Abortion is arguably the most debatable and ethical dilemma that our generation has seen, with many different opinions it’s nearly impossible to completely say, which side is right given the fact that religion is involved and it is a complete ethical decision. A woman should have the right to choose whether or not she gets an abortion, regardless of the fact that I believe it is wrong to get an abortion.
People that are against abortion use religious views to justify their reasoning, which is perfectly fine considering in the United States we have freedom of religion. People say that abortion offends God, because life is the greatest gift that God gives you and if you take it away from somebody you’re taking away Gods’ greatest gift. People believe abortion is murder which could also be debated due to the fact that the definition of murder and life isn’t very clear. In an article I read it stated abortion has claimed over 52 million lives in the past 40 years. “We are allowed to take life under the prescribed requirements of law, such as self defense, war, execution.” The baby in the womb fit none of that criteria. It is safe to say that if you consider the fetus inside the women a live and full of life, that it is murder. “I am reminded of Nazi Germany. The Jews were guilty of being Jews, and were, according to the Nazis, worthy of death. Likewise, the babies in the womb are guilty of being babies in the womb, and are, according to the parents, worthy of death. What laws did they break?”[1] Matt Slick makes a very valid point in saying that the baby has done nothing wrong and doesn’t deserve death such as the Jewish people didn’t deserve to die during WWI. Churches also force opinions on to people that attend church. As a Catholic I can say that the church almost forces decisions on you. The Church is just expressing their viewpoint in a way that makes you feel bad if you don’t agree. This alters the thoughts of many people who may have different viewpoints.
On the other hand, there are many good and valid reasons why abortion should be legal. The Donohue-Levitt hypothesis, states that abortion lowers crime rates. The majority of people with unwanted pregnancies are teens. Teens have a very low rate of marrying the actual father of the child, the chances that she will be a single mother are significantly higher. Single mothers are not able to provide as much for the child and the quality of life for that child will be much lower. Growing up without a father and a single mother that can’t provide a lot takes a toll on the kid. The chances that the child will turn to gangs growing up or a life of crime are higher. Abortion started becoming more popular in the 1990’s which is also when the murder rates in the United States also dropped significantly.[2] There is no proof that abortion and crime rates are linked but there is enough evidence to support it.
Another reason abortion should be legal is because if the birth of the child would kill the mother, the mother has a right to choose whether or not herself or the baby dies. If the baby would be born unhealthy or with a serious illness it would be obvious that the child’s quality of life would not be what it could be. Then again that is the parent’s choice; they should not be forced to have the child if they do not want it. A lot of people also talk about how they should just give the child up for adoption. What people don’t realize is that over 20,000 children go un-adopted each year. Also there are a number of kids that age out of the foster care system and never have parents, which may lead to depression, drug use, alcoholism, or even suicide. Although these cases are still quite uncommon for foster kids, it’s something for pregnant women to think about before having the baby and giving it up for adoption, knowing that the kid may never be loved.
Although all the articles I read give very valid points for both directions, I somewhat have a split opinion about it. I do believe that it is wrong to abort a child, and I personally would never agree to somebody I know getting one. I feel like if you have a child you should be responsible for it and love it as much as you can. But I also believe it should be legal because not everyone will love their child like they should, and it’s not always in the best interest for the child for it to be born. It’s an unfortunate sad truth. I also believe that it would infringe on our rights as Americans to tell women they can’t have abortions. It is a part of their body, and can be life threatening. I just personally believe that everyone should have a right to make their own decisions and if it haunts them the rest of their life, then so be it, they have to live with it.
Simply the fact that abortion is such an ethical topic makes it nearly impossible to choose a single side that is right. Before that happens they need to specifically define what is considered life. Churches should be left out of this just because they offer no scientific proof. Until they decide on a definition for life, a women should have the right to an abortion because it is her body.
[1] Matt Slick, Why is abortion wrong?, http://carm.org/why-abortion-is-wrong
[2] President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime, http://pricetheory.uchicago.edu/levitt/Papers/DonohueLevittTheImpactOfLegalized2001.pdf
McPherson College Rhetoric Blog 
Abortion is wrong in every single way. I understand you have the freedom to do it or not, but killing an innocent kid is so wrong. I don’t understand why people would even do such a thing. It’s not in our world yet but it is a person and killing it is murder. On that note great post loved it.
Connor
Connor,
I disagree with you completely. While I personally wouldn’t want to get an abortion, I believe it should be an option that is available. Not every child conceived happened due to two people who want a child. When I was a freshman in high school a very close friend of mine was raped and that led to an unwanted pregnancy. She was 14 at the time, clearly not at an age where she could properly take care of a child. Not to mention the damaging effects having a child at such a young age can do to a woman’s body. If her body isn’t even fully developed how can someone expect her to have a healthy child? I supported and still do support her decision.
You’re entitled to your opinion and I respect that. However, I feel you should open your mind a bit more.
-C. Blagrave