Social Justice 12: Abortion Essay

Abortion

Abortion is when a pregnancy is terminated so that it doesn’t result in the birth of a child, sometimes known as “termination of pregnancy”. Abortion is either pressurized by others or spontaneous. There’s a higher chance of unplanned pregnancies then intended, which leads to abortion. The total number of abortions from 2007-2013 just in British Columbia were about 12,000 (Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, 2015). Abortion is one of those issues which differentiate opinion and reality. It is something which many people have strong feelings for and it’s hard to distinguish if it’s right or wrong. There is a lot of controversy over this topic because it’s hard to segregate if it’s the slaughter of an innocent being or the right of the mother to decide what she wants for her body (Medic8, n.d.). Many women give birth to a child that they cannot financially support, that is why abortion is used at a point where it is being abused similarly to birth control to avoid being financially troubled. The majority of the women who have abortions are between the ages of 20-29 (Guttmacher Institute, 1996-2011). Careless and immature behaviour often leads to pregnancy especially at a younger age. Giving birth at a young age causes a lot of danger to the mother and baby. It is important to look at both sides of the story and consider the right women have to abort or keep the child.

These days, many young teens get pregnant because they are not able to understand the many problems that will come when not having protected sex and having a baby. There are many reasons women decide to abort their child. Some women aren’t able to proceed with pregnancy due to health issues, women that are young and don’t take the necessary steps needed when pregnant are lead to abort their children due to serious health risks affecting them and their child(WebMD,2005-2015). Another reason is that some of these women are financially unstable and their partners leave them after finding out there pregnant (About.com, 2015). There are two side effects after abortion, the emotional and physical sides. The physical side effects vary per woman, for some it’s long term with heavy or persistent bleeding (American Pregnancy Association, 2015). Some women are filled with regret and guilt which often leads to anxiety and depression (American Pregnancy Association, 2015). Abortion effects both fetus and the women. It also affects society, because with abortion many people are encouraged to stand up for their opinion and fight for the unborn babies rights (life.org, 2011).

Also, Canada has no legal restrictions on abortion. There are about 39,000 abortions each year in Ontario, delivered in 76 hospitals and 6 clinics. An exception is Quebec, where abortion rates are among the highest in the Western world (Med.uottawa, n.d.). Abortion is spread through all of Canada due to it being legal. If it was illegal then women would have to go through miscarriages which would result in jail due to it being a suspicion of manslaughter and some women would be forced to keep unwanted pregnancies resulting in absurd treatment to the child (Patheos, 2008-2015). It is a constant battle to understand if abortion is right or wrong. No one can do anything to change abortion, it will always happen as long as it is legal in Canada.

Similarly, not much can happen by ending abortion, women will abort anyways and die doing it (Loxafamosity, 2005-2015). Women around the world have tried to end their pregnancies either through legal or illegal ways. Estimates of the number of illegal abortions in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s range from 200,000 to 1.2 million per year (Our bodies ourselves, 2015). The government has all the power in making abortion legal. People cannot say much about abortion other than their opinion and they cannot do much to support what they think is right other than protest. Abortion will always have a wrong and a right side; it will always depend on every woman’s different case.

Ultimately the decision to abort is the entire woman’s idea and she is to think about the choices she wants to make to her body. There is no need for someone else to point out their opinion unless it’s their own child. Everyone makes decisions to what they support and what they think is right. Everyone is entitled to their freedom of speech but to a certain degree; no one needs to meddle into another’s life. Abortion is a huge topic and it has its ups and downs, it will forever be a topic of grand discussion and many people will butt heads when their opinions do not match.