Introduction
Abortion is the cessation of pregnancy at all its stages. There are many positives and negatives to this procedure, which is why there is a debate about permission to perform terminations. Abortions are distinguished between spontaneous (before the twenty-second week) and induced abortions (at the request of the woman). There is a continuing controversy about abortion and a debate about the moral, religious, and legal status of the termination of pregnancy. On June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court permitted some states to substantially limit a woman’s right to an abortion or even prohibit abortion (BBC News 00:00:50). This does not mean that abortion will automatically become illegal in the country. However, individual state authorities can now decide exactly how much to restrict abortion in their territory. Thus, arguments should be presented to support the rationale for allowing legal abortions.
The Right of Women to Manipulate Their Bodies
All women have the right to make decisions regarding changes to their bodies and the birth of their children. The Pro-choice movement sustains the opinion that a fetus is not a person. Therefore, the fetus has no right to influence the mother’s choices. Their arguments are based on commonly known facts in biology. For example, in the early stages of pregnancy, the human fetus has no nervous system or heart (Huss 2809). Consequently, it cannot feel pain, and its heart does not beat. Similar to women’s rights advocates, defenders of female rights are striving to reduce the number of abortions (Dahya 00:03:02). However, they argue for every pregnant woman to be enabled to terminate an unwanted pregnancy promptly and safely.
The prohibition of abortion does not improve demographics and quality of life; in countries where abortion is outlawed, women are still having abortions only with the use of dangerous methods. According to the World Health Organization, illegal abortions take the lives of 47,000 women every year (Dahya 00:08:51). Pro-choice advocates note that an abortion performed by a doctor is even safer than childbirth. In addition, proponents of affordable abortion appeal to the fact that, statistically, most female abortionists already have children. Accordingly, they are already fulfilling their maternal mission and have children they need to care for. The leading cause they have an abortion is most often because they cannot secure another baby. The implication is that abortion is often used as a method of family planning (Dahya 00:09:12). Therefore, proponents of affordable abortion advocate more availability of contraception, including emergency contraception.
The Importance of The Abortion for Medical Reasons
It is significant to mention that women have the right to an abortion if their health, life, or baby is in danger. Pregnancy terminations occur for many purposes, and cases, where abortions are performed for medical reasons are widespread. Modern medicine identifies abnormalities and pathologies in the womb that are incompatible with life or prevent the normal existence of the fetus. Both physical and mental abnormalities can cause fetal abnormalities (BBC News 00:04:20). If the fetus does not develop properly or there are critical developmental anomalies, a medically unnecessary abortion is indicated. It can be performed at any term because it is achieved by causing birth. Although, modern equipment allows for detecting severe fetal abnormalities at an early stage of pregnancy (BBC News 00:04:40). In this case, the patient is offered a medical abortion, and this type of abortion allows the woman to terminate the pregnancy to prevent the birth of a dead child.
Medical abortion is performed when a pregnant woman’s health is in danger. A common reason for an abortion is if a woman has diabetes or hypertension. Doctors recommend interrupting a pregnancy with tuberculosis, syphilis, heart defects, and HIV (Huss 2819). It is important to note that any couple has time to reflect after the medical counseling. Accordingly, the child’s parents make an independent and thoughtful decision, guided by medical indicators. Clinicians note that today’s equipment eliminates the possibility of an incorrect diagnosis (Huss 2819). In addition, several doctors process the results of tests in each case. Each specialist provides an opinion and pregnancy recommendations that exclude the possibility of a misdiagnosis.
Abortions After Rape
Women who have been raped experience negative emotions and are not prepared to raise a child from their abuser. A woman forced to give birth to a child conceived as a result of rape will be even more traumatized. At the same time, females desire to leave their children in an orphanage or commit suicide (Meehan 36). If a woman should give birth to a child and raise it only because of societal pressure and moral norms, this would result in the infant’s incomplete psychological development. Complicated rape confirmation procedures result in the inability to perform medical actions in time. There is an issue with access to abortion, which is related to the burden of proving that it was rape or incest that caused the pregnancy. Accordingly, a woman may miss the legal limits of gestation. An important issue is the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of P. and S. v. Poland (Meehan 34). The Court held Poland liable for its failure to guarantee access to legal abortion services to a teenager who became pregnant as a consequence of rape.
The Dangers of Abortion
The abortion procedure provokes serious risks related to a woman’s health deterioration. For example, they can occur after abortion bleeding, resulting from uterine atony. They also occur because of cervical rupture, uterine perforation, or residual tissue in the uterine cavity (Huss 2803). In addition, a progressive pregnancy can occur after an abortion. This occurs if only one of the fertile bladders was removed from the uterus during the procedure. Cessation of pregnancy is associated with an expanded risk of ruptured breast cancer. A meta-analysis of 36 comparative studies in China found that a history of induced abortion was associated with a high chance of breast cancer (Huss 2803). Accordingly, proponents of the right to abortion prohibition consider the risks to a woman’s body critical.
Abortion is dangerous if it is performed either by unqualified persons. Neither when conducted under conditions that do not meet minimum medical standards nor when both of these factors are present. The World Health Organization says 23,000 women die annually from unsafe abortions (Huss 2806). A meta-analysis by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, which included data from 53 studies in 16 countries, found that the risk of breast cancer was not increased in women with a history of induced abortion (Huss 2806). Thus, supporters of women’s right to abortion oppose its prohibition at the legislative level. They argue that the result of the prohibition on the termination of pregnancy is an increase in illegal abortions and harm to women’s health. In a situation where abortions are legally permitted, there is no reason for a pregnant woman to seek help from unqualified persons. Accordingly, the potential risks to a woman’s health are substantially minimized.
Abortion Provokes Infertility and Childbearing Problems
An abortion produces a loss of fertility and the ability to have a healthy child in the future. Terminating the pregnancy can negatively affect a woman’s reproductive health. After all, natural processes are disrupted during this period, and it is impossible to determine how the body will react to an abortion. Even a spontaneous miscarriage may lead to hormonal disorders. As a consequence, this will create problems in subsequent attempts at fertilization. An abortion procedure can interfere with carrying a baby (Huss 2808). Cervical incompetence indicates that weak cervical tissue causes the cervix to open too early. This can cause the loss of a pregnancy or the birth of a premature baby.
Contrary to existing myths, abortion does not affect future infertility. Ovulation after abortion occurs on average from 21 to 29 days after the procedure (Huss 2811). Thus, patients can become pregnant before their next menstruation and use all contraceptive methods. Evidence regarding the relationship between the termination of pregnancy and subsequent adverse pregnancy outcomes is conflicting. Several well-designed studies have shown that early abortion does not increase the chance of miscarriage or preterm birth. However, a meta-analysis including >900,000 patients with a history of surgical termination of pregnancy was conducted (Huss 2813). The results demonstrated that surgical abortion was associated with an increased risk of preterm birth compared to patients who did not have an instrumental revision of the uterine cavity. Nevertheless, the absolute risk remained small and was not a mandatory consequence of abortion.
Conclusion
Therefore, the right to abortion allows a woman the freedom to control their body. It also empowers pregnant people to manage their health. Accordingly, if there are risks to the health or life of the woman and child, the woman has the right to an abortion. This prevents further complications and negative consequences that can lead to death. At the same time, women who have been abused should decide whether they wish to raise the child with the rapist. In such cases, abortion is an opportunity for women not to worsen their psychological and emotional state. It is important to note that the counterarguments against abortion are not scientifically proven. Accordingly, abortion is safe for a woman’s health and life.
Works Cited
“Reframing Reproductive Rights: Going Beyond Pro-Choice vs Pro Life.” TEDx, uploaded by Asha Dahya, 2019.
“Right to Abortion Struck Down by US Supreme Court” YouTube, uploaded by BBC News, 2021.
Huss, Björn. “Well-being Before and After Pregnancy Termination: The Consequences of Abortion and Miscarriage on Satisfaction with Various Domains of Life”. Journal of Happiness Studies, vol. 22, no. 6, 2021, pp. 2803-2828.
Meehan, Mary. “Rape and Abortion: A Double Injustice”. Human Life Review, vol. 39, no. 2, 2013, pp. 31-39.