The Right to Abort

Anisa James                

PHI-105

May 8, 2016

Professor Benjamin Perlin

The Right to Abort

(I’d reconsider the title into something that gives either a larger “hook” or something that gives the reader a reason to continue reading)

Abortion is a decision that is not to be taken lightly. The amount of thought that is required by the involved female is insurmountable. No matter the reasoning, it is the decision of the female to make. A female  has the right to do what she feels is necessary, and any potential offspring that has been conceived may be aborted for various reasons.  Complicating medical factors and birth defects, unwanted sexual encounters, and career and non-career wise family planning are all justifiable reasons to support one’s decision to decide to abort the fetus that grows in her body.

In the realm of modern medicine, it is quite easy for OB/GYNs and other doctors to determine the health of the child after it has left the womb.  In these cases, the opinion of a professional can result in the female having the option to choose abortion to reduce the chances of the child being born with a birth defect, or in some cases, to save the life of the female carrying the baby.  According to Richie (2013), anencephaly is a neural tube defect that does not allow for the proper development of the brain. Typically, these babies only have a brain stem, which allows the heart to beat but does not allow for the ability to thrive outside the womb, which doctors have determined to be a major birth defect. If the fetus makes it to term, many of these infants do not live longer than a few hours or days and due to the nature and severity of this birth defect, many physicians will not provide nutritive support as it is believed to be medically futile. When the mother is  presented with complicating factors such as an incompetent cervix, this can lead to secondary complications, i.e., fetal septicemia, uterine rupture, and renal failure.  Many of these secondary complications can, in turn, cause fetal death unless the mother aborts the child. Fetal septicemia causes grave danger to both mother and fetus. In these situations, the mother is typically given a choice to attempt to save her life and abort the baby or try to save the child and continue to put her life at risk (Christensen, Dahlander, Lindén, Svenningsen, & Christensen, 1981). Many socioeconomic and religious factors come into the decision-making process.  (I would get rid of this sentence altogether.  Also, the first sentence has been moved to the end of the paragraph for a more impactful feel.)  For a mother to be told that her baby is not viable outside the womb as she is the equivalent of a life support machine, and the outcome is one of certain death like in the case of anencephaly, she should have the option to choose to abort the pregnancy.  

Rape and incest are two of the most heinous crimes that any female child may have to suffer through. It is bad enough that these females have to become victims of these crimes, but to force them to endure 9 months of carrying a product of said crime and a lifetime of nurturing the seed of a malicious person can be too much for some women. According to The Guttmacher Institute (2016), younger teenagers and children only make up a slight percentage of females who receive abortions; however,  the damage is still great. When a child is assaulted either through rape or incest and becomes pregnant, the toll that it takes on the child is tremendous. The physical constraints of carrying a baby while the female is still a child can cause other medical issues including emotional, mental and psychological damage. In these instances, abortion may be the best recourse so that a pregnancy that was conceived from an unwanted sexual encounter is not carried to term. Abortions are just as life altering as the individuals who decided to assault their victims sexually.  (I really like this sentence, but I think it would be better off as the opening of the last paragraph!) The emotional, physical, mental damage done can be irreparable which oftentimes leads to therapy.  Even in the states that typically require parental consent for minors to obtain an abortion are willing to bypass that if a crime has been committed.

Many of today’s women are career focused; the stay-at-home mom has taken a back seat to the woman who wants to thrive in Corporate America.  She wants the freedom to be able to plan her family accordingly and abortion is a way to do so. According to Johnston (2016) the top three reasons for wanting an abortion were due to financial instability, irresponsibility, and not ready for how a baby would alter her life. A female that is driven professionally may want to enjoy the fruits of her educational and professional journey without having to deal with maternal issues.  In an attempt to compete in the professional sector, one that is already male dominant, having children can drop her value in a company, figuratively speaking.  The cost of obtaining an education is high enough in the country, and to add child care expenses could put a hinder on the female’s drive for professional success.    is equivalent to a double edged sword as these women tend to wait later in age to have a family. School and babies do not mix like oil and water. With enough thorough agitation, they will eventually mix temporarily, but they always go back to their individual properties at some point.     For the female who is attempting to advance her career through education, she does not have time for children unless necessary.  (This is too wordy.  I would delete it altogether and come up with the following.)   It is paramount for her to be able to abort an unwanted pregnancy so that she can remain educationally and professionally focused.