The discussion over whether or not abortion should be legal in the US continues to stir reactions from different people and groups even after its legalization. There are several approaches suggested towards solving this issue. In this case, we consider two opposing sides providing opposite views on the issue of abortion.
The proponents of this debate, recognize themselves as pro-choice, they claim that abortion is a human right that everyone should enjoy. These people argue that right for abortion for women outweighs any right accrued to an embryo or foetus.
There are several key points that go towards supporting abortion among women. According to the current US laws recognized by the court abortion is a fundamental right to the citizens. A pregnant woman has the right to choose whether to abort without any hindrances. According to biological facts, personhood does not begin at conception but rather at birth. Therefore, there should not be any limitation of time for abortion in Texas. Abortion ends the pregnancy, but not the life of a baby.
There is no study indicating that foetus are capable of feeling pain during an abortion, and thus no sufficient reason to limit abortion. Research shows that permitting abortion minimizes injuries and deaths that result from illegal abortions.
The people who oppose abortion as a law in the US base their claims on religious grounds and no scientific evidence to challenge the law. The law should not depend upon religious ideologies and church beliefs. . In countries where abortion is legal, the modern methods employed in carrying out the process have proved safe.
Many women need a doctor’s advice for them to adopt most of the birth control methods, and none of these methods has an insurance cover. Due to this fact, abortion among women proves necessary to control unwanted births. In the US, the American Medical Association (AMA) view abortion as a medical procedure if done by a medical specialist. Modern technology allows the detection of the nature and traits of a foetus. If the foetus has medical complications, abortion provides an option of avoiding such babies with life-threatening health conditions. Abortion also helps to avoid bringing into the world unwanted babies. It is not prudent to bear a child without having any financial resources to support the upbringing if the baby, thus abortion proves an option.
On the other hand, a number of people vehemently oppose any propositions and instituted laws supporting abortion. These people outline several facts and opinions against abortion as discussed in the following paragraphs.
Life begins from conception, and the unborn babies have a right to life just like the other human beings. Providing biblical evidence, the sixth commandment in the Bible condemns the act of killing as this defies God’s commandment to human beings. Abortion involves killing of the unborn baby, and this is contrary to the biblical guidelines.
According to some studies conducted, foetus past twenty weeks of growth can experience pain during the abortion process. These studies are a good reason to ban or limit abortions among women. Furthermore, the traditional oath of doctors into service contains a clause that forbids and restrains a doctor from participating in abortion.
The founding fathers’ of the US intentions include a right to life of every person including the unborn babies. Allowing abortion in the nation will be going against the independence declaration unalienable right to life.
Moreover, people should stop using abortion as a way of controlling unwanted pregnancies. All women should adopt different contraceptives as options for avoiding the unwanted pregnancies. Studies have also indicated that carrying out abortions leads to psychological damage to the women who carried out the abortions. Therefore, it is in the interest of the society to avoid such cases among people by restricting abortion (Podell 1990).
Selective abortion of unborn babies based on physical limitations shows discrimination among human beings. People should stop discrimination against abortion in the society, as having a disability does not make a person less human than the other. In addition, abortion reduces the number of babies for adoption.
Lastly, abortion among women increases the chance for a miscarriage in the later pregnancies of a woman. Studies indicate that abortion increases the risk of developing breast cancer among women. Therefore, abortion should be legal among women to avoid such cases.
In conclusion, governments should enact laws that regulate abortion rather than a complete ban on abortion as the best choice of ruling among all other approaches to the case.
References
Podell, J. (1990). Abortion. New York: H.W. Wilson Co.
