Introduction
Legalization of abortion has caused many controversial debates as well as conflicts in the society from both pro-choice and pro-life groups. The big question is whether abortion is right or not with the largest challenge revolving around who should make the decision concerning abortion. Some classes of people think that women are the people to decide whether to abort while others advocate that if a woman conceives then she should keep the child as by aborting will be infringing the right of an innocent human being. However, negative and positive aspects emanate from both sides of the argument. Prior to this research, I always took sides with the pro-choice group but reviewing the arguments from both groups, that is, pro-choice and pro-life, I am stuck between the two opinions. The following sections will discuss each side of
...the argument.
Scrutinizing both sides of the conflicts, coupled with my experience throughout life, my opinions go for pro-life and I also support abortion that women should be allowed to make their own choice. This is based from three reasons which I encountered from the procon website stating that reproductive choice empowers women by giving them control over their body, personhood commences after the fetus is able of surviving outside the womb (becomes viable) or after birth and not at conception hence justifying abortion as a population control method. Nevertheless, there are many reasons which I strongly agree with but for this case, I have decided to comply with the top three. Since the United States stands for freedom and rights to human beings, choosing it as the first choice is significant. Legalization of abortion has given women the
freedom of choice on what they want to do with their bodies. Secondly, is the existing controversy concerning the issue of abortion; because I strongly disbelief that a fetus is considered viable at conception or during the period the time are allowed to abort. Additionally, there is a certain time, usually weeks during which a woman can abort. After that period, the baby is considered viable and an abortion can no longer be performed. Lastly, giving women the choice to abortion helps in alleviation of population, hence controlling the population problem. This should not be the main way directed to control population although abortions decrease the number of children brought into the world. Abortion controls the number of children in foster care but if women made a choice before conceiving, foster care would not be needed. Overall, there exists many reasons which support legal abortion but the first three are the main reason for supporting the legal side in this controversial issue.
On the other hand abortion should not be legal due to the fact that the act itself is murder since life begins immediately after conception; another reason against the legalization is that it may cause psychological trauma and lastly abortion should not in any case be used as a form of contraception. Therefore any woman who conceives should have to accept the responsively of carrying the pregnancy till delivery.
Abortion is considered as murder since life begins just at conception; the interesting reason found is that even though the fetus is not able to live outside the mother’s womb, it is still considered a human being and is entitled with the right to life as
any other human being. This is linked on the belief that women are using abortion as an alternative form of contraception. This will encourage the neglecting of the use of formal and accepted contraception forms by women because of the perception that abortion is legal and they can terminate the pregnancy as per their wish without facing any legal charges. Generally in this view abortion is even worse than any other ordinary murder since it involves betrayal of an innocent dependent by someone who would otherwise be a natural guardian.
Additionally, abortion can also cause psychological trauma at the later ages when the woman remembers what they just did. This keeps haunting them since abortion once carried out cannot be taken back and the imagination makes the woman feel depressed and psychologically disturbed. Therefore more and more women who get involved in the act are being put on medication to suppress their depression. The irony behind this is that the same woman who initiated and executed the idea of procuring an abortion is the one who is suffering psychologically due to her former actions which cannot be taken back.
Moreover, women should not at all use abortion as a form of contraception. Since they were not willing or in any case were not able to take any protective measures to avoid conceiving, women should take up the responsibility of taking care of the unborn baby until the day of its birth. Due to this concern, medical practitioners should not accept to procure an abortion unless it has been confirmed medically that any further development of the fetus endangers the life of the mother. Other belief is that
women are becoming lazy on using other forms of contraception since they know that in the case of unplanned pregnancy, they can easily terminate it. Thus illegalizing it will make them more accountable of their sex lives since they will not have another option but to carry the pregnancy to delivery.
The various forms of biases experienced while studying the meeting points of the various responses in the argument are that women tend to be nasty in circumstances where they choose the pro-choice and other forms of biases found in the religion. While doing this research I noticed that the two sides of this argument have many people with a thought that abortion should not be made legal believe that the pro-choice personalities are horrible. This statement then brings a lot of bias since in this case they do not consider the person’s life but only the opinions they make. The conclusion that someone is nasty just because they support pro-choice or just because one have done an abortion only hinders themselves from the actual personality. Religion on the other hand has played a big role in this matter since it is clear Christians or Catholics are always against the act of abortion. Their argument is that one goes contrary to the religious teachings by doing abortion or simply support the vice. This then has forced many people to shift their arguments in support of it even at circumstances where they do not support it. Ultimately therefore, bias will conflict on this argument but one needs to look past the argument.
My personal enculturation or just my group identification at some point influenced my personal bias on
the matter but they no longer affect me. I am a person of who is no longer influenced by unproven arguments not unless I have personally researched on it. My independent thinking about this matter has not been altered even after the paying of the so called “believing game” since I take it as a subject demanding critical thinking. Suppose I had taken a different theme then the believing game may have greatly changed my personal opinion. The three raised questions though they seem small, they normally play a big role in widening your thinking on the conflict already at hand. Therefore, although these questions help to open one’s mind they did not change my personal view on the matter.
As I conclude therefore, abortion hosts many people on either side of the argument. It thus requires on to open his or her mind to the discussion of the two sides before making a stand. In answering the question raised by Elbows, one is made to think more on the alternative side of this argument. Finally this is a very sensitive subject which provides a good reason in support of the two conflicting sides. It therefore requires that thorough research is done so as to ensure the arguments are based on certain facts and not just left to be baseless or only portraying one’s personal interests on the matter. Any argument to be put in place to either support or conflict this debate to be entirely based on conceptual thinking. It should also be noticed that there is need to factor the condition on which an abortion is done.
Reference
- Abortion ProCon.org. (n.d.). Retrieved July 10, 2015,
from http://abortion.procon.org/
