has also become a woman’s right and which makes it

harder to change. In the bible it states that a child is alive

and worthy once he or she is conceived. Most religions have

statements about how a child is a gift and shall not be killed.

Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew

thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I

sanctified thee..." … In the Hindu religion, the holy

text Kaushitaki Upanishad states that abortion is an

equivalent misdeed to killing one’s own parents. The BBC

states that "Traditional Buddhism rejects abortion because

it involves the deliberate destroying of a life.” (Abortion

ProCon)

Although these religions state that it is a sin to kill an

unborn child, if you are not religious how you could view these

points. The more abortions a woman has the less likely she will

be to have a child when the time is right.

Abortion or termination of a pregnancy is used by some

woman as a contraceptive such as other woman use birth control

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or a “Plan B” pill. Abortion is potentially harmful to a women’s

reproductive system and body. It would be highly beneficial to

get woman on a type of birth control and make it illegal to use

abortion as a contraceptive. There are also emotional wellbeing

effects of after abortion in some women. The effect has a simple

name of post-abortion syndrome. According to Live Action “It’s a

form of post-traumatic stress disorder and includes symptoms

such as feelings of guilt, anxiety, depression, and even

thoughts of suicide. It affects the way a woman lives the rest

of her life” (Flanders). Almost half (45%) of women who get an

abortion report they have depressed and suicidal thoughts

immediately after an abortion has taken place. Pregnancy is

supposed to be an empowering and great experience for a woman.

Trading those feelings for post-abortion syndrome would be heart

breaking and scaring experience.

Many states have their own laws on abortion and different

rules needed to be able to go though with a termination of a

pregnancy. There is a Judicial Bypass for minors who want to

terminate a pregnancy. A judicial bypass is when a minor can go

to court to try and justify as to why he does not need to inform

a parent. Not many minors get a bypass granted, but when they

are it is for good reasons. Ultimatly, if the minor had a parent

around they would not have to be in this situation or would have

the guidance they needed. In 1979 Bellotti vs. Baird was in

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court fighting weather or not a parent should have to be

notified when a minor wants an abortion. The outcome was

ultimately up to the states discretion. “Currently 37 states

require parental involvement, either consent or notification,

before an abortion can be performed” (Altindag). Many minors

tried to use the Judicial Bypass to get around having to notify

the parents. 95% of the minors who were granted the bypass were

16 years of age. I personally think that if the child had a good

parental guide there that child should have no reason to have an

abortion, let alone not tell their parent.

Arkansas, as well as in many other states, the political

environment has changed substantially since 2010 with the

increasing number of conservative state legislatures.

Coincident with this change is a dramatic increase in

abortion restrictions at the state level. (Altindag)

I think that the more restrictions put in place for all states

will decrease the abortion rates. Also, I think all states

should have the same rules and restrictions for terminating a

pregnancy. All states must follow 4 of the same rules. These

restrictive rules are no Medicaid funding, parental involvement,

mandatory counseling and waiting periods. No Medicaid funding

decreases the abortion rate, n=but not to an “ideal” number. All

these rules are put in place by states to derive woman from

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getting an abortion. Out of the 50 states only 41 require an

abortion to be done by a licensed physician, and 19 require it

to be at a hospital and have a secondary physician after a

certain time. How do states get money to be able to fund

abortions? Well, 17 states allow them to use stand funding but

only for medical abortions. Also, the number of abortions taken

place by black or Hispanic woman is higher than that of a white

woman. According to Medoff from 1,000 women on average 8.5 of

them are white woman of child bearing age, 32.5 are black woman

and 19.3 are Hispanic woman. Many states also think that raising

the price would decrease the rate of abortions, but the stats

show no change.

45 states allow individual health care providers to refuse

to participate in an abortion. 42 states allow institutions

to refuse to perform abortions, 16 of which limit refusal

to private or religious institutions. (Overview on Abortion

Laws)

It is weird to me how the states and local governments would

allow health care providers to choose if they want to refuse to

pay or not. The states should find a middle ground and set the

same rules for each state and health care providers. I believe

there is a big miscommunication between the physicians, the

government and the woman.

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In conclusion, I as a woman believe that abortion has more

pros than cons. I would say I personally lean towards pro-choice

rather than pro-life. If I were to get pregnant somehow and I

knew in my heart I was not fit I would not want to put myself

and the potential child through the stress of adoption and the

disorganized system. It sounds selfish, but when you look at the

evidence of children from and in the system not many make a good

living coming out of foster care. I would like that choice to

give my baby up or to have an abortion. Judging a woman for a

choice she must make would be hypocritical of me. On the other

hand, I also think states should come together and make a more

organized system for the bettering of woman and their potential

kids or future abortions. If abortion becomes illegal, then the

adoption and foster care system would have to fix the ginormous

holes in the system. We as people in America do not know the

answer to everything nor what a woman is or did go through to

get to that point. Making woman and men more educated on

termination of pregnancies might make a difference on if they

will go through with the abortion. The more educated you are on

a subject the better the decision will be.

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Work Cited
“Foster Care.” Children's Rights,
www.childrensrights.org/newsroom/fact-sheets/foster-care/.
“Reproductive Health.” Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16
Nov. 2017,
www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/data_stats/abortion.htm.
“When did abortion become legal in the United States?” When did
abortion become legal in the United States? -
DailyHistory.Org, 3 June 2017,
dailyhistory.org/When_did_abortion_become_legal_in_the_Unit
ed_States%3F.
Altindag, Onur and Ted Joyce. "Judicial Bypass for Minors
Seeking Abortions in Arkansas Versus Other
States." American Journal of Public Health, vol. 107, no.
8, Aug. 2017, pp. 1266-1271. EBSCOhost,
sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.c
om/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=124124605&site=eds-
live.
Flanders, Nancy. “10 Reasons Women Should Be Pro-Life.” Live
Action News, 3 Nov. 2015, www.liveaction.org/news/10-
reasons-women-pro-life/.
Medoff, Marshall. "State Abortion Policy and Unintended Birth
Rates in the United States." Social Indicators Research,
vol. 129, no. 2, Nov. 2016, pp. 589-600. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1007/s11205-015-1135-y.
Parenthood, Planned. “Should I Get an Abortion? | Information to
Help You Decide.” Planned Parenthood,
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www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/abortion/considering-
abortion.
Medoff, Marshall. "Race, Restrictive State Abortion Laws and
Abortion Demand." Review of Black Political Economy, vol.
41, no. 2, June 2014, pp. 225-240. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1007/s12114-014-9183-0.
“An Overview of Abortion Laws.” Guttmacher Institute, 20 Mar.
2018, www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/overview-
abortion-laws.
“4 Weeks Pregnant.” Pregnancy Week-by-Week, The Bump, 30 Dec.
2016, www.thebump.com/pregnancy-week-by-week/4-weeks-
pregnant.
“Abortion ProCon.org.” ProCon.org Headlines, ProCon, 17 May
2017, abortion.procon.org/.