Brady- Crite
English 900
6 November 2012
Free Will
Hilary Clinton Once said, "I have met thousands and thousands of pro-choice men and women. I have never met anyone who is pro-abortion.” Abortion has always been an extremely controversial topic between pro-life and pro-choice groups. Pro-choice advocates believe that abortion should remain legal, while pro-life groups believe that abortion is murder and should be outlawed. One has his or her own views and opinions; despite what several people may believe, abortion should remain legal and the choice of the mother. Abortion should be legal because of the issues women face when making the decision to give birth to a child. These issues include financial instability, health concerns and, social problems within family and friends. Financial problems can play a big role on whether a woman decides to have an abortion. Women that face these issues have a better chance to have an abortion if they become pregnant. If society makes women reproduce, then these women must feed, provide clothing, and educate these children to make them productive members of society. For instance, if a woman has an unplanned pregnancy, she may not be able to afford raising a child. This can later lead to a child growing up in poverty. Another problem pregnant women may face is raising children alone. “Today, 19 million children live in single-mother families.” Women raising children alone are more susceptible to having financial problems because they do not have that extra support to take care of a child. One who is opposed the legalization of abortion might believe that the solution to these problems would be receiving help from family and friends, or having the father of the newborn pay child support, but sometimes they can have their own financial problems to take care of. Illegalizing abortion can affect many women who suffer from financial issues.
Another reason abortion should remain legal is the fact that child birth can have serious effects on either the mother or child. The mother can have different conditions that can risk her life if she goes into labor. Millions of women are diagnosed and informed that they have a life threatening condition that could mean life or death if they have a child; making these women go through with pregnancy is almost like making her commit suicide. A woman's life should be considered a more valuable life than the life of the fetus. One feels this way because if something were to happen to the woman the potential life of the fetus would not even exist. There are also many conditions that can endanger the fetus. According to a September of 2005 issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, three percent of women who have abortions, do so because of a health issue or abnormality with the baby. A woman should not be expected to bring a child into this world if there is something seriously wrong with them, such as paralysis, or being severely, mentally challenged. A pro-life supporter may believe there are different alternatives such as putting an innocent, unborn child’s life before the mothers or giving the baby a chance to live, but a very unhealthy baby would most likely die before the parents, causing the parents sadness and sorrow. Health issues on either the mother or child can really affect one’s decision on having an abortion or not.
The final reason women should have the right to an abortion is the many social issues a woman can face if she becomes pregnant. In