A Comparison of Pro-life and Pro-choice Ideologies

Introduction

Abortion was introduced before the 1880s and has since come a long way, including being legalized after the 1973 Roe vs Wade decision. Recently, over the past few years, abortion has been brought into question numerous times. This popular debate topic has essentially split society into two sides based on their ideas of abortion: a Pro-life or Pro-choice mindset. Pro-life advocates believe that all healthy babies should be born after conception, while Pro-choice supporters give mothers the choice of whether to have a birth or terminate the pregnancy. These ideas have generated two groups under the same name who clash multiple times to this day, but which is right? The Pro-life side of the argument seems to be more rational in my view because they make compelling points on the effects of abortion, not only on the mother but on society as a whole. Many of their arguments include questioning why women would even consider abortion. Mainly, it is because not enough women are educated on the true effects of abortion. What is often untold are the severe consequences that the whole abortion procedure brings and how it can affect both individuals and society. Pro-life advocates argue about the effects of abortion, which include defying society’s morals, economic stress, physical damage, and they also oppose the idea of what positive effects abortion may have, thereby combating the Pro-choice argument.

Changing Morals in Society

As we know, society and how we perceive things as morally right or unjustified is constantly changing over time. Many issues have sparked conversations on what we think should be right or wrong in society. For example, we accept gay marriage now but treated it as a sin beforehand; we also have agreed that slavery is morally wrong, although it was perfectly legal a few decades ago. Abortion is now the topic at hand, bringing with it the question everyone wants to know: should women be allowed to terminate their own unborn child? Based on an online LifeNews article, "Polling data has consistently shown Americans are pro-life on abortion and a new YouGov survey released today is no exception. The poll finds 66% of Americans say unborn babies are people and 52% say human life begins at conception" (Ertelt, 2022). In addition to this, our government has already granted legal status to an unborn child. Under the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, if someone intentionally kills or attempts the murder of an unborn child, they will be punished as if killing a human being. As you can see, the majority of the population and society, in general, has agreed that unborn babies are humans too. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, every life has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, so who are we to defy society and the unalienable rights that belong to these babies? The idea of terminating one’s own child has created a negative effect on society, leading us to question other morals and laws that have already been established.

Economic Implications

Here in the United States, we base our economic balance mainly on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is how much goods we produce in our country. In order to produce many products to keep up with such high demand, we need more people with jobs that will contribute to our economy, and abortion is not helping. Population size can also affect a country’s economic status. As of today, we can see in Germany’s demographic model that they have a much higher population of older people; in other words, women who have reached reproductive age aren’t having kids in Germany. The effect of having a lower young population makes companies decline long-term investment plans in Germany, which can then stunt economic growth (Frankfurt, 2022). With abortion becoming so prevalent in North America, we will soon start to follow this causal chain that we see in Germany. An increase in abortion usage leads to fewer children, and fewer children lead to minimal people joining the future workforce, lowering our GDP and economic status, causing other countries to refuse to invest in us.

Physical and Psychological Effects

What stands out the most about the effects of abortion is the physical damage it does. Shockingly, about 20% of those who undergo abortion have major complications, and more women have been reported with minor ones. Complications experienced by women who have started the abortion procedure include common issues such as bleeding, fevers, and vomiting. More severe complications include embolism, convulsions, endotoxic shock, cervical injuries, ripping of the uterus, and more. Another effect would be experiencing abortion-related complications in later pregnancies; in fact, 66% of women had a miscarriage or premature birth after aborting a previous pregnancy (Smith, 2021). Not to mention the psychological effects that affect mothers as well. Studies have shown that there is an initial emotional positive effect from abortion, which is relief, but shortly following that, women start to have negative reactions. These negative reactions include emotional paralysis, similar to shell-shock in soldiers, and also high reports of depression. Guilt, nervous disorders, and disturbances in sleep are common characteristics after abortion (Johnson, 2021).

Pro-choice Perspective

On the contrary to the Pro-life ideology, the other side of the argument, supported by those with the Pro-choice mindset, makes valid points. Many bring up how far women have come in this country in terms of equality, which is true. Great feats have been accomplished by both races and genders, but abortion is not one of the rights women should be in control of. Yes, it is their body and their own child, but what gives them the right to terminate the human being inside them? The child didn’t ask to be created, nor did they ask to be terminated. I believe, along with other passionate people in the world, that all children should be given a chance at life because they could turn out to be a blessing. Sadly, I understand the situations that occur with women, such as rape or incest, and I can comprehend why they may not want to keep the child of such a horrific memory. But, as previously mentioned, these children can be a blessing, and if not to you, then to others. Many women wish they could have their own biological children but are physically unable; the least you can do is give up your baby for adoption and help others to have a family.

Conclusion

In short, the negative effects of abortion outweigh the positive in multiple aspects, and more should fight to be Pro-life. As said by our founding fathers, every human life has a right to live, and giving women the choice to take away that right to live is unfair. Additionally, the causal chain which displays the negative effects abortion could have on our future economy is an issue needing to be addressed. Ultimately, the physical and psychological effects are by far the most damaging, especially to an individual. Although Pro-choice makes valid arguments, it doesn’t provide enough to allow women to make such a strong decision. Our parents chose us to live, and others should do the same; women should be denied a choice.

References

Ertelt, S. (2022). Polling data shows Americans are pro-life on abortion. LifeNews. Retrieved from https://www.lifenews.com/2022/08/15/polling-data-shows-americans-are-pro-life-on-abortion/

Frankfurt, S. (2022). Germany’s demographic model and its impact on economic growth. Economic Perspectives. Retrieved from https://www.economicperspectives.com/germanys-demographic-model

Johnson, L. (2021). Psychological effects of abortion on women. Journal of Mental Health. Retrieved from https://www.journalofmentalhealth.com/psychological-effects-abortion

Smith, A. (2021). Physical complications associated with abortion. Health Research Journal. Retrieved from https://www.healthresearchjournal.com/physical-complications-abortion