Abortion: The Right to Choose

In 1973, abortion was made legal in all 50 states. Ever since then, there has been constant debate on whether it should stay that way.

The topic of abortion is a very sensitive topic to debate, not just because it brings with it a slew of other topics, such as gender inequality, but also because, unlike many other controversial issues, it isn’t just about tackling the lawfulness, or fairness of the act.

No, the abortion controversy isn’t that black-and-white. It also has us debating with ethics, and forming an opinion with our morals.

This debate, like any other, has two-sides to it, typically referred to as “pro-life” and “pro-choice”.

The pro-life perspective argues that abortion is equivalent to murder, that life begins the moment conception happens. It pushes for abortion to be outlawed.

Meanwhile, the pro-choice argument centers mainly around bodily autonomy- the concept of complete self-ownership over one’s own body. It states that the government shouldn’t, and doesn’t, have a right towards making medical decisions for a pregnant person.

Personally, I am a pro-choice supporter. I fully believe that a person’s body is their own, and that they should have the legal right to choose. If that choice is a termination of pregnancy, then so be it.

There are so many situations in which people get pregnant, but are not in any position to support a child, both emotionally and financially. One such situation may occur with teen pregnancy. Here, a pro-lifer may argue that adoption is a viable option, and for many, maybe it is.

But what is not often addressed is how big of a deal it is, to carry the fetus for 9 months, go through morning sickness, hormonal changes, all the other changes that body goes through during pregnancy, and then hours of labor, or even a cesarean section, only to see the child you gave birth to, go to someone else.

Now, in no way am I discounting adoption or surrogacy here; merely providing a different perspective.

I stated before that abortion isn’t just a legal debate, but also an ethical one. This is where that part of it, the moral, emotional part of it, plays in for both sides.

I am pro-choice, but that doesn’t mean that I cannot sympathize with someone who is pro-life. Maybe I can’t empathize, but I can understand that these people truly believe that abortion, harsh though it may sound, is murder.

All I’m saying though, is that by outlawing abortion, you might be closing off a host of life opportunities for some people, putting them in a position that nobody wants to be in.

And it isn’t like we allow the termination of pregnancies on a whim. The majority of states in the U.S. today require counseling before abortion, to make sure that the decision is being made logically, and with full choice.

In the end, it all comes down to one thing: choice.

That’s really what this debate is about. The right to choose.

Is that really something we should be taking away?