Introduction
Abortion continues to be a major controversy in the United States, and chiefly because ethical ideas and religious beliefs clash with thinking regarding a woman’s reproductive rights. Then, determining the actual state of life generates debate; some insist that the destruction of even an embryo is murder, while others hold that human life does not exist until birth. The reality, when all the elements are examined, is that abortion is a traumatic procedure and should not be lightly legalized. Nonetheless, public and state policy must accept that, legal or otherwise, women will seek abortions, and it is necessary to provide it safely. Certainly, abortion should be permitted when it is medically necessary, in cases of rape, and when other issues render it more than simply a matter of ‘choice.’ There are no easy answers with abortion, but policy must address that there are multiple reasons why it should be legally and safely done in certain cases.
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Discussion
As noted, abortion is invariably controversial. It is ordinary today for it be thought of in feminist or opposing terms; that it is strictly a matter of a woman’s right to control her own body, or that any human life, potential aside, is to be protected from what is viewed as murder. These extremes, however, fail to address the complexity in place whenever a woman becomes pregnant and, for whatever reason, the child is unwanted. It is interesting, in fact, how feminist concerns have gradually assumed force in abortion because it was in the past not necessarily widely seen as wrong. That is, in the mid-20th century, it was accepted that medical reasons validated abortion, social stigma aside. What occurred over time was that medical urgency became confused or associated with therapeutic reasons for abortion. Physicians increasingly factored in a woman’s psychological state, and this became a medical cause. In a sense, this overlap, in which a woman’s state of mind became identified with actual medical necessity, spurred on all legalized abortion since the 1970s (Schoen 195). As this occurred, then, choice became central to the issue, and remains so as the primary argument of legalized abortion support.
There is little point here in discussing religious elements of the abortion issue, nor those concerned with defining human life. Rather, an informed policy relies on acknowledging and addressing realities, and several here demand attention. To begin with, even those who support unrestricted legal abortion accept that it is never an easy choice, when it is a choice at all. Extensive studies confirm that, for most girls and women, deciding to abort is a painful process. Moreover, and importantly, it is not ‘over’ when the abortion is done. Research in fact reveals that over 60 percent of women who suffer emotional problems of any kind following abortions contemplate suicide, and 28 percent attempt it (Silverstein 8). No matter the individual circumstances, the woman is aware of the enormity of the issue, and the repercussions are powerful. This being the case, legalization must consider the risks to the woman herself, as opposed to the welfare of the fetus. Unrestricted legal abortion must present great risks for women, and the medical community, once willing to support abortion as ‘therapeutic,’ is obligated to address this reality. One measure of determining abortion’s proper use, then, should rely on a complete profile of the mother’s emotional and psychological state.
Going to restricted legal abortion are those cases wherein the circumstances are extreme and/or life threatening. It is difficult to argue that a woman who is pregnant as a result of rape should be enabled to abort, although certain factions defy this. Such women are victims of horrific crimes and clearly no child is wanted. The difficulty here lies in assessing the actual cases of rape as causing pregnancy; it is established that women seeking abortions, for instance, will claim to have been raped to better ensure the operation. This is common with adolescent girls who are unwilling to disclose that they have had consensual sex (Gurtovnik 46). All this means, however, is that greater care must be taken in determining actual rape cases. Less problematic in terms of decision-making are those pregnancies which threaten the life of the mother, are likely to produce severely impaired children, or both. In plain terms, when there are extreme health risks present, legal abortion is ethically mandated, just as any expectant parent should have the right to decide when it is known that the fetus is unhealthy.
Sound policy here must also take into consideration the reality of teenage girls who choose to abort for reasons largely personal and social, and typically due to their ages and circumstances as unsuitable for having children. This is an arena in which abortion is most easily opposed, in fact, because it goes to how cultural and family issues are the dominant forces in terminating potential life, and this is inherently invalid. Stigma and shame, as well as how girls are simply unequipped to deal with the repercussions of unprotected sex, should not be permitted to support abortion. If the society is in fact seeking to ethically and responsibly address the issue of unwanted children, it must then look to other elements within it to deal with such situations. For example, family and community support makes an enormous difference in cases of pregnant adolescents, and evidence supports that the girl who is not denied by her family receives the support necessary to make an informed decision (Gurtovnik 34). Adoption is one alternative, just as the supportive family may care for the child itself. What is essential is that, given the serious nature of abortion, reckless behavior should not be allowed to justify it.
Conclusion
Ultimately, to blindly support abortion is as irresponsible as to completely oppose it. Issues of faith, morality, and when human life begins aside, the reality remains that there are conditions under which legal and safe abortion is the right thing to do, and public policy must reflect this. Abortion should not be permitted when a woman’s mental health may greatly suffer as a result of the decision, and other avenues should be taken when pregnancy is a youthful indiscretion. Conversely, when medical issues are in play and the life of the mother and/or child is at risk, or when a woman is raped, there can be no denying the rightness of abortion. Policy must then work to legalize abortion, yet restrict it. There are never easy answers with abortion, but policy must address the fact that there are cases when it should be legally and safely done.
- Gurtovnik, Rudolph. A Study of the Effects of Abortion in the United States: The Reasoning Behind Abortions and Improving Access to Care. Boca Raton: Universal Publishers, 2008. Print.
- Schoen, Johanna. Choice and Coercion: Birth Control, Sterilization, and Abortion in Public Health and Welfare. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolia Press, 2006. Print.
- Silverstein, Helena. Girls on the Stand: How Courts Fail Pregnant Minors. New York: NYU Press, 2007. Print.
