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Abortion, being a controversial topic in America today, is the center of the female and reproductive rights debate. On January 22nd, 1973 in the case of Roe v. Wade it was ruled that the US Constitution protected a women’s right to a choice of abortion without government restrictions. So why is the right to have an abortion still argued to this day? It may be the fact that states keep pushing for abortion restrictions, time and time again.
Roe v. Wade was a case in response to Norma McCorvey or known as “Jane Roe” in legal documents, suing the Attorney General of Texas, Henry Wade, arguing a Texas law that banned abortion. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of McCorvey, stating the right to an abortion is protected by the constitution. Although this was a monumental case and played an instrumental part in defending women’s choice, many states still tried to restrict access to abortion clinics. Texas, again in 2016, tried putting limits on abortion practices, resulting in the case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, where the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to place restrictions on abortion access and also struck down similar restrictions in Mississippi and Wisconsin. June Medical Services v. Russo, the most recent abortion case is currently awaiting a decision under the court of John Roberts. The case is challenging a law, once again, restricting abortion access in Louisiana, similar to the law challenged in Roe v. Wade.
However, it may come into question as to why these states keep placing restrictions on abortion access. The answer to that is not so cut and dry. There are many reasons as to which people will defend the right to take away a woman's choice.
Religion is one of the most frequent and habitual responses to safeguard the decision of abortion restrictions. In religious texts such as the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Bible, abortion is never directly condemned. However, people continue to use religious texts and their personal religion to defend their choice to support abortion restrictions. What happened to the First Amendment? Freedom of Religion is one of the very principles America was founded on and denying women their right to abortion due to a personal religious belief condemns this very principle. We should not let personal beliefs stop us from giving women the choice to do what they see fit with their own bodies. There must be a direct separation of Church and State in our government, not advocating for one certain religion or a religion at all to control Americans.
“Defending the lives of the unborn” is a very popular phrase among people fighting for more abortion restrictions, but they seem to lose interest the minute life is born. When a woman is not financially stable enough to support a child or can simply not give a child the love and care they need, they should be able to have the choice to not have a child. People that believe women should not have a choice always state that the child can be put into foster care if the mother can not care for it. Here are some things about Foster Care. Only 1-3% of children from foster care graduate and go on to higher education. 40-50% of former foster youth become homeless within 18 years of foster care. Eight out of ten (81 percent) males in foster care have been arrested compared to 17 percent of their peers who were not in foster care. 60% of foster youth live below the poverty line their entire life. Is this a life you would want for your child? The system of Foster care in the United States is fundamentally broken, illustrating this is not a viable choice for all women. A mother of a child always makes decisions in their best interest, like whether or not to be vaccinated, whether or not to be homeschooled, why should this be any different? A choice to have a child or not is often made in the best interest of the child itself and the mother.
It is also important to remember and consider that abortions were always performed, even before legalization in 1973 by the Supreme Court. Before Roe v. Wade, there were 17 illegal and unsafe abortions done for every 1000 pregnant women in America. Abortion restrictions will not stop abortions-it stops safe abortions. If people who desire to make the choice to give birth away from women, do it in the best interest of the mom and child, they would recognize that passing abortion restrictions is not the best way to do this. Not to mention that most restrictive abortion laws like, the Human Life Protection Act in Alabama, denies the right for girls who becoming pregnant through sexual abuse to get an abortion. Laws like this in Alabama provide no exceptions to have an abortion, including in cases of rape, incest, and safety of the mother. The emotional trauma and hardships these girls endure can not even be imagined. They should not have to bear the child of their abuser.
Overall, the choice to have an abortion is a very important one and should be given to all women. After all, it is that, a choice. Everyone might not agree with getting an abortion, but that belief should not be forced on other people. Women should be able to do what they see fit, as it is their bodies.
Edited by: Austen Wyche
Posted June 6, 2020
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