A Woman’s Decision: Pro Life vs. Pro Choice
The battle for women’s rights rages on, as over the years, men stuck in office buildings have attempted to make personal choices for them. Why are we allowing judges and legislators to make the decision, for what should be, an individual’s choice? The constitutional allowance for a woman’s choice to terminate a pregnancy has been argued repeatedly. Opponents of the issue identify their detest, calling it murder. Also raising the question, where do we draw the line? Must a fetus be viable (able to survive outside the womb) to be considered a true human life, does life begin at conception, or birth? The real question, is should women be forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy (regardless of circumstances) to full term, with no choice in the matters of their own bodies? I say no. Women deserve the right to make the personal choice of whether or not to have children. The constitution agrees. Foremost, denying a woman the fundamental right to make decisions for her body and her future violates the individual rights granted in the constitution. …show more content…
The ninth amendment identifies that although abortion is not explicitly stated in the constitution, an individual maintains their right to personal choice. The fourteenth amendment clarifies that “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Thus, depriving a woman of input for her future violates this amendment. (Annenberg Classroom. National Constitution Center, 2014, Web. 18 Dec. 2014.) Additionally, outlawing abortion would open a whole other world of economic and moral hurt for the nation. Many women chose to abort babies that have severe abnormalities or terminal illnesses that may result in death at, or shortly after birth. When a pregnancy threatens the life or health of the mother, an abortion is a reasonable and safe solution. Financially concerning, most women who have unintended pregnancies, are often not in the fiscal position to have a child, most living under the poverty level. Therefore, your tax dollars go towards welfare to benefit those children. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan federal agency, evaluated a proposed anti-abortion bill that would ban all abortions nationwide after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and found that the resulting additional births would increase the federal deficit by $225 million over nine years, due to the increased need for Medicaid coverage. Statistics also show that these welfare dependent mothers often become victims of domestic violence. (Abortion ProCon.org. ProCon.org. 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014) Furthermore, medical abortions are safe and legal, preventing the use of illegal, dangerous, and “back alley” abortions. So rather than having these women gather around a tree with their coat hangers, let’s allow access to safe and legal alternatives. Pro-life activists fail to acknowledge the danger of passing laws against abortion. Home methods have been around for centuries, and more injuries and fatalities will occur if women are forced to resort to such solutions. Opponents claim that abortion is more dangerous that childbirth. False, the risk of death associated with childbirth is approximately 14 times higher than that with abortion. (Elizabeth G Raymond/David A. Grimes, Obstet Gynocol, PubMed.org
The battle for women’s rights rages on, as over the years, men stuck in office buildings have attempted to make personal choices for them. Why are we allowing judges and legislators to make the decision, for what should be, an individual’s choice? The constitutional allowance for a woman’s choice to terminate a pregnancy has been argued repeatedly. Opponents of the issue identify their detest, calling it murder. Also raising the question, where do we draw the line? Must a fetus be viable (able to survive outside the womb) to be considered a true human life, does life begin at conception, or birth? The real question, is should women be forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy (regardless of circumstances) to full term, with no choice in the matters of their own bodies? I say no. Women deserve the right to make the personal choice of whether or not to have children. The constitution agrees. Foremost, denying a woman the fundamental right to make decisions for her body and her future violates the individual rights granted in the constitution. …show more content…
The ninth amendment identifies that although abortion is not explicitly stated in the constitution, an individual maintains their right to personal choice. The fourteenth amendment clarifies that “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Thus, depriving a woman of input for her future violates this amendment. (Annenberg Classroom. National Constitution Center, 2014, Web. 18 Dec. 2014.) Additionally, outlawing abortion would open a whole other world of economic and moral hurt for the nation. Many women chose to abort babies that have severe abnormalities or terminal illnesses that may result in death at, or shortly after birth. When a pregnancy threatens the life or health of the mother, an abortion is a reasonable and safe solution. Financially concerning, most women who have unintended pregnancies, are often not in the fiscal position to have a child, most living under the poverty level. Therefore, your tax dollars go towards welfare to benefit those children. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan federal agency, evaluated a proposed anti-abortion bill that would ban all abortions nationwide after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and found that the resulting additional births would increase the federal deficit by $225 million over nine years, due to the increased need for Medicaid coverage. Statistics also show that these welfare dependent mothers often become victims of domestic violence. (Abortion ProCon.org. ProCon.org. 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014) Furthermore, medical abortions are safe and legal, preventing the use of illegal, dangerous, and “back alley” abortions. So rather than having these women gather around a tree with their coat hangers, let’s allow access to safe and legal alternatives. Pro-life activists fail to acknowledge the danger of passing laws against abortion. Home methods have been around for centuries, and more injuries and fatalities will occur if women are forced to resort to such solutions. Opponents claim that abortion is more dangerous that childbirth. False, the risk of death associated with childbirth is approximately 14 times higher than that with abortion. (Elizabeth G Raymond/David A. Grimes, Obstet Gynocol, PubMed.org