Abortion Restrictions And Abortion Rates: Has State Abortion Policy Been Successful? Essay

Termination of a pregnancy before its due date, by use of medical methods is referred to as abortion. The aim of abortion is to prevent the baby from being born. There are various reasons that might trigger a person to terminate a pregnancy. First, the health of the mother may be at risk as a result of the pregnancy. Secondly, the mother may not be in a position to take care of the unborn child due to various reasons such as economic situation, security or other person reasons. Over the years, abortion has been tagged illegal and immoral especially by contemporary religions. Abortion is not wrong provided the person doing it has enough reasons to warrant that course of action. First, the liberation of women from gender bondage allows them to enjoy autonomous capability to make decisions concerning their lives. In the past male dominated era, women were not allowed to make vital decisions such as end pregnancies. However, women should now be allowed to carry out abortion because they possess the reproductive control over their wombs (Berlatsky 45). A woman has a right to determine her own future and decide whether it is safe to have children or not. Furthermore, women can now contribute to the economic, political and social life of a nation, making them also capable of controlling their own choices reproductive wise. The notion of determining the outcome of a woman’s fate in regard to either having a baby or not, is mandatory to gender discrimination (Berlatsky 30). Women now have the right to choose the course of their lives and consequently, have the right to choose whether to have children or not. Secondly, abortions prevent fatalities that could occur in case of complication with the pregnancy, illness of the mother or infants with noticeable abnormalities. Technology now can determine the health of the baby before he or she is born. In addition, some women may develop complications that may risk the life of either the mother or the child during the pregnancy period, or at birth. Since these problems are determined early, abortions can be the safest solution to avoid either risking the lives of the child and mother, or delivering a baby with visible abnormalities. According to Pritchard, some disorders are fatal enough to end the life of the baby shortly after birth (43). Once determined, it is imperative to end the pregnancy in order to avoid further suffering of both the child and the mother. Also, ending the pregnancy of such a child helps the family to save of medical expenses and avoid emotions trauma that could have affected them if the child would have been born. Some of the disorders that can be determined early are Down syndrome and anencephaly. Third, modern abortion techniques and equipment prevent complications and deaths that may occur during illegal abortions. Oakley noted that preventing abortion from taking place does not actually work (473). Illegalizing abortion encourages illegal and unsafe abortion practices that may cause unimaginable damage both physically and emotionally. According to Pritchard (43), desperate women induce abortions remotely without the help of professional practitioners. According to the study by Oakley, illegal abortions cause more than 70000 deaths globally annually. In another study, Oakley found out that use of modern equipment to carry out abortions reduces the risk of mortality (475). In addition, he found out that women are more at risk while giving birth than while carrying out an abortion. Moreover, Berlatsky (49) noted that pregnant related complications are higher during child birth than they are during abortion. In this, it is evident that abortion deaths occur only when the people in question do not perform the procedure using modern equipments. So, allowing abortion to be practiced legally will enable women to avoid side effects of abortion related complications such as cancer, mental health issues and infertility. In conclusion, it is imperative to note that there are various reasons that might trigger a person to terminate a pregnancy. A person can terminate their pregnancy due to personal reasons, or the health of the mother may be at risk as a result of the pregnancy. First, women should now be allowed to carry out abortion because they possess the reproductive control over their wombs. A woman has a right to determine her own future and decide whether it is safe to have children or not. Moreover, women can now contribute to the economic, political and social life of a nation, making them also capable of controlling their own choices. Secondly, technology now can determine the health of the baby before he or she is born. Additionally, some women may develop complications that may risk the life of either the mother or the child during the pregnancy period, or at birth. However, abortions prevent fatalities that could occur in case of complication with the pregnancy, illness of the mother or infants with noticeable abnormalities. Finally, modern abortion techniques and equipment prevent complications and deaths that may occur during illegal abortions. References Berlatsky, Noah. Abortion. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Oakley, Maureen Rand. â€Å"Abortion Restrictions And Abortion Rates: Has State Abortion Policy Been Successful?† Politics & Policy: 472-87. Pritchard, A., and S. K. Parsons. â€Å"The Effects of State Abortion Policies on States’ Abortion Rates.† State and Local Government Review: 43-52. Source document