Abortion Final Final

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Sarah Kim

English 100 M/W

Professor Obstfeld

23 May 2011

Personal Liberty

Women's right advocate Margaret Sanger once said, "No woman can call herself free

who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose

consciously whether she will or will not be a mother" ("Pro Choice Quotes"). For millenniums,

women have been viewed inferior to men, where no woman can call herself free. To this day

women still agonize from the restrictions for abortions. Every year, 1.7 million pregnant women

suffer a complication from delivery, which can have detrimental effects on their health (House).

Forcing child birth can cause severe harm to a woman that can result in their death. Women

should be given the option of having a medically safe abortion in order to preserve their physical

and mental wellness, in addition to having the ability to provide more for themselves and their

family. The United States Constitution should be amended to state that abortion is to be made

available throughout the entire pregnancy to preserve the life and health of the mother because

limiting abortion would be contradictory to the spirit of the Constitution by depriving a woman

of her rights to protect the health of her own body.

A woman should be guaranteed full control of her own body because she has contributed

more to society and above all has more value than a potential life. Since 1897, maternal mortality

ratios have increased from 6.6 deaths per 100,000 live births to 13.3 deaths per 100,000 live

births in 2006 ("Maternal Health in the US"). Although the value of the mother's life surpasses

that of an embryo not only by her cognizance but also, through her achievements in life, the


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Constitution fails to protect her health by limiting the option of having abortions. A woman is

fully developed and involved in daily activities such as her job or career. Women also play the

role of wife and often the primary caregiver to their children within the family structure. They

work in the home as well as outside the home. Women are recognized by society, and they have

established a reputable life of their own. On the other hand, a fetus is not fully developed and has

no way of contributing to society. An embryo is in and attached to the mother, which means it is

entirely dependent on the mother for survival; therefore, it should not obtain the same human

rights within the mother's womb.

Pro-life advocates argue that human life begins at conception, meaning the embryo is

alive and has the right to live; thus adoption should be an alternative to abortion. The issue of

whether an embryo is a human or not is a major component because pro-life advocates believe

aborting a fetus is considered murder. When comparing a tadpole to a frog, you find that tadpoles

develop into frogs, just as an embryo develops into a human being. An embryo is in the early

stages of development in the womb, which grants it a right to life. With these circumstances,

anti-abortionists believe adoption should be the only option to an unwanted child. Adoption

statistics reveal that every year 120,000 people adopt a child in the United States (Adoption

Option). With over 1.5 million American families seeking adoption, there is no such thing as an

unwanted child (Lowen). Moreover, going through with an abortion can also be a threat to the

womans health due to negative side effects it may cause including cancer, infertility, and post-

abortion syndrome (Abortion Side-Effects and Health Concerns). Therefore, choosing

adoption as an option would lower any health risks that would arise from undergoing abortion

procedures. Adoption would give the potential life an opportunity to pursue a life of its own.

Although, the pro-life advocates will argue that it is unjust for an embryo, whom they call


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a human being, to be denied equal rights of the mother, the life of the woman is far more

valuable to society and adoption should not be the predominant option. In 2007, there were

around 163 million orphaned children recorded all over the world (Orphans in the World).

With the figures so extreme, it is clear that putting your child up for adoption would only

increase the number of children without any parents, which is demoralizing and unfortunate. Not

only will the child suffer from the idea of being abandoned, but the mother will also face the

severe trauma of being separated from her baby. In addition, there is a long list of negatives and

disorders that effect both the child and the mother such as bonding issues, emotionally impaired

issues, oppositional defiant issues and more (Adoption:The Good, the Bad & the Ugly). Yet,

women are constantly accomplishing respectable and memorable goals throughout their lives, in

which society benefits. Rather than encouraging such negative consequences from adoption, a

womans life should be protected so she may maintain her involvement in society.

When seeking an alternative to having an abortion, the options available to women do

not always assure their desired outcomes, which then leaves abortion as the preeminent option.

Almost half of pregnancies among American women are unintended and four in ten of these

women choose abortion as their solution. In 2008, approximately 1.21 million abortions took

place in the United States (Abortion). With these statistics, twenty-two percent of all

pregnancies, excluding miscarriages, are terminated by abortion. When women are deprived of

their right to an abortion, they have to face the expenses of raising a baby to age eighteen, which

can cost between $125,000-$250,000not including college tuition (Baby Expenses). Such

expenses can be very difficult to maintain, especially for those who cannot afford it. However, in

2009 the average cost of a nonhospital abortion with a local anesthesia at ten weeks of gestation

was $451, a cost more appealing to those who are experiencing our societys economic crisis


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(Abortion). It is evident that limiting abortion would cause redundant problems for women all

over the world. Whether it concerns the health of the mother, the negatives and disorders as an

effect of adoption, the costly expenses of raising a child or that itsjust simply not the right time,

women should be allowed to make their own decisions to reach their fullest potential in life.


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Works Cited

"Abortion." Guttmacher Institute. Guttmacher Institute, 1996-2011. Web. 16 May 2011.

.

"Abortion Side-Effects and Health Concerns." Contraception Resource Info - Birth Control

Guide. Contracept.org, 11 May 2011. Web. 11 May 2011.

.

"Adoption Option." Child Adoption: Adoption Statistics - Open Adoption. AdoptionLounge,

2011. Web. 09 May 2011. .

"Adoption: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly."Associated Content. Yahoo. Web. 11 May 2011.

.

"Baby Expenses." Pregnancy Symptoms: Early Signs of Pregnancy, Week By Week. Sure Baby,

2011. Web. 16 May 2011. .

House, Peter Benenson. "Maternal Health in the US."Deadly Delivery. Amnesty International

Secretariat, 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

Lowen, Linda. "Pro-Life." Women's Issues - All About Women's Issues. The New York Times

Company. Web. 09 May 2011.

.

"Maternal Health in the US."Maternal Health in the US. Amnesty International USA, 2011.

Web. 04 May 2011. .


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"Orphans in the World." World | Number Of | How Many. Numberof, 2011. Web. 11 May 2011.

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"Pro Choice Quotes."Abortion Access and Information. Women's Abortion Action Campaign.

Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

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