Abortion is a controversial issue. However, despite of vigorous criticism, it has positive sides. In some cases abortion is a necessary procedure to save mother’s health (or even life) or prevent a birth of a child with a severe form of disability. Medical conditions, which are dangerous for mother, include impending miscarriage and cancer. In the first case there is a high risk the pregnancy will end up with a miscarriage because of the weak womb (Barari). Cancer diagnose often makes mother to choose between child’s health and own treatment. Cancer therapies can be toxic and affect child’s development. Treatment’s delay because of pregnancy leads to the disease progression; mother can loose time for own recovery, if she will decide to deliver. There are also many factors that lead to negative changes in fetus’s development. The list includes binge drinking, drug abuse, diseases like Chicken Pox or diabetes, genetic features and abnormal hormone levels. These factors can cause a development of the Down's syndrome and other disorders. It sounds cynically, but the abortion can prevent child’s suffering, parents’ problems and expenses for medical treatment and rehabilitation.
Abortion also has psychological and social benefits. It is difficult for a woman to deliver and raise a child that appeared because of rape. Sometimes it is better to get rid of a potentially healthy fetus to save mother’s psychical health. There are also cases when family cannot afford another child because of low income or other reasons. It sounds cynically again, but abortion helps to protect the system from an additional stress and gives existed people an opportunity to maintain their usual routine without financial or other restrictions.
There are also several major disadvantages of abortions. First of all, many societies criticize the procedure as an act of child destruction. The negative opinion bases on the belief the life starts at conception. When woman makes such decision, she risks to meet with own negative emotions and social critique regardless of reasons that provided a basis for this step. While recent studies showed abortion “does not increase the likelihood of mental-health problems” (Rochman), people’s negative opinion is a remaining threat.
While social dispraise can be treated as a secondary problem by some women, there are features and behavior patterns that affect directly their health and life. Both patients and doctors can have a neglectful attitude to the procedure. It leads to different problems. For example, women can treat abortion as a birth control method and use it too often or require services of unqualified medics that work in inappropriate conditions. These decisions can lead to severe consequences including infertility and death. Abortions have risks of complications even if they were performed in authorized medical facilities. There was a case of a 29-year-old schoolteacher Jennifer Morbelli who died “after amniotic fluid in her womb spilled into her bloodstream” (USA TODAY). The woman decided to make an abortion because of abnormal development of the fetus, and it led to the situation when her blood lost ability to clot. It shows the dalliance to the procedure can lead to the wrong choice of the doctor or conditions for termination of pregnancy. People often see abortion as a simple procedure, but it can cause different complications. The risk of these conditions exists even when abortion is performed by qualified experts and in credible medical centers.
Social feature can include a possibility to loose a potential famous person. There are examples of successful handicapped people. Some of them, like Nicholas James Vujicic, developed disabilities in utero. However, they were able to integrate into the society that would lose a significant member, if their mothers would decide to make an abortion at the proper time.
Works Cited
Barari, Anwesha. “7 Reasons You May Need An Abortion”. Boldsky, http://www.boldsky.com/pregnancy-parenting/basics/2013/need-necessary-abortion-032182.html. Accessed 20 Jan. 2017.
Rochman, Bonnie. “Having an Abortion Doesn’t Lead to Depression”. Healthland, http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/28/having-an-abortion-doesnt-lead-to-depression/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2017.
USA TODAY. “Authorities: Woman died from abortion complications”. Usatoday. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/21/woman-late-term-abortion-death/1935799/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2017.
