Extended Writing Task Abortion

question_id: 5507

Abortion

The Pro-Life and Pro-Choice Arguments on Abortion

Regardless of legislative decisions, abortion rates are similar in countries where such procedures are legal and parts of the world where they are banned, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports. Currently, there are no multinational or international treaties governing the legality of abortions and each country is left to design its own legal framework.

When it comes to abortions, two main schools of thought clash with each other pro-life and pro-choice supporters. While one group highlights the benefits of abortions, the other takes a firm stance against such procedures.

The issue is of incredible importance because it has a profound impact on the lives of millions of women in reproductive age across the world. WHO reports that worldwide, an estimated 25 million abortions occur on an annual basis. A new Lancet study published in 2017 suggests that approximately 55 percent of these procedures were conducted safely, following medical guidelines. A third of abortions were performed using an outdated method and 14 percent were carried out either by untrained individuals or without following medical guidelines.

Restrictive laws were associated to a higher likelihood of unsafe abortions being carried out.

Should abortions be legal and readily accessible? What are the pros and cons of such procedures?

The Pros of Abortion

Bodily autonomy is quoted as one of the most important reasons for the legalization and the ready availability of such procedures.

In various countries, including Western European nations and the US, abortion has been named one of the fundamental human rights. A US court case from 1973 had the Supreme Court concluding that this right is actually guaranteed by the constitution.

Reproductive autonomy empowers women to take charge of their bodies and their lives. A woman should have the choice about when to have a child (if at all) and when to terminate a pregnancy. Through legal abortions, women can participate equally in the economic and social life of a nation.

Access to legal, professionally-performed abortions reduces the risk of black-market and back alley surgeries. These can lead to severe complications down the line, as well as death. According to Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Keck School of Medicine in Southern California Daniel Mishell, prior to the legalization of abortions women would endanger themselves through self-administration or seeking such procedures from unqualified individuals. In 1972, 39 women died due to illegal abortions. By 1976 and due to legislative change, the number has gone down to two.

The Cons of Abortion

The number one argument against abortion is that the procedure kills a human being. This stance is typically adopted by individuals who believe that life begins at conception and a foetus has the right to protection.

Depending on when an abortion procedure is carried out, a foetus may experience pain (typical for abortions carried out later on in the pregnancy). The spinal reflex, a primitive form of pain response, has been observed by eight weeks of gestation.

An abortion can also contribute to psychological damage in women who are not prepared for the procedure and its aftermath. Feelings of guilt could become overwhelming. According to a report published in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, young women who undergo abortion are more predisposed to suffering from depression than those who carry to term. In the study, women who underwent an abortion were 154 percent more likely to commit suicide than those who did not terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

One more argument against abortion is that killing a human being out of convenience is immoral. In a sense, abortion may be used as a “late” form of contraception by some people. Taking away a human life should not be acceptable due to poor lifestyle choices.

According to a report by the Guttmacher Institute, 45 percent of the women who have abortion in a given year have had a previous abortion. In 2014, 8.6 percent of the women who terminated a pregnancy had three or more previous abortions, the CDC reported.

What’s your view?