Let Me Decide

Let Me Decide
A lawyer and feminist, Florynce Kennedy, once said “If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament”(“MIT Pro-Choice” 2). Florynce said this during a time when women had little to no control over their own body when the subject of abortion is at hand. The conflict of abortion is one that this country continues to struggle with to this day. Members of the American religious community must be made aware that abortion, in some cases, can be beneficial to both mother and child. Although some Atheist Americans could argue that a woman bearing the child should ultimately be the deciding factor if an abortion is appropriate for her scenario, other actively religious Americans might insist on making abortion illegal at all costs based on moral and religious values, which could result in conflict across these cultures.
In fact, the majority of Atheist Americans along with Buddhist Americans happen to be pro-choice. To be able to understand why most Atheists approve of abortion, first be able to interpret what an
Atheist is. “Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods...Atheism is not a belief system nor is it a religion”(“American Atheists” 1). Being an Atheist does not mean that a person has no set of morals or values, they are simply people that do not believe in a spiritual higher power of enlightenment. While Buddhists do believe in the higher spiritual power, Buddha, which is talked about in the Tipitaka, their book of worship. The Tipitaka once convinced Buddhists that any form of abortion was unacceptable under all circumstances. The Dalai Lama is someone whose opinion matters a great deal to Buddhists so when he stated: “Of course, abortion, from a Buddhist viewpoint, is an act of killing and is negative, generally speaking. But it depends on the circumstances. If the unborn child will be retarded or if the birth will create serious problems for the parent, these are cases where there can be an exception. I think abortion should be approved or disapproved according to each circumstance”(“New York Times” 2), a larger Buddhist population became pro-choice. The Dalai Lama brings to light a common scenario: if a fetus shows signs that it will live a mentally challenging life, then why would a parent want them to suffer through a very cruel American society? A review from Britain’s Royal College reveals that a part of the brain called the cortex is needed to have any sort of pain perception. This review also says that a cortex does not begin to develop under the 26th week of pregnancy. Note that an abortion at this point is extremely rare due to the possibility of potential harm to the mother.When other religions push the idea of “pro-life”, they forget to take into account that when a woman receives an abortion, she is not “anti-life”. She simply wishes to exercise her right to treat her body the way she deemed fit, like the American she is. Woman have worked too long and too hard to have a right to say what happens to their own body and when they want is to happen.With this being said, would you take away a man’s right to have a vasectomy? Or would this action also be considered “anti-life”? Atheists and Buddhists have found a way to not force their moral beliefs onto others based on a personal religion or philosophy. Letting a woman take control of her body and life is a goal Americans have been trying to reach for centuries, so continue to empower, not demean or shame them.
Conversely, religious Christian Americans, along with other religions like Hinduism, Islam, or Judaism, are likely to be pro-life.
This position favors the fetus to make abortion illegal. Christians are major advocates for banning abortion because their God and bible classify it as murder. A key issue that will get brought up is the topic of adoption. In theory, adoption seems like the perfect alternative to abortion because no intended harm is happening to the mother or fetus. At the same time, AdoptUSKids.org has reported 400,000 kids under 18 in America to be in foster care. Of these 400,000 kids, approximately 20,000 of these kids per year won't get adopted and will age out of this system. The number of kids waiting for the miracle of adoption will eventually increase; if abortion is used to regulate population then it should not be illegal. The pro-life campaign also targets the subject defying God by going through with and
abortion.
Thus to conclude, many non - religious Americans advocate pro-choice when most actively religious people are pro-life because of practicing religious belief. Abortion is an issue that has divided Americans for too long now. Just because pro-choice is a standpoint for some, does not mean they will all receive abortions. The beauty of pro-choice is that a woman decides her fate, without the shame of pro-life. Florynce Kennedy said it best, so why would power be given to men that do not understand the things women go through, when women have fought so long for their right to have control?