Should Abortion Be Legalized?

A Presuasive-Argumentative Essay
Carmel Jo Angeli Uy Ho BC12-LL March 14, 2013

Should Abortion Be Allowed?

A lot of controversy has been raised regarding the booming of the cases of abortion. Several news articles, pro-abortion groups and even government officials aimed to justify this sudden increase. Reasons varying from the youth of today’s modern thinking to abortion being the only solution to some of the nation’s biggest dilemmas surfaced to the scene making abortion one of the most talked about issues of today. Despite the various studies that tried to prove the benefits of abortion, I still firmly believe that abortion poses a great threat to the child, the mother and to the society. “The problems of overpopulation and the skyrocketing occurrence of unwanted pregnancies can allegedly be remedied only by the legalization of abortion” (Sproul, 2008). This idea has been fueled by the observations of some well-known experts that abortion is greatly favorable to the betterment of the country. However, one must always consider that there are always two sides of a story. The thought of a human killing another is already very disturbing; how much more the thought of a mother openly putting an end to the life of her own flesh and blood? Every child inside a mother’s womb has rights that are unspoken but already understood: the right to be cherished, the right to be loved and the right to live (Hudson, 2006, p.31). An unborn child has as much right as everyone else to live the life he/she has been given. Therefore we, as mere human beings, do not have the authority to take it away from them. In the issue of abortion, it is obvious that the child’s safety is in danger, but more often than not, the mother’s well-being is taken for granted. Approximately 250,000 women die both from legal and illegal abortions every single year (Kreeft, 2004). “These are normally due to self-infection or blood poisoning caused by an infection to the uterus. According to some medical professionals, a damaged cervix, a perforated uterus, and hemorrhage, the most common of all, can also be the causes of death” (Kreeft, 2004). However, if a mother does escape the physical ailments, most women cannot surely dodge the emotional toll that abortion can provide. 86% of women who have had abortion experience severe emotional trauma and post-abortion emotional distress.55% of them experience guilt, and 31% become depressed which if left unattended, suicide may take place (Sproul, 2008). Since 2001, abortion has been made legal and accessible to the public in Germany with the hopes to lessen the growing number of unwanted pregnancies. Yes, it is true that abortion helped remedy this trouble but abortion also paved the way for yet another problem. “Within the next two years, streets were packed with the homeless, with the sick and people ranging from the ages of 60-74 as the majority” (Shaver, 2007). The mentality of people being as disposable as the unborn babies was quickly becoming a trend. When a family member becomes a burden due to old age and illnesses, they threw them out of the door and left them to fend for themselves. People were thrown out as often and as easy as throwing a dirty and used diaper in the garbage (Shaver, 2007). The values of compassion, family, and society are no longer present and sooner or later, these values may be nowhere to be found not only in Germany, but all throughout the world if the implementation of abortion will take place. On the contrary to what the experts have said, there are alternatives to solve the problems of overpopulation and unwanted pregnancies. As it has been said time and time again, the power of information is the most effective answer to overpopulation. The proper education of people regarding the essentiality of family planning and abstinence can and will make a difference. For unwanted pregnancies, adoption is always an option. “There are married couples who are struggling to bear child that are more than willing to take these children as their own. Doing this can also ensure the children’s safety and future (Sproul, 2008). Indeed, abortion can help solve the biggest problems of the country. But we, the people, have a choice: Whether we can take the easy way, thus disrupting religious beliefs, or we can take the harder, more tedious route therefore preserving our morality. More articles may arise favoring the side of abortion but I will still stand my ground that abortion is and always will be a menace to the different aspects of life.