Abortion
Wim Van de Keere English comp I Prof. Fjordbotten A matter of life and death
About 29 years ago, Norma McCorvey, who then adopted the pseudonym Jane Roe,
became the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit to challenge the strict anti-abortion
laws in Texas. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court, which handed down its
controversial ruling on January 22, 1973. The decision legalized abortion in all
fifty states and sparked a sociopolitical debate that remains charged to this
day. However, McCorvey never had an abortion and eventually gave away the child
for adoption. In 1995, she converted to Christianity and became a fervent
adversary of abortion. The woman who had fought for women to have the freedom to
decide what to do with their bodies came to see pro-abortionists as killers.
Let’s first take a look at some of the circumstances in which people may decide
to abort a child. I think it’s a misconception to think that people will only
opt for abortion in cases of unplanned parenthood. Today’s technology enables us
to see at a very early stage of the pregnancy if the baby is in good health. If
tests show that something is wrong and that the baby will never be able to
survive or will only grow to be a certain age, parents often have a very
difficult decision to make. In these cases, I think that parents definitely have
the right to opt for abortion. I find it sad that, while those people go through
a living hell, they are judged for their actions, often by people who obviously
haven’t been in their situation and judge them as killers who took an innocent
life. It’s far more complex than that. Unwanted pregnancies remain the main
reason to opt for abortion. Here again, the matter is very complex and there
isn’t a solution that is valid in every situation. If the pregnancy is the
result of rape or sexual abuse, there should be no discussion.
The victim has
the right to choose for abortion. Mostly, unwanted pregnancies are the result of
unsafe sex. In these cases, I feel that the mother has the right to decide what
she is going to do with the baby, as young men often don’t want to take the
responsibility for their actions. If they do, then the couple should decide
together. An important aspect of the decision is financial security. If you
decide to have the child, you have to be certain that you will be able provide
clothes and food for it. If not, I think that abortion is an acceptable
solution. Hopefully, these young people will have learnt a valuable lesson from
this predicament. The support of parents - or lack thereof - also plays an
important role in the decision-making process. If they are supportive and want
to help the young mother to the best of their abilities, the decision becomes a
lot easier. I don’t think, however, that abortion should be seen as some kind of
safety valve. People confronted with unwanted pregnancies shouldn’t think that
they can have sex without contraceptives and if they get pregnant, they’ll just
have the fetus aborted. That’s a totally wrong and regrettable mentality that I
see too often among young people nowadays. And if not to prevent pregnancy, they
should at least use contraceptives to prevent attracting STDs. Undoubtedly,
there will always be people who are in favor of abortion and others who are
against it. Religious beliefs will keep playing an important role in the debate.
However, I don’t think that people who opt for abortion should be seen as
killers. If you are not sure that you will be able to provide a secure future
for the child or if the pregnancy is a result of sexual abuse, there are
sufficient grounds for abortion. I feel that people who do opt for abortion
shouldn’t be judged for their actions. To form an opinion of people, one should
have all the facts. Unfortunately, that is often not the case.
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