PRO CHOICE

Should the rights of a pregnant woman come before the rights of her growing fetus? Or should the fetus have more power over its mother? This is one of the main issues on the debated topic of abortion. All women are not suited to be mothers, and should not be forced to do something they don’t want or are not able to do. Often, when a person is forced to do something, they don’t do it well or do it just enough to get by. Raising a child is too important a task to be forced upon someone.
One thing that should be taken into consideration is that being pro choice is not the same thing as being “pro” abortion. “Pro choice” is the more politically correct term. Its accurate meaning is that the woman carrying the child has a choice whether or not to keep the baby. Women should, in fact, be allowed to make the choice to keep their child or not. Girls and women are getting pregnant at earlier ages, and some are not suited for even carrying a child. Younger girls are still in school and would be missing out on receiving an education if they had a child. Small actions make big impacts later on in life, and it is near impossible to obtain a high paying job without basic high school knowledge. If a baby comes too early in a person’s life, their whole future could change.
Abortion was a very hot topic amongst presidential candidates, because it brings up different emotions. Generally, the opinion on abortion comes with a personal feeling and can be upsetting for those who have strong feelings toward a certain side. Also, changing the opinion of someone is hard to do, especially with a topic like abortion. For those out there who are “pro-life” take into consideration this scenario: A young girl by the age of 12 is brutally beaten and raped by her father. This girl ends up getting pregnant, and for the next nine months is constantly reminded of her father and the terrible experience by the growing baby inside her. She is still in elementary school, merely preparing for junior high. This poor girl will have to stay out of school to raise their baby (if she does not give it up or have an abortion). Since it was her father who raped her, the baby may have a genetic disorder due to the same mix of genes between the father and the daughter. Should this girl have to suffer each time she looks at her baby, because it reminds her of the horrid thing her father did to her? According to a study done by MIT, 14,000 women have abortions following rape or incest, because they could not live with the trauma (Alan Guttmacher Institute 2).
Some would argue that this girl could choose whether or not she is suited for a baby. On the other hand, others believe aborting a pregnancy is committing murder. It is true, that the fetus inside the woman is living. However, should a woman be put into situation in which, due to pregnancy complications, she would have to remain impregnated and have the baby regardless of jeopardizing her own life? Would the law force her to take her own life for an unborn fetus? “What we’re seeing is a political trend in which the fetuses are coming first, and the rights of women…are coming last.” (Lynn M. Paltrow 2) In this case, the woman would be hurting herself more than the baby, and it is still uncertain whether or not the baby will even make it without its mother.
A study done by the Guttmacher Institute stated, “more than 30 years of evidence contradicted the notion that legal abortion posed long-term dangers to women’s health, physically or mentally.”(Robin Toner 1) Thus meaning just because a woman has an abortion does not mean there will automatically be health problems. It is not certain that because there is an abortion, the woman is “doomed” for depression. In fact, the woman has an equal chance of being depressed keeping the baby or aborting it. “Abortion opponents have long argued that women often suffer depression and other mental health problems as a result of having abortions; those on the other side of the debate say there is little clinical evidence to back up the claim.” (Salynn Boyles 1) Another choice the woman can make is to keep the baby and put it up for adoption. There are many parents willing to adopt, and they may be more suited for raising a child than the carrier of the child. For those parents who are not able to have children and want them, adoption is the only option “If a child is born and raised in a home that is loving and nurturing, where there is complete truth about who we are, you can’t give a child any greater place from which to fly.” (Amanda Bearse 1).
In summation,the woman then has the choice to keep the baby, put the child up for adoption, or abort. A woman should not have to be forced to do something she doesn’t want to, and should be able to choose how she wants to live her life. Choosing whether or not to keep a baby should be the choice of the woman bearing the child, and the government should not have control over if the woman raises her baby. So, what will be your choice?

-ace

Works Cited
Alan Guttmacher Institute. "MIT pro choice." Pro-Choice. 2008. Planned Parenthood. 20 Feb. 2009.
Bearse, Amanda. "Adoption Quotes." Adoption. 2008. 20 Feb. 2009 .

Boyles, Salynn. "Abortion and Depression: Is There a Link?" Web MD. 2005. Health News. 20 Feb. 2009.

Toner, Robin. "Abortion Foes See Validation for New Tactic." SIRS. May 2007. Knowledge Source. 20 Feb. 2009 http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SNE79445-0-6517&artno=0000262422&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=Y&ic=N