Okay so today the boyfriend and I were watching his favorite political video blogger and the topic really got under my skin. And I'm sure many people are going to get all up in arms about this, but honestly I am beyond being afraid of your opinions seeing as I am strong in my own. The topic you ask? None other than abortion.
Now, I am pro-choice. Before you jump down my throat let me explain. I am looking at this through two different looking glasses. There is the moral side of me which thinks it is absolutely wrong. However thanks to my medical background, I look at everything twice. I know that while I believe it is wrong and personally never will end a pregnancy with an abortion, some may think it is the only way out. And the fine line comes down to, does the government have a right to say what a woman can and can't do to her body?
There are those who argue that women should not abort because a fetus is a living child. According to supreme court, a fetus is not "alive" unless if can be removed from the womb and take one breath. Even if it's only one, at that point, it is alive. So for those of you who call it murder, I disagree. I have heard the argument, "Well, you shouldn't have taken it out or it would have survived. We know if you walk out of an oxygen rich environment, we will die, this applies to the child. A newborn can not survive without the mother, so how does this not apply for the fetus?" Now, let me explain to you wonderful people something. Just because it can not feed, bath, change itself does not take away from the fact that it is still a viable, living child. Does it's organs work? Yes? Then it's a child. If not? Then it is a fetus, and therefore can not register pain as it is not developed enough.
I find that many of our pro-lifers are Catholic, or God fearing people. However, according to the CDC, 37% of women who get abortions identify themselves as Catholic, another 34% identify as Christian, and the other 29% are in the other category. Why do I bring this up? We have implemented a law that we can not mix state a religion. So why should we allow religion to bias our views on whether a woman has a choice to terminate a pregnancy or not? People were terrified of electing Kennedy as he was a pronounced Catholic. However, he turned into an amazing president, so why would we let religion bias us here? What does religion have to do with anything in this argument?
Another argument that is thrown around, that women only terminate because they don't want the responsibility, that they are using it as a backup birth control. Let me ask you, do you have $451 laying around your house? Because in 2009 the average cost of an abortion prior to the local anesthetic at 10 weeks gestation costs $451 (CDC). Please, id you have that money send it my way, but that isn't a cheap fix if you ask me so this notion that women are using it as a backup plan is slightly preposterous.
Now, even though I personally believe abortion is wrong, I respect the right to a women's choice. Partially because I understand that even if we make it illegal women will continue to get them. One woman dies every 7 minutes around the world due to an unsafe illegal abortion. Women who undergo illegal abortions are those who are very poor and do not have access to family planning facilities for education and prevention of unwanted pregnancies. Making abortion illegal or legal has no effect on the total number of abortions performed in the world. Making abortion legal dramatically reduces maternal morbidity and mortality. Whether it be in a back alley or with a coat hanger, desperate women will continue to get them. In 1972 (the last year before abortion became legal) a total of 240 women died due to complications of an illegal abortion, where another 397 died due to infection as a result of the abortion In 2008, only 12 women died due to complications from a legal abortion (CDC). Common complications of an abortion could include cervical tears, retained pregnancy tissues, severe heavy bleeding, sepsis, uterine perforation, and bladder and bowel damage. Between 10 and 50% of unsafe abortion cases need medical attention but a lot of women delay or decide not to seek medical care. This is because in a lot of countries where it is illegal to have abortions performed, the women who go to the hospital for help will be reported to the local law authorities and are subject to arrest and spending time in jail. Do we really want women living in fear? We want them to die due to complications they incurred during an abortion, that if it was legal might not have ever inflicted such complications?
As much as I think it is wrong, the government can NOT tell women what they can and can not do to their bodies. Death rates of women ages 20-29 would sky rocket, as they are statistically the bracket of the most abortions (CDC). We can not tell a woman who was raped that she can not receive the day after pill, as this women might look at her child and resent them as an everyday reminder of that rape. Adoption is not an option for some, as like in the case of the rape specifically, that is a constant daily reminder of that incident. Or for those who can not afford the prenatals or doctors visits, the child could be born with severe birth defects or complications during birth that could result in death.
Value my opinion or not, I needed to get that off of my chest. I understand the issue and many life experiences have rounded my opinion, and trust me I can not be swayed. Hopefully y'all don't hate me now, haha or will at least maybe check in tomorrow for a lighter topic.
Here is the link to the video that created/inspired this post. And here is the link to some of my statistics I used in this arguemtn/vent. Love y'all!
***I have been informed by the boyfriend that separation of church and state is not a law, apparently the Associated Press is not a reliable enough source. Thank you Dickie.
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