Sally Markowitz Abortion

Sally Markowitz explains in her essay why it is right to abortion sometimes. She points out that some women are forced such as with rape. It should be our choice to give the abortion because it is our bodies, and we should decide what is right. She also points out that women’s oppression is not right, because the majority who control it are men. Women are always sexually oppressed by men so by having the right of abortion it should not be up to men.
Why is it that women have to get an abortion because they are poor and “don’t have a choice.” Markowitz says that there have to be sacrifices whether the men like it or not. For men to make choices for the women to have an abortion or not is stripping them from those rights. Saying that "women's oppression is the status quo. Even if individual women are compensated by money, services, or opportunities, sexual oppression may remain" ( Markowitz, 122) focuses completely on women's rights, as the
most of material in her essay. Although, when she tells about suggested feminist approach when questioning "the double standard that requires that women pay for 'irresponsible' sex while men don't have to...", I found myself with Professor Markowitz in agreement, but the later comment of hers that "women simply do not believe they can control the conditions under which they have sex"is totally absurd in my opinion. If women want equality, they should control the situation under which they have sex, the same way men control those conditions. Legally, men cannot force women into sexual intercourse and same goes for women, otherwise it will be considered a rape, thus a crime. In response to one of her defenses where she suggests that we should be "clearly committed to providing all women with access to abortion, since to allow abortions only for those who can afford them forces poor women, who are doubly oppressed to make special sacrifices.", the reply is that no matter to what class women may belong, nobody in my opinion should be having an access to the legal abortion.
She also mentions that "from a feminist perspective, however, abortion is a political issue, one which essentially concerns the interests of and power relations between men and women" . This might be true for some politicians, however, I would not label abortion as a political issue, but rather as an issue of morality. Nobody should gain from arguing on whether killings should be legal or not solely for a political benefit. This should not be an issue of feminism, but an issue of the moral ethics. Talking about how abortion is aimed against women, or benefits men, is losing the main point - the right to life of the
unborn.