A woman’s choice to abort her baby or keep it to full term is no longer her personal choice but has rather turned into a choice that is dictated to her by the government and the society. The differing state laws on abortion throughout the country reflect this making it difficult for a woman to exercise rights over her own body. The debate on abortion becomes all the more heated and vociferous as religion, science, politics, law and morality enter the fray. A private issue thus becomes a social issue, a political issue, a religious issue, a moral one and also an insurance issue. Ban on Abortion and legislation making it difficult for a woman to terminate her baby is viewed by pro choice people as limiting a woman’s reproductive freedom. The debate on abortion has come to such a state that everyone has a say on it- from the church to the politicians making it part of their electoral agenda. What should be dealt privately by the woman herself has now moved on to the public sphere with the mental and physical health of the woman and the baby in the hands of legislators, religious men and politicians. Politicizing a personal and private issue and letting the government interfere and make rules sets bad precedence leading to an Orwellian world where the government monitors and regulates every aspect of your life.
The reason abortions has come out of the private realm and is out in the public realm is that people are divided on the issue of the fetus as a human being. While pro-choice advocates are for termination even during late stages of pregnancy due to medical reasons, pro-life advocates claim that the fetus also is human. The debate on abortion is not a recent or a new social issue. It has been around for centuries. Although early civilizations had their own methods of contraception and abortion, it began to be discussed as a topic around the time when Greek and Roman civilizations were at its Zenith. The question over when the fetus becomes a human being was raised by the early Jews and it was decided that a fetus or a baby as long as it was inside the woman belonged to her and she had the right to terminate it or keep it. They decided that only when she gave birth to it, did the baby become human. The Romans believed the same and thus abortion was not illegal(Lopez 2012). Americans have always been divided over the issue of abortion and it is the divided camps of pro-life and pro-choice that has made it impossible for the same law on abortion to be established throughout the country. This division is also the reason why abortion has become a sensitive social issue. In recent times there have been numerous news reports about how women wanting abortions have been intimidated and shamed by pro-=life marchers and hoe certain states have made it difficult for women to have abortion by keeping the clinics far away. The Democrats and the republicans have been debating the issue of abortion in the electoral run-up with no clear rules yet being framed.
Abortion and the choice to get pregnant should be the prerogative of the woman. Although the humanitarian nature if not the moral stance of the pro-life activists could be understood, it is definitely not up others to decide what a woman does with the fetus. A unified federal law that clearly states the legality of an abortion applicable in all states would go a long way in tackling this issue. Efforts should also be made to cover abortion under the health plan and financial provisions should be made under the law to help a woman if she chooses to raise her kid. Access to contraceptives and abortion clinics will help prevent a lot of unwanted babies. Planned Parenthood will also ensure that the parents are equipped to deal with the demands of raising a baby. The government, society and the family unit should ensure that sex education in mandatory in schools. This would go a long way in preventing teenage abortions. The society at large should also understand what the woman is going through instead of judging her. Proactive measures and not negative reactions is the need of the hour. A little humanity from all sides would help in dealing with abortion as a social issue.
References
Lopez, R. (2012). Perspectives on Abortion: Pro-Choice, Pro-Life, and What Lies in between. European Journal of Social Sciences. 27 (4), 511-517.
