by Lucia Zhang
Abortion is the act of terminating a human pregnancy, usually before a fetus is capable of an independent life. It was legalized in the United States in 1973, but the debate over whether it should have been legalized has continued over the years. Some people believe that it should be legal, while others strongly disagree. I think abortion should definitely be legalized, because it should be the woman’s choice whether or not she wants to keep her baby.
Women have the right to control their own body. It is not the government’s job to pass laws against women’s life choices. If a pregnant woman believes that having a child would affect her life in a negative way, they shouldn’t be forced to carry the child. Furthermore, forcing someone to carry a child they might not even love is cruel for both mother and child.
People make mistakes. It is not fair to let a single mistake ruin someone’s live forever, especially when they have a bright future ahead of them. Let’s take teen pregnancies as an example. It would be challenging for a teen to carry a baby in the womb for nine months, and even after giving birth, they are not capable of raising a child at such a young age. In addition, the baby would not have a good quality life if they grow up with someone who is not ready to take care of them. In this case, I believe they should be able to get an abortion.
Another example where abortion would be essential is if the pregnancy is not fair to the woman. What if she was raped? Forcing her to have the baby would be putting an end to her economic and personal freedoms. Moreover, what if the woman’s life is put at risk because of her pregnancy? In that situation, abortion would be the only option to save the mother’s life.
A lot of the time, a woman chooses to abort her baby because she knows that it will not have a good life. For example, if the baby will be born with a severe medical issue, the mother may want an abortion so their child won’t have to suffer a lifetime of complications. Another scenario might be that the mother is not financially stable enough to take care of a baby. What kind of life would the family lead if they can’t afford living essentials?
Abortion is not always the best answer. Obviously, there are other options, such as putting the baby up for adoption. Also, many people take advantage of abortion and treat it as a form of contraception. In these cases, abortion should be reconsidered, and not allowed. Abortion is definitely taken advantage of, but it should not be abolished. It should be regulated.
As you can see, there are many reasons why abortion should stay legal. If we allow abortion to stay legal, the good effects outweigh the bad. Even though abortion may not always be the best solution, women should still be able to have it there as an option.
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