Abortion is one of the most controversial debates of all time. Both sides of the debate have raging enthusiasts willing to fight for their side of the argument.
I, as someone who is pro-choice, believe that “pro-life” is anti-woman. But first, what are the two sides?
Pro-choice on abortion
People who are pro-choice support a woman’s right to abortion. They believe that a woman should be the one to decide whether she wants to have a baby or not.
Pro-life on abortion
Pro-life people call themselves “pro-life” because they are pro- of the fetus’s theoretical life. They believe a woman should not have the right to abort her fetus because it is, according to them, a life.
Looking at this scientifically, a fetus is definitely not a baby until at least three months after the pregnancy. This initial period, called the first trimester, is also the best time to perform an abortion. But pro-lifers do not care what science says.
However, that is not the main point of this article; the main point is how pro-life ideas are anti-woman.
Being against abortion means taking away a choice
By making abortion illegal, you are taking away a woman’s choice when she gets pregnant. Legalizing abortion does not mean all pregnant women will abort their fetuses (obviously), but it does give them a choice if they decide to not carry a fetus or give birth to a child.
There is always a reason for a woman’s decision to get an abortion, and there is no reason she should carry a baby and face the physical consequences when she doesn’t want to.
Taking away abortion rights makes women suffer
When you take away the right to an abortion, you are making her and even her future child suffer. Here’s why:
Not enough money to support both her and the child
One of the main reasons a woman would want to abort her child is if she doesn’t have the money to raise it. By criminalizing abortion, you are forcing a woman to raise a child she cannot support.
The mother may try her best to raise the child, but due to a lack of money, both the mother and the child will not live healthy and productive lives. In fact, the odds of the woman and the baby living below the federal poverty line quadruples if a woman is forced to carry a pregnancy to term.
Self-induced abortion kills women
Another situation created by criminalizing abortion is when pregnant women try to abort a pregnancy themselves. This is highly dangerous because the death rate is very high. Approximately 4.7% – 13.2% of the deaths related to pregnancy are caused by self-induced abortion.
Even if the woman doesn’t die, she may still suffer. Common consequences include incomplete abortion, hemorrhage (heavy bleeding), and serious infections. These are even more likely to happen when she doesn’t have a sterile environment in which to induce her own abortion (which is often the case).
No time to take care of the baby
Another reason why a mother may want an abortion is if she doesn’t have time to take care of a baby. Maybe she is still in school, or maybe she has a job that requires a lot of time and she is not willing to sacrifice those commitments to raise a child.
With no time to take care of a baby but still having to raise it, both the mother and baby would suffer, physically and mentally.
Mental instability, unreadiness, and unplanned pregnancy
Yet another reason why women may want an abortion is if they aren’t mentally ready for a baby. The mother may just be disconnected from the child, or she may be essentially a child herself. About 350,000 US teenagers get pregnant, and 82% of teen pregnancies are unintended.
If it is what the woman wants, getting an abortion would be better for her. Then she can have a child in the future when she feels mentally ready and stable enough.
There are many reasons why a woman would want an abortion, so forcing a woman to have an unwanted child could bring lifelong suffering, for both the mother and the child, and that is anti-woman.
“Well, she chose to have sex.” So what?
This is another argument that is very anti-woman. First of all, the fact that she chose to have sex has nothing to do with her obligation to give birth to a child. Secondly, both men and women should be on equal terms regarding the responsibility for sex. So why is it that if the girl gets pregnant, she has to be the one responsible?
Forcing a girl or woman to give birth because she chose to have sex is anti-woman if you think about it. The man does not have to suffer for nine months and push a literal person out of his body. When pregnant, the woman has to do all the work, so it must be her choice as to whether she wants to be pregnant or not, regardless of her choice to have sex.
“The fetus is a life the second it’s conceived”
This is the most popular argument there is when it comes to abortion. According to science, the fetus is a “life” approximately three weeks after conception. The best time for a woman to get a safe abortion is also three weeks after conception. However, many people, especially religious people, don’t accept this.
It’s fine if you believe differently, but that is a religious perspective. If someone else isn’t of the same religion as you, it is wrong for you to insist they follow the standards of your religion.
Stop forcing your religion onto other people. You can live according to your beliefs, but you can’t force others to.
Or, in other words, if you don’t like abortion, don’t get one.
Adoption as a choice over abortion
This is yet another popular argument when it comes to abortion, and if you think about it at first, you’d think it is reasonable. However, this is dumb.
Regardless of whether the mother wants the child or not, asking them to have the baby then put it up for adoption means she has to suffer the physical consequences.
Pregnancy is rough, and whether or not she has to go through this process should be entirely up to the woman and no one else.
Hypocritical arguments
The arguments against legal abortion are hypocritical. Pro-lifers claim they are “for life”, but as soon as the baby is born, they no longer care. If you really are pro-life, then you should be willing to support a baby even after it’s born.
Eliminating poverty, making raising a baby easier by implementing different social safety nets, and giving adequate maternity (and paternity!) leave are all important factors that affect the decision of a mother when deciding to birth a child.
Controlling the woman’s body
Is abortion really about caring for the baby, or is it about controlling women’s bodies?
The same people who are forcing women to have their babies are often the same people who say they don’t want to wear a mask or get the vaccine because “my body, my choice”.
Make it make sense.
Abortion opponents want women to suffer
In conclusion, pro-lifers are anti-woman. They may actually believe they’re doing the right thing by “protecting the rights of the unborn fetus”, but the reality is that their reasoning causes women great suffering. Being pro-life is anti-woman.
This article moved me, Chloe. It’s impressive that such a young woman has such strong feelings about the topic and also the confidence and the eloquence to express those feelings effectively and convincingly. Well done, this is a very important subject.