Abortion is legal in every state and territory of the United States, though limits and accessibility vary by state. Abortion is a contentious and divided subject in American society, art, and politics, with anti-abortion legislation in place in every form (Dickman 1157). In general, the Republican Party has pushed to restrict abortion availability based on gestation stage or prohibit abortion. The Democratic Party, on the other hand, has consistently defended abortion rights and made contraceptives more accessible. This paper is written with the aim of studying the American issue of abortion.
Abortion is a proper intervention that allows a woman to terminate her pregnancy. It is an essential healthcare requirement for millions of women, girls, and those who may become pregnant. While the necessity for abortion is prevalent, persons who require abortion services may not always have a provision of safe abortion services (Francome 19). In truth, abortion access is one of the most contentious issues in the world, and the argument is muddied by misunderstandings about the actual consequences of restricting access to this vital healthcare treatment.
Taking away a woman’s or a girl’s ability to obtain an abortion does not mean they are no longer in need of one. As a result, measures to prohibit or restrict abortions have no effect on the number of abortions performed and instead encourage people to seek out dangerous abortions (Francome 19). Unsafe abortions are described as a technique for ending an unplanned pregnancy that is carried out by people who lack the essential expertise or in a setting that does not meet minimum medical standards. Unsafe abortions, in contrast to legal abortions performed by a trained medical physician, can result in death. So much so that illegal abortions are the third most significant cause of maternal mortality globally, causing millions of people to suffer from problems that could have been avoided.
Criminalization and restrictive abortion regulations impede healthcare professionals from doing their jobs properly and offering the most effective care alternatives for their patients, which is contrary to sound practice of medicine and their personal, ethical obligations. The criminalization of abortion has a chilling effect, as medical practitioners may not grasp the scope of the law or may apply the prohibitions more narrowly than the law requires (Thomas 357). This could be due to a variety of factors, such as personal convictions, abortion stigma, destructive perceptions about women and girls, or the dread of criminal culpability.
Availability of safe abortion services is a universal right; everyone has a right to freedom, a right to social security, and rights to freedom of abuse, racism, murder, and other cruel, inhumane, and humiliating treatment under international humanitarian law. Compelling someone to bear an unwanted child or seek an unsafe abortion is a violation of their individual rights, particularly their right to privacy and dignity, as well as their physiological independence (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 45). Access to abortion is thus integrally linked to the conservation and maintenance of women’s, girls’, and those who could become pregnant’s civil liberties and thus establish economic and gender equality.
Laws and practices restrict women’s constitutionally protected right to abortion, posing challenges in this area. Even in states where abortion is legal, women’s access to safe abortion procedures is sometimes severely limited due to a lack of effective regulation, health care, or political will (Lindberg 899). Women’s groups in the United States have fought for the right to safe and legal abortion for years, and humanitarian intervention is increasingly validating their arguments. In reality, the notion that women have the permission to decide their own personal choices, particularly abortion, is based on globally renowned civil rights court papers and expert interpretations of those laws.
Abortion has been a divisive subject in most countries around the world, particularly in the United States. In the United States of America, abortion should be acknowledged as a legal right (Dickman 1157). Many Americans who are considering abortion have faced opposition from a segment of society, particularly conservative Christians. The critical point of contention in the debate is when life truly begins; therefore, the discussion turns from whether abortion is ethically good or evil to whether the act infringes on another person’s right to privacy.
Both anti-abortionists and pro-abortionists have become religious extremists, which means that each side believes that their position is correct. Both sides’ supporters have failed to listen to the other’s side of the tale. When analyzing all sides of the issue, it is essential to remember that they both make valid points. The issue is that each side eventually and consciously disregards the other’s reasons. The country is a secular state, which implies that the government is considering the population structure in terms of religious beliefs when addressing the issue (Lindberg 900). Most pro-abortionists are unaware of the risk that they are putting the entire society in.
Legalizing abortion is capable of damaging other fundamental rights in citizens’ lives. Pharmacologically, there are times when a woman’s life is in jeopardy, and the only option is to terminate the pregnancy. Abortion should be permitted in this situation, depending on a medical assessment and a doctor’s advice (Thomas 358). It may seem reasonable to terminate pregnancies in order to preserve a relationship or marriage. However, if abortion is made illegal outright, this may not be achievable. Healthcare experts may prescribe abortion but, due to legal considerations, are unable to carry it out, resulting in the woman’s death.
In such scenarios, many pro-life advocates approve of abortion, yet, the situations in which they disagree outnumber the circumstances in which they agree. Only the substantial involvement of the law, which must be enacted to safeguard both pregnant women and their developing fetuses, can adequately ask these questions (Thomas 358). All women, particularly unmarried women, have the right to decide whether or not they want to have children. When a woman is forcibly conceived and does not want the kid, she should be able to abort the pregnancy as a matter of right.
While abortion has specific negative effects on health, it is critical to recognize that it should be permitted in order to address both sides of the debate. Legalizing abortion does not imply that each and every woman will be forced to have one, but it does allow individuals whose lives are jeopardized by conception to seek medical attention. When abortion is rendered illegal, many women’s lives are put in jeopardy due to potential pregnancy problems; however, if abortion remains legal, it will be a woman’s option to end the pregnancy based on the advice of professionally competent healthcare professionals. Abortion provisions should state forth specific conditions under which pregnancies should be terminated in order to protect the population of the society. Licensed medical practitioners should make the decision to abandon such births. This will prevent the deterioration of societal values. Abortion’s legal position should not be changed. Any changes should only be in the form of harmony for pro-abortionists and anti-abortionists alike.
Works Cited
Dickman, Samuel L., Kari White, and Daniel Grossman. “Affordability and access to abortion care in the United States.” JAMA Internal Medicine, vol. 181, no. 9, 2021, pp. 1157-1158.
Francome, Colin. Abortion in the USA and the UK. Routledge, 2017.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The safety and quality of abortion care in the United States. The National Academies Press, 2018.
Lindberg, Laura, Kost, K., Maddow-Zimet, I., Desai, S., & Zolna, M. “Abortion reporting in the United States: An assessment of three national fertility surveys.” Demography vol. 57, no. 3, 2020, pp. 899-925.
Thomas, Rachel G., Alison H. Norris, and Maria F. Gallo. “Anti-legal attitude toward abortion among abortion patients in the United States.” Contraception vol. 96, no. 5, 2017, pp. 357-364.