By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email
No need to pay just yet!
About this sample
About this sample
Words: 1127 |
Pages: 2|
6 min read
Published: Mar 25, 2024
Words: 1127|Pages: 2|6 min read
Published: Mar 25, 2024
Abortion is still a hot-button topic today. Folks get all heated up talking about the moral and ethical sides of ending a pregnancy. This essay takes a stand for choice, saying women should be able to make their own choices about their bodies, including having safe and legal abortions. We'll look into why bodily autonomy matters, how restrictive laws can mess things up, and how personal beliefs shape our views on abortion. By doing this, we're highlighting why being pro-choice is key in pushing for women's rights and well-being.
At the heart of the pro-choice view is bodily autonomy. Basically, it means you have the right to decide what happens to your own body without outsiders butting in (Purdy, 2018). When it comes to abortion, it's about a woman choosing whether to continue with her pregnancy or not based on her situation and beliefs.
Respecting bodily autonomy is super important for protecting women's reproductive rights. The World Health Organization (2018) says that having access to safe and legal abortions is a must-have part of sexual and reproductive healthcare. By backing pro-choice policies, we empower women to make informed decisions about their health, pushing us closer to gender equality.
Restrictive abortion laws that limit or criminalize access can really harm women's health. A study by the Guttmacher Institute (2018) showed that in countries with tough abortion laws, unsafe procedures cause around 13% of maternal deaths. These deaths could be avoided because safe abortions are low-risk when done by pros (Raymond & Grimes, 2012).
Also, these laws hit marginalized women hardest—like those who are poor or can't access good healthcare (Robertson Dilworth et al., 2014). Denying them safe and legal abortions just keeps social inequalities going and makes health disparities worse.
Our personal beliefs shape how we feel about abortion for sure. But it's crucial these beliefs don’t trample on others’ reproductive rights. In a mixed society with different views on morals and ethics, the law should protect individual autonomy while promoting justice (Boire, 2009).
If we go with a pro-choice angle, we respect different beliefs surrounding abortion yet ensure women have the freedom to decide on their reproductive health according to their unique situations.
To get why pro-choice matters, we need to check out specific policies like the Hyde Amendment from 1976 in the US. It stops federal funds from being used for abortions except in rape, incest cases or if a woman's life is at risk (Guttmacher Institute, 2020a). This hits low-income women hard since they might depend on government-funded programs like Medicaid.
The Guttmacher Institute's research (2020b) shows the Hyde Amendment worsens disparities in access to abortions—women of color, young women, and low-income groups face more barriers here. Repealing such policies would promote fairer access to reproductive care.
Apart from health risks tied with unsafe abortions, restrictive laws have broad social and economic impacts on women and families. For instance, Foster et al.'s study (2018) found that women denied abortions often faced poverty or joblessness more than those who had them.
Moreover, these laws spread stigma around abortion which discourages women from seeking necessary care (Cockrill & Nack, 2013). This stigma can lead to guilt or anxiety related experiences post-abortion (Major et al., 2009).
A common pro-life argument is that since fetuses have potential futures worth valuing—they shouldn't be aborted (Marquis, 1989). But this doesn’t consider factors beyond just existing as contributing towards valuable futures—like good education or supportive environments affected by socioeconomic status where kids grow up (Singer 2011).
Pro-life folks also push adoption over abortion as an alternative option—but it's not one-size-fits-all solution; adoption processes come with emotional challenges plus they don't cover health risks or financial burdens tied with carrying pregnancies full term(Fessler2006).
Pro-life people argue fetuses deserve life; aborting them equates murder but defining fetal personhood remains debated philosophically/ethically without consensus answer(Warren1973)
.
Even assuming some moral value exists—for fetuses—that doesn’t necessarily outweigh pregnant woman’s rights/interests especially where her life/wellbeing risks involved—or pregnancies resulting from rape/incest balancing might favor prioritizing woman’s interests(Thomson1971)
Taking a pro-choice stance on abortion matters because it supports bodily autonomy; promotes reproductive rights ensuring overall wellbeing-recognizing bad effects stemming restrictive laws-respecting diverse beliefs surrounding issues helps advocate empowering policies enabling informed decisions concerning reproductive health moving forward researching socio-economic-health impacts informs evidence-based strategy development advancing justice-gender equality discussing future priorities-evidence-focused approaches respecting individual autonomy shaping policies affecting lives positively matters more now than ever before!
.
.
.
.
.
Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled