When looking back upon American history, as a country we all seem to agree on the progress we have made as a country. We pride ourselves on our freedom; our freedom of speech, freedom of decision, and freedom of choice. Our political leaders stand up on a podium and sermonize to their citizens about how we are the “land of the free”, and how lucky we are to live our daily lives in a place where we are entitled to our own opinions and beliefs. However, as a society we do not seem to always practice what we preach. If there is anything we abuse as a whole, it is our ability to make independent choices. While this idea applies to many different controversial issues, I will be focusing on the existing conflict regarding abortion. Women in society
…show more content…
One of the most consistent pro-life arguments is the idea of the “right to life.” This argument has been attempted many times to be made factual with scientific evidence, claiming that life begins at conception. Pro-life groups advocate that abortion is equivalent to murder due to the fetus being considered human, but there is no set in stone consensus defining whether life begins at fertilization, at birth, or somewhere in between. (Zhang. 1.) With all science set aside, it is common knowledge that a fetus is entirely dependent on the mother’s body, while a human is capable of surviving on its own. There is no scientific evidence needed to prove that true. Seth Millstein uses the example of donating organs, stating that even if they could be used to save someone else’s life you still reserve the right to deny donating them, because it is your right to your life. Becoming pregnant does not grant a fetus the right to use your body until it is capable of fending for …show more content…
In other words, women should be aware that being sexually active puts them at risk for becoming pregnant and should take responsibility for their actions. (Millstein. 1.) This argument is not only invalid, but irrational. Having a baby should not be used as a form of punishment for having sex, and sex should not be used as a scare tactic. It is also common for pro-life groups to preach that if women do not seek to have a baby, they should take advantage of contraceptives. If it were as easy as seeking contraceptives, there would be few to none unwanted pregnancies. Not everyone has access to and/or can afford contraceptives, and birth control methods are not always 100% effective. To make matters worse, sex education in America is extremely inadequate, and most people lack the proper knowledge of how to obtain and use birth control methods properly. For whatever reason, pro-life advocates seem to have all the time in the world to stand outside of Planned Parenthood facilities barking at women in need, but fail to make use of their time in ways that are productive and beneficial. If they want to collectively end abortion, then work towards better American sex education in schools, make contraceptives more accessible, don’t shame women for being sexually active, that does not solve the issue. The fault is not at the hands of
One of the most consistent pro-life arguments is the idea of the “right to life.” This argument has been attempted many times to be made factual with scientific evidence, claiming that life begins at conception. Pro-life groups advocate that abortion is equivalent to murder due to the fetus being considered human, but there is no set in stone consensus defining whether life begins at fertilization, at birth, or somewhere in between. (Zhang. 1.) With all science set aside, it is common knowledge that a fetus is entirely dependent on the mother’s body, while a human is capable of surviving on its own. There is no scientific evidence needed to prove that true. Seth Millstein uses the example of donating organs, stating that even if they could be used to save someone else’s life you still reserve the right to deny donating them, because it is your right to your life. Becoming pregnant does not grant a fetus the right to use your body until it is capable of fending for …show more content…
In other words, women should be aware that being sexually active puts them at risk for becoming pregnant and should take responsibility for their actions. (Millstein. 1.) This argument is not only invalid, but irrational. Having a baby should not be used as a form of punishment for having sex, and sex should not be used as a scare tactic. It is also common for pro-life groups to preach that if women do not seek to have a baby, they should take advantage of contraceptives. If it were as easy as seeking contraceptives, there would be few to none unwanted pregnancies. Not everyone has access to and/or can afford contraceptives, and birth control methods are not always 100% effective. To make matters worse, sex education in America is extremely inadequate, and most people lack the proper knowledge of how to obtain and use birth control methods properly. For whatever reason, pro-life advocates seem to have all the time in the world to stand outside of Planned Parenthood facilities barking at women in need, but fail to make use of their time in ways that are productive and beneficial. If they want to collectively end abortion, then work towards better American sex education in schools, make contraceptives more accessible, don’t shame women for being sexually active, that does not solve the issue. The fault is not at the hands of