Women S Abortion Rights

Céline Mwangi
999858818
March 19, y

My Body, My Choice!

There is a lot of ethical issues and laws that are put in place declaring and permitting what individuals can and cannot do. Abortion is the most controversial issues faced in today’s society. It is the procedure of destroying and removal of the zygote/fetus in the womb in order to end a pregnancy. This issue raises questions of whether the fetus is considered a human life and if it has the same value as the mother carrying it. How can we consider it a human being when it is not living outside of the womb and has to rely on the woman’s nutrients and body for survival? I personally believe that life does not really start at conception, however starts when the child is born. My opinion on this issue is that abortion is a private matter and is a decision that should only be left to the mother without any interference from the government and society. In Canada women are lucky enough to have the privilege of having the rights to their bodies however there are a lot of questions and concerns regarding this issue. Abortion should also be seen as the start of women’s control and rights when it comes to matters regarding their bodies. In this paper I will be supporting the view that abortion is morally acceptable especially with the many circumstances to consider and also the Canadian public should accept that it is a fundamental human right in the constitution. I will present feminists’ own points of view as well as other sources to support my argument. Abortion is divided into two opinionative groups, these are the pro-choice and the pro-life supporters. Pro-choice supporters argue that the woman has the right to have a choice whether to have an abortion or not. The pro-life supporters are the opposite and believe that life begins at conception and having an abortion is a form of murder done to an innocent child. However some of them support the idea that abortion should only occur if the pregnancy was a result of rape, incest or illness that the mother might have that can harm both mother and child (Kuss). I find this view flawed and hypocritical due to the fact that they strongly believe it is murder however they also make exceptions for it. What makes the fetus conceived as a result of a consensual sex more important and valued than the one of rape / incest? There is no difference at all, therefore it is absolutely ambiguous to have such views and it is not right to question the choices and decline service to those women who want to have an abortion. I believe it is acceptable for a woman to resort to abortion, in the case that the woman lacks financial support, they cannot offer a stable home for the child. Most women are too young and not ready to accept responsibility. I find it to be acceptable for women to choose abortion as the solution to their problems because it is not fair to the mother nor the child to live in an unstable environment wether financially or mentally. For example abusive households, drug addiction in the family which result in the neglect of the child. What pro-life supporters fail to understand is that, once the fetus is brought to term and a child is born, it is the woman who will be responsible for it. None of them will be there to support her with everyday needs. Who will pay for daycare? Who 's will buy diapers? Who will pay the bills? They neglect to see it is all left to the mother and the resources or the lack of. One other reason that I am pro-abortion is the life-changing circumstances that face the mother especially in teen pregnancies. The young woman is faced with the decision of staying in school or giving all that up in order to care for the child since it becomes her man priority in life. Not only does it affect their education, but also some teens are kicked out of their parents house mainly because of the shame they have brought to the family. Therefore it is unfair for the child to be brought into this world if they will not have a fulfilling and a happy privileged life. This can only cause mental instability to both mother and child. Those against abortion lack to realize that they have not had a personal experience with abortion nor have they been in someone else’s shoes who has had to deal with such a decision. In Canada we see hundreds of people outside parliament hill protesting against abortion. This act might influence the government to open the debate of abortion and even change the laws they have already passed. However, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said, “As long as I am prime minister we are not opening the abortion debate” (Wyd, 2012). I absolutely support this notion because I believe that the government has no business nor should they have a say when it comes to women and the rights to their bodies. A woman has the choice to decide what is right and wrong her for her body and her life. Mr Harper continued to state that, “The government will not bring forward any such legislation, and any such legislation that is brought forward will be defeated as long as I am prime minister.” This goes to show if the government strongly believes it is the person’s right to choose then the public should not have the ability to riot, demand for laws to change and give grief to those who support abortion. Legalizing abortion is the only choice, no matter what side an individual supports.Women will try to do whatever they can to ensure to maintain their lifestyle this meaning that they will access unsafe abortion procedures no matter what the risks are. This is why abortion should be legal and continue to be in order to offer safe and professional services to women. There are many issues in society today that do not have a general agreement to or even pose a debate. Society simply considers them a norm. Author Joan R. Bullock states in her article that,“There are many philosophical questions on which we have no consensus in society. Marriage & divorce, sex outside of marriage & suicide are all issues on which people have strong beliefs. But there is no consensus. The choice is left to the person. However there are questions concerning abortion” (1994). Society has come to terms with matters of marriage and divorce, which in the past was not deemed right. Women fought the right to this matter, the right to change the laws that prevented them from leaving their husbands. Today divorced women are not shunned by society but they are rather uplifted. Why can we not do the same for the brave young women seeking abortion, who want to make life decisions of their own? We look at marriage, divorce, sex outside of wedlock as one’s choice and we come to respect them. Abortion should also be viewed the same way, all those seeking want is the rights to their bodies and society should not oppose to their beliefs and rights. In 1982, Ronald Reagan once stated; “Simple morality dictates that unless and until someone can prove the unborn human is not alive, we must give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it is [alive]. And thus, it should be entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The mistake in this statement is the assumption that the fetus is “alive,” therefore it cannot be considered as murder. As I mentioned earlier in the paper, most women choose abortion because they know they cannot provide the child with a happy life as Reagan suggested of entitling them with the chance to happiness. What pro-life supporters do not seem to understand is that abortion is who’s choice it really is and also those affected by the decision made whether it is positive or negative. If an unstable woman, whether financially, emotionally or even physically feels the need to terminate the pregnancy it is her given right to do so because she sees whats fit for her and also the child she is about to bring into her world. Pro-choice feminists argue that a big move for women to free themselves from male domination is they must have control over the rights to their bodies. Dependance in men is another way women are oppressed mainly based on the fact they are a woman, therefore they simply have no rights to anything. In her article “Abortion Through a Feminist Ethics Lens,” Susan Sherwin argues that, “not every woman is able to put her job, career, and studies on hold.” “Women who feel, too young, too old, or who are unable to maintain lasting relationships may recognize that they will not be able to care properly for a child at this time” (Sherwin, 1991). On this view, the woman finds herself in a difficult position as I stated earlier, society holds her responsible for her actions and feel the need to impose their beliefs on them. Without abortion rights young women have to sacrifice everything they have achieved or trying to achieve in order to raise the child. This can also be seen as “oppression”, because without these rights she is forced to become dependant on men, dependant on the government, she therefore has to result in unsafe procedures to get what she wants. Women should be given the freedom to be in control of their life, freedom to pursue education, careers, and the obligation of being mothers. Women that go through with abortion are viewed as heartless, selfish and that they are violating human rights. Society looks down upon them but don 't take into account that: “no one wants an abortion as she wants an ice-cream cone or a porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal, caught in a tap, wants to gnaw off its own leg. Abortion is a tragic attempt to escape desperate situation by an act of violence and self loss. Abortion is not a sign that women are free, but a sign that they are desperate” (Frederica, 1997). I strongly agree with this, women are not having abortions because they don 't value what is inside them but because of the negative impact it will have on their lives. Women don’t get pregnant with the intention of abortion, their decisions are not malicious but as an easy solution to their difficult predicament. Without reproductive rights that legalize abortion rights women face not completing their education, interruption in their jobs and careers which impacts their financial status to raise a child. The government and society should not have any say when it comes to reproductive rights. That choice is for the woman alone. Many issues have been fought in order to win political, economical, and reproductive rights for all women. However reproductive choices and rights such as abortion are not fulfilled, meaning if these rights are denied the equality for women have not been fully achieved. Women are still not control of their bodies and have to rely on government laws to dictate what can and cannot be done with matters regarding their bodies. The importance of my argument is that laws against abortion kill women just because it is illegal it does not mean that the woman will not have one. Abortion rights make it safer for them and does not put their lives at risk. What a woman decides to do with her body is nobody’s business and it should stay that way.

Bibliography

“Abortion.” Stand for Life. 17 Oct. 2008. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.

Higgind, Michael, and Judy Rebicks. “Abortion Rights.” The Globe and Mail. 02 Feb. 2008. ProQuest. Web. 6 Mar. 2014.

Joan R. Bullock, Abortion Rights in America,1994 BYU L. Rev. 63 (1994)

Kuss,Karen. “Women and Reproductive Rights.” Women and Gender Studies 250. University of Toronto, Mississauga. Lecture. 24 Feb. 2014.

Mathewes-Greene Frederica.“Real Choices: Listening to Women, Looking for Alternatives to Abortion” Ben Lamond, California: Concilla Press. 1997.

Sherwin, Susan.(1991). Abortion Through a Feminist Ethics Lens. In Marilyn Pearsall (Eds.). Women and Values (pp. 344-354). Belmont , CA : Wadsworth.

Wyld, Adrian. “How the abortion debate has reared its head in Parliament.” CBC.com. Canadian Press, 26 Apr. 2012.
Web. 4 Mar. 2014.

Bibliography: “Abortion.” Stand for Life. 17 Oct. 2008. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. Higgind, Michael, and Judy Rebicks. “Abortion Rights.” The Globe and Mail. 02 Feb. 2008. ProQuest. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. Joan R. Bullock, Abortion Rights in America,1994 BYU L. Rev. 63 (1994) Kuss,Karen. “Women and Reproductive Rights.” Women and Gender Studies 250. University of Toronto, Mississauga. Lecture. 24 Feb. 2014. Mathewes-Greene Frederica.“Real Choices: Listening to Women, Looking for Alternatives to Abortion” Ben Lamond, California: Concilla Press. 1997. Sherwin, Susan.(1991). Abortion Through a Feminist Ethics Lens. In Marilyn Pearsall (Eds.). Women and Values (pp. 344-354). Belmont , CA : Wadsworth. Wyld, Adrian. “How the abortion debate has reared its head in Parliament.” CBC.com. Canadian Press, 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.