SHOULD ABORTION BE LEGAL?

Should Abortion be Legal?

Should Abortion be Legal?

Introduction

Few studies have examined women's experiences with medical abortion either in the United States or elsewhere. Almost all reports are from Europe and China, where mifepristone has been available for nearly a decade. A review of 12 studies published between 1979 and 1993 on acceptability of mifepristone and various types of prostaglandin preparations found consistent patterns in acceptability of medical abortion despite important differences in study design. In trials that offered women a choice between medical and surgical abortion, women who chose medical abortion cited the benefits of increased privacy and autonomy, decreased invasiveness, and increased naturalness (Ginsburg, 1998, 66).

Abortion is illegal in Uganda; practically mandated in India and China, where there are one-child-per-family policies; a form of birth control in Russia; and perhaps the most contentious issue in the United States. In some countries, abortion doctors are criminalized, while in other countries, abortion providers as well as women who have abortions can be fined or jailed. In the United States, abortion doctors and clinic staff have been murdered, and recently in Brazil, a bishop excommunicated a 9-year-old girl and a doctor over an abortion. This girl was pregnant with twins after allegedly being raped by her stepfather; the doctor performed the abortion because he didn't think her 80-pound body could carry a pregnancy to term. Brazil allows abortion only in cases of rape and in order to save the life of the mother (Balkin, 2005).

Thesis statement

Abortion is an integral part of the reproductive health care continuum.

Grounds for Legalization

My mother tried to abort me when she became pregnant. That is the reason why I am against abortion. But I know this as a fact that there are circumstances that can cause women to make that decision (Abortion). I am personally against it since if my mother was successful in abortion, I would not be here today.

Ultimately, abortion has been legalized in most countries on the premise that because it happened underground, it was unsafe and unsterile, and women were needlessly dying. It was considered medically imperative that the procedure be legalized; at least to the extent that it was available to save the life or health of the mother. Now, according to the Guttmacher Institute, “termination of pregnancy is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the United States” (Balkin, 2005, 88).

No correlation had been established between illegal or legal abortion laws and abortion rates; in other words, laws have not been a deterrent for most women who seeking an abortion. This is still true in countries where abortion is illegal or otherwise censored. The abortion rate in Africa, where abortion is predominantly illegal, is 26 abortions per 1,000 births; and in Europe, where it is available with few restrictions, the rate is 29 abortions per 1,000 births.

But a woman's economic status did have some bearing on her choices and access to an abortion in the past: rich and middle-class woman could usually find a doctor, ...