BY AUDREY ZEIK
English 9/Mr. Davis
Los Alamos High School
Around one in four women will choose to have an abortion by the age of 45 in the United States (Wind). The topic of abortion has surfaced for years, and it remains an extremely controversial topic today. But in my opinion, abortion should be illegal, with few exceptions.
To start, many people who support the pro choice movement believe that a fetus is just a “clump of cells” and won’t recognize that life is present until the fetus grows for a certain number of weeks. I would argue that a fetus is a life and that this life begins at conception. This can be proven through science alone. A “zygote” is the first cell formed at conception.
“Scientists define an organism as a complex structure of interdependent elements constituted to carry on the activities of life by separately-functioning but mutually dependent organs” (Szoch).
The zygote indefinitely meets this definition, as it goes through specific events to prepare it for further development. This therefore proves a zygote is a living thing because an organism is a living thing. And a “clump of human cells” will never go through specific and organized interactions that aim for continued development or organization like a zygote will (Szoch). To continue, a zygote has a genetic composition that is completely different from any other human to ever exist (Szoch). So as soon as conception occurs, a new life is created that is entirely different from the mother carrying it, which invalidates the “my body my choice” argument. It’s not part of the woman–it’s an entirely different entity.
Another one of the most popular points for legalizing abortion is, “What about in cases of rape or incest?” Although this is a very valid point, these types of abortions are extremely rare. According to Guttmatcher Institute, only 1% of abortions are from rape and 0.5% are from incest (Dastagir). Because this percentage is so small, I believe there should be exceptions for these types of abortions, instead of just allowing all abortions to be legal. This being said, abortion isn’t always an effective solution. Aborting the baby won’t “undo” the crime that was committed against the woman and may even cause additional complications (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). However, every rape or incest survivor may respond to maternity differently, and forcing them to give birth can be very traumatic and may add to already present trauma (Center for Reproductive Rights). Therefore, abortion may be the best option for them. This is why I believe rape of incest victims should be offered the choice to have an abortion. The decision to keep or abort the fetus shouldn’t be a decision that’s taken lightly, however, and education and resources should be offered to these women so that they make the best decision for themselves.
I also believe that if the mother’s life is at risk, then abortion should be legal. Pregnancies can cause complications for the mother that can be life threatening, and although the unborn child has tremendous value in my eyes, I would choose the mother’s life over theirs. However, like rape and incest abortions, these types of abortions are rare, and most late-term abortions are performed on healthy woman that have healthy fetuses (National Library of Medicine). So again, abortions from rape or incest or medically necessary abortions are acceptable and should be legal.
The far majority of abortions are performed because irresponsible actions resulted in an unwanted pregnancy. This happens way too often and abortions are far overused in the United States. According to the CDC, 625,978 abortions were performed in the District of Columbia and 46 states that had available data (Diamant et al). I believe in cases where the unborn baby was both conceived through consensual sex and abortion isn’t medically necessary, then abortion should be illegal with no questions asked. Why should the baby have to suffer the consequences of the parents’ irresponsible actions? It’s not fair that a baby doesn’t get a chance at life simply because they’re unwanted or the parents don’t want to own up to their actions. Some claim they aborted their child because of financial reasons or not being in the proper position to raise a child. This concern is valid, but abortion is still not a solution to this problem. There are adoption services that are willing to take the child and give it a chance at life. So why are people still aborting their babies? Some women aren’t aware of the resources available to them, have fear associated with maternity, or feel pressure to abort their babies by their male partner, family, etc. (National Library of Medicine). While I believe in making abortion illegal, I also believe in educating pregnant women on the maternal health care resources available to them, giving them support, and providing them with prenatal and postnatal care, which will ultimately help these women while they respectfully give birth to their child.
Though points may be made on both sides of this issues, I believe that abortion should be illegal, except in cases of rape and incest, or if an abortion is medically necessary. President Ronald Reagan once said, “We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life “the unborn“ without diminishing the value of all human life.”
Annotated Bibliography
Dastagir, Alia E. “Rape and incest account for hardly any abortions. So why are they now a focus?” USA Today, 24 May 2019, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/05/24/rape-and-incest-account-few-abortions-so-why-all-attention/1211175001/. Accessed 9 May 2024.
This source provided statistics of abortion as well as why women say they have them.
Diamant, Jeff, et al. “What the data says about abortion in the U.S.” Pew Research Center, 25 Mar. 2024, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/03/25/what-the-data-says-about-abortion-in-the-us/. Accessed 14 May 2024.
This source gave me statistics on abortion.
“Late-Term Abortion and Medical Necessity: A Failure of Science.” National Library of Medicine, 9 Apr. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6457018/. Accessed 15 May 2024.
This website included facts on why late-term pregnancies are done and when abortions are medically necessary.
“Law and Policy Guide: Rape and Incest Exceptions.” Center for Reproductive Rights, reproductiverights.org/maps/worlds-abortion-laws/law-and-policy-guide-rape-and-incest-exceptions/. Accessed 13 May 2024.
This source helped me figure out why laws have allowed abortion exceptions for rape or incest victims.
“life matters pregnancy from rape.” United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, http://www.usccb.org/committees/pro-life-activities/life-matters-pregnancy-rape. Accessed 13 May 2024.
This website explained how abortion isn’t always a good solution for rape/incest victims.
Szoch, Mary, editor. “The Best Pro-Life Arguments for Secular Arguments.” Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council, edited by Mary Szoch, downloads.frc.org/EF/EF21F56.pdf. Accessed 13 May 2024.
This source gave evidence as to why human life begins at conception and used many qualified authors’ arguments to back up this claim.
Wind, Rebecca. “Abortion Is a Common Experience for U.S. Women, Despite Dramatic Declines in Rates.” Guttmacher Institute, edited by Guttmacher Institute, www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2017/abortion-common-experience-us-women-despite-dramatic-declines-rates. Accessed 15 May 2024.
This source gave me statistics on abortions in the United States.