The Abortion Debate

Abortion Research Paper
Abortion has been performed for thousands of years, and in every society that has been studied in some way shape or form. Abortions were openly advertised and commonly performed then and still are now. In fact, studies performed by Planned Parenthood show that more than 1 out of 3 women in the U.S. have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old (Abortion). Bringing a baby into the world is not something to take lightly and many women feel they should have the right to choice abortion. “Abolition of a woman's right to abortion, when and if she wants it, amounts to compulsory maternity: a form of rape by the State” (Abbey 192). Any law that is placed that denies the right of women to at least have the choice to
The two most famous cases are Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton. The Texas case, Roe v. Wade involved a pregnant, single woman, who was suing the Dallas County district attorney, Henry Wade, to prevent him from enforcing Texas' abortion prohibition. Since her life was not threatened by her pregnancy, she had no legal basis for receiving an abortion in Texas. A three-judge District Court ruled that could not sue, and declared Texas abortion law void for being "vague" and "overbroad". The overall ruling was that a state couldn’t restrict a women the right to abort during the first six months of pregnancy (Facts). The women rights activists were ecstatic about the victory. However, this ruling still had opposition from many people. From this two different labels emerged, if you were for the Roe vs. Wade decision then you were considered pro-choice and if your were against it you were pro-life. Soon another abortion case in Georgia sprung up. The case, Doe v. Bolton, involved a married woman who was also denied an abortion since her life and/or health wasn’t threatened, the baby wasn’t seriously deformed, and the pregnancy was not a result
Author Ursula Le Guin says,
“What was it like, in the Dark Ages when abortion was a crime, for the girl whose dad couldn’t borrow cash, as my dad could? What was it like for the girl who couldn’t even tell her dad, because he would go crazy with shame and rage? Who couldn’t tell her mother? Who had to go alone to that filthy room and put herself body and soul into the hands of a professional criminal?–because that is what every doctor who did an abortion was, whether he was an extortionist or an idealist. You know what it was like for her. You know and I know; that is why we are here. We are not going back to the Dark Ages”(Le 58). If a teenager was denied the right to have an abortion we would simply go back to the “Dark Ages” and back- alley abortions would be much more common which would lead to fatalities. If the teen decides to keep the baby it affects the teen’s life drastically. Only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by 22 years of age, versus approximately 90% of women who had not given birth during adolescence and fewer than 2% earn a college degree by age 30 (Make). Education is very important in this country and if you do not even receive a high school diploma the odds are you’re not going to be successful in life. Another thing is teenage girls who are pregnant, especially if they don't have support from their parents, are at risk of not getting adequate prenatal care.