Many people have different opinions on whether abortions should be legal. If I had to choose if abortions should be legal or illegal, I would side with keeping them legal. I say this because women should have the right to make decisions for their own body. Additionally, it can stop a woman’s life from getting ruined. Not to mention that if abortion becomes illegal, the death rate among women will increase by an average of 31 Percent.
Basic Human Right
To begin with, women should have the right to make decisions for their own body. Adding onto my point, Human Rights Watch (HRW.gov) also states, “Access to safe, legal abortion is a matter of human rights. Authoritative interpretations of international human rights law establish that denying women, girls, and other pregnant people access to abortion is a form of discrimination and jeopardizes a range of human rights.”
This elaborates the idea that making abortions illegal is a form of discrimination in its own way. An idea which I strongly agree with. Abortion is a basic right that should be available for ALL women. Having a baby is not a matter to be taken lightly. When a baby is born, it requires proper care to help them thrive. But in some cases, the mother is not in a position in her life to take on all that responsibility. It’s prejudiced that other people can rule out an option for a woman’s life/body even when she isn’t in the state to have the baby. This makes life hard and unjust for the mother and the child.
It helps women in numerous ways.
Furthermore, abortions can prevent a woman’s life from getting ruined. In correspondence with my statement, CDC (cdc.gov) states, “Teen mothers are less likely to finish high school and are more likely to live in poverty than other teens.” To support this fact even more, the World Health Organization (who.int) says, “Unintended pregnancies can further lead to cycles of high fertility, as well as lower educational and employment potential and poverty—challenges which can span generations.” And on top of that, this unintended pregnancy can seriously affect the mother’s mental health, aside from the obvious physical strain. Drexel University College of Medicine (drexel.edu) vocalizes, “Women with unplanned pregnancies that were unwanted are more likely to smoke, use illicit drugs and be at greater risk for maternal anxiety and depression.”
Pregnancy is one of the leading factors for teens dropping out of school. And not receiving proper education results in a domino effect. Without education, teens can’t withhold jobs with good salaries, which, in the future, leads to poverty. Poverty is a serious matter and impacts a person both mentally and physically. So just imagine what it’s like for a pregnant woman—especially if she is a single mother. This can easily lead to depression and higher rates for drug use, making women more likely to smoke. Which hurts the baby and the woman.
The death rate increases.
Not to mention that if abortion becomes illegal, the average death rate among women will increase by 31 percent. According to the following study by the Center for American Progress (americanprogress.org), if abortion is banned throughout the United States, the number of pregnancy-related deaths would rise by 24 percent. However, for Black women, their deaths would rise by 39 percent, which is devastating.
To support my reason even more, Human Rights Watch (hrw.org) also states, “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for girls and young women ages 15 to 19, and children ages 10 to 14 have a higher risk of health complications and death from pregnancy than adults.”
Conclusion
To wrap it all up, I strongly believe that abortion should be legal. If someone is deciding something about another person’s body, it’s discrimination, but in a different shape. It can also be a life-changing option for an unsuspecting mother. And if this form of discrimination is continued, there will be a major leap in the death rate among women.
Thank you for taking the time to read my writing and understand my viewpoint on the issue.