The Status of Abortion

Throughout the world, there are thousands of unplanned babies born every day. Many unplanned pregnancies have a variety of options to make sure that continuing through the pregnancy is what the family really wants. The issue of abortion is as complex as any other topic that anyone can choose to talk about, however, when discussing the topic it’s important to talk about the importance of women having the choice to have a safe abortion. Due to modern society and political views women are losing their choice and right to continue with the pregnancy.

When thinking about the bans from many different states and what they are choosing to do in terms of their laws regarding abortion, do you think that will stop women from seeking illegal or unsafe abortions? Do you think that their decision will weave based on some laws that their government decided were what was best for them? The answer is no, many will take matters into their own hands and find their own ways to make their own decisions in terms of their pregnancies. In the article, “SIX What would be the likely impact of decriminalization on the incidence, timing, provision, and safety of abortion?” authors Brooke Ronald Johnson Jr, a Department of Reproductive Health and Researcher, Louise Keogh, a Health sociologist, and professor at the University of Melbourne, and Wendy V. Norman, a physician, researcher, and professor at multiple universities, juggle with the very controversial topic of abortion and argue that the bans will just lead to people finding other ways of healthcare even if they are illegal or unsafe. In the article they state, “According to the WHO: ‘(restricting legal access to abortion does not decrease the need for abortion, but it is likely to increase the number of women seeking illegal and unsafe abortions, leading to increased morbidity and mortality’ (WHO, 2012a). Furthermore, 11aws, policies, and practices that restrict access to abortion information and services can deter women from care seeking and create a “chilling effect” (suppression of actions because of fear of reprisals or penalties) for the provision of safe, legal services (WHO, 2012a)” (page 104). This supports the claims that no matter what kind of bans certain states decide to place on their people their will to be able to decide their own futures will overcome those laws and regulations.

The future for women’s rights to safe abortions has become very unclear and whether it will be a country-wide ban or will only certain states continue their bans on abortion. Many researchers infer that a variety of states will become political war zones. In the article, “The U.S. faces ‘unprecedented uncertainty’ regarding abortion law, legal scholar says,” author Terry Gross, an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, brings on many guests to her podcast to speak on the current situation of abortion in many of the different states and the precarious situation they are facing. It states, “Florida, at the moment, has a 15-week ban, but nothing more than that,” she says. “We expect to see some of those states [like Florida] become battlegrounds in the years ahead.” While Ziegler acknowledges that no one knows what the future of abortion rights in the U.S. will look like, one thing is certain: This is a story that is larger than one court decision” (Page 1). This quote speaks on the fact that there are many states that are currently tossed on whether they should follow their fellow states in the bans of abortions or if they should continue to leave the rights of women in their hands.

Another reason abortion bans throughout the states can be catastrophic is that many women have health risks during pregnancies and the actual act of giving birth is highly dangerous for many women. Many women die while giving birth and it is important to realize that many women chose to terminate their pregnancies and that is a consequential factor that plays into dropping the actual statistic of women’s mortality while giving birth. In the article, “Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2020”, author Donna L. Hoyert, an author and Ph. D. holder, gives the reader explicit statistics on the mortality rate of women while delivering on their delivery beds. The article proceeds, “This report updates a previous one that showed maternal mortality rates for 2018 and 2019 (2). In 2020, 861 women were identified as having died of maternal causes in the United States, compared with 754 in 2019 (3). The maternal mortality rate for 2020 was 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births compared with a rate of 20.1 in 2019 (Table).” This information is crucial to look at while reading about the broad topic that is abortion, that is since this information is not considering the thousands of people that could be potentially preventing their own deaths by terminating their pregnancies before carrying it out to the full term.

While proceeding to speak openly about this very controversial yet important topic in society is important to look at why many women do decide to have an abortion. The main reason is simply unreadiness or feelings of unpreparedness. While you may say “That is a dumb reason” or “Many pregnancies are never planned,” you must remember that there are always secondhand reasons such as lack of finances to support a child or lack of support from their parents or partner(s), or simply have other responsibility that can prevent the ability to raise a child. In the article, “Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives”, authors Lawrence B. Finer, a writer, Lori F. Frohwirth, a writer, research assistant, and senior research assistant, Lindsay A. Dauphinee, a nurse practitioner, Susheela Singh, a distinguished scholar and vice president for Global Science and Policy Integration, and Ann M. Moore, received her Ph. D. in sociology with a specialization in demography, they speak on the many reasons and qualitative data behind the reason as to why many women do decide to have an abortion instead of following through with the pregnancy. the article states, “The reasons most frequently cited were that having a child would interfere with a woman’s education, work, or ability to care for dependents (74%); that she could not afford a baby now (73%); and that she did not want to be a single parent or was having relationship problems (48%). Four in 10 women said they had completed their childbearing, and almost one-third were not ready to have a child. Fewer than 1% said their parents or partners’ desire for them to have an abortion was the most important reason.” This clearly demonstrates that although many pregnancies do end up being a surprise or a mistake that was followed due to unprotected sexual activities it does not mean that women who feel unprepared or unready to bear a child must suffer do to the beliefs of their government and restricting their health care because of their sole believes.

While discussing this interesting and controversial topic, we readers must look at the history of abortion. When thinking back at the history of abortion during the 17th-century women were still trying to perform abortions and while it may have succeeded it is not without caution and inquiry to look at the high mortality rate of these methods. During the next few hundred or so years abortion became a lot safer for women and it became a fundamental right for women and part of a safe healthcare option for certain women. In the article, “Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization,” the CEO and president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, Nancy Northup, speaks on the fact that the Supreme courts decision totally turns back time and takes away the constitutional right that was fought for a not-so-distant time ago. It states, “In a devastating decision that will reverberate for generations, the U.S. Supreme Court has abandoned its duty to protect fundamental rights and overturned Roe v. Wade, ruling there is no constitutional right to abortion. Today’s decision—which abandons nearly 50 years of precedent—marks the first time in history that the Supreme Court has taken away a fundamental right.” This demonstrates the fundamental issue with the decision from the supreme court and how it totally contradicts the Constitution and for the first time in history for a decision to be made over another human being’s body is unprecedented.

Abortion is a highly controversial and emotionally charged topic that has been the subject of intense debate for decades. While many may argue about the ethics of abortions and whether to continue to provide the services of abortions, the decision to have an abortion should be left up to the individual, with access to safe and legal abortion services available to those who choose to do so. To conclude, even though many have different opinions on the topic and would like others to believe in the same things as them it is impossible for everyone to think alike and support something solely because it is their only option, in the end, people will continue to do what they think is right for them.