Pro-Choice is Pro-Woman: What It Means to be Pro-Choice
Regardless of who you are and what you feel about where life begins, of sex, of women, of motherhood, of God, of Karma, or of the Bible, no one can ignore the fact that women have always resorted to abortion, and they always will. No matter how much authorities argue whether it is right or wrong, abortion is happening whether we like it or not. This argumentative essay aims to point out that it is safe to say then that instead of trying to abolish abortion, might as well embrace it and make it accessible to consequently ensure the safety of women.
The constant argument on the legalization of abortion barely has a positive impact on the frequency of abortion cases across the world, not to mention that there are also numbers that are not recorded considering the back-alley abortion clinics and the out-of-date abortion procedures. There are a number of factors affecting the percentage of abortion, such include incapacity to support a child financially, a child conceived from rape and abuse, the fear of responsibility, the feeling of making a mistake, and the thinking that freedom will be lost where new life is found. Arguably, some of the reasons are objective and inevitable leading women to commit to this option even illegally resulting in the death of approximately one in four cases. Despite the dangers illegal abortion poses, a woman will proceed with it once the decision has been made, and again no matter what we, mere onlookers, think and feel about it, we do not own her body, we do not control her mind, and we will not be the one in that exact situation.
Legalizing abortion and allowing better access to clinics does not mean that it should be made available like how you can get candies with a little change in your pocket. We are given the free will to make choices and that includes the decision to be sexually engaged. This is where the responsibility starts, hence, this essay does not propose to make abortion accessible just for the sake of having a solution to an accident but to ensure that women practice their right for as long as it is right. Abortion procedures should be legally regulated and the process must be strict. We cannot just allow abortion to exist and have it abused by people who are not critical of their own actions. In the instance that a young adult gets impregnated from consensual sexual intercourse, and the only reason why the parents or even just the mother decides to terminate the pregnancy is “it is an accident”, then the abortion must not take place. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, hence, if conception is out of the idea, then contraception should have been practiced by the young couple. The point is, reckless behavior cannot be a valid reason for the pregnancy to be terminated . Abortion should be legalized and its clauses must include specific scenarios where abortion can take place such as a medical complication putting the mother’s and the child’s lives in danger, a medical issue where the child has a low chance of surviving or a criminal case where the mother was abused and the emotional trauma is unbearable making the mother not capable of bearing the child.
Pro-Choice advocates do not present murder wrapped in sugar, spice, and everything nice. Pro-Choice people only consider the safety and rights of our women who go through various valid dilemmas, that no personal opinion or consolation can cater to. Being a mother is a job that a woman cannot resign from. Being a mother involves, like they say, being willing to have one foot in the grave. Carrying a life inside you is never an easy task, you have to take care of something you cannot even see or touch, as you take care of yourself, and not all women can handle that task. Again, this is not aiming to give recklessness an answer, instead, legalizing abortion is simply taking care of our women who cannot handle such responsibility. Of course, Pro-Choice advocates also consider alternative solutions which include adoption, but it is also another truth that the foster system is not as strong as it should be to handle this situation. The rates are alarming, and it is not easy to find a couple who can receive a child with open arms.
In conclusion, this is not about arguing whether abortion is right or wrong because it is already there being practiced as we speak. We have to embrace this situation and control it rather than allowing the other way around to happen. Abortion is just an issue and humans are given the complex character of being able to think, and to an extent even overthink it. Instead of throwing tons and tons of statistics and beliefs from one side to another, there should be a sense of working towards a collective solution to a world-involved issue.