Torres 1

Claudia Torres

Dr. Jason Dew

English 1302

4 April 2024

A pro-choice stance on abortion

The topic of abortion has been around for years, always being sensitive and controversial, with

the ability to cause disagreements between people with ease. Through the years, there have been

many changes in the course of its legality, how safe it is, and people's ethical/moral viewpoints

around it. Everybody has an opinion and their own reason as to why they took the side they

chose. This paper will look at the research that supports and encourages abortion or the

“pro-choice” side. Abortion has many factors to it that make people take the stance they do.

Many people's beliefs may not be accurate and are just something they believe because they saw

or heard it and didn't take the time to research the topic. When it comes to an important and

dangerous topic like this that deals with people's lives and well-being, it's crucial to be

well-educated on the most recent facts. Regarding the moral aspect, there are no facts, everyone

has their own beliefs as to what they believe is wrong or right, whether it be religious or a case of

morality. It's not permanent, though, as time moves on, people's points of view tend to shift on

controversial topics. Many things that were seen to be wrong 70 years ago could be seen as right

today. The medical aspect is where there are facts. And stances on topics that deal with people's

quality of life should be based on facts.

So what exactly is being pro-choice? Pro-choice means being on the side of supporting women

in having a choice in what happens to their bodies. Not only having these reproductive rights but
 Torres 2

also just being able to have the ability to get an abortion. Because of the way things are right

now, having an abortion is very difficult. Being pro-choice would mean wanting to get rid of

current laws that make having a safe legal abortion so hard. “If you identify as pro-reproductive

rights, it means you want to keep abortion legal, and you believe people have the right to be able

to access abortion.” (Miriam 2019)

Regardless, abortion has an eventful history with many of its ups and downs in legality and

opinions. The act of performing an abortion itself has been around for centuries. “Abortion was

frequently practiced in North America during the period from 1600 to 1900. Many tribal

societies knew how to induce abortions... During the 1860s a number of states passed

anti-abortion laws… After 1860 stronger anti-abortion laws were passed… many women began

to utilize illegal underground abortion services.” (Alliance for Perinatal Research and Services

(1979). Just like people are fighting now to legalize abortion, the opposite used to be the case. In

1910 abortion was banned throughout the nation, and only those who were wealthy could go and

find it elsewhere. Though, Abortion was rising to be made legal in the 1960s. Later, it became

legal in 1970, with the significant Roe v. Wade case. At the time unfortunately, racism that is

rooted in America made it hard at the time for women of color to have access to abortion by not

allowing them to pay for abortions by using Medicaid through the Hyde Amendment which is

mostly used by minorities. Recently, on June 24, 2022, the court case Roe V. Wade, which made

it legal, was overruled, and heavy restrictions were placed in various states. Today, fourteen

states have made it completely illegal, twenty-six states don't allow a woman to have one after a

certain point, 12 states make the person have to wait a certain amount of time before they can

have it, and twenty-two states make it a requirement to have an adult consent if the person

getting an abortion is a minor.

In certain places trying to get an abortion because of some tricky restrictions makes it so

difficult for people. It seems like even though certain places couldn't make it completely illegal,

they will make sure the experience is a difficult one. It's unfair. Some restrictions consist of

having to have parental consent or notifying the parent, making it tough for minors who don't

want their parents to know. Consent laws are only in place with the sole purpose of discouraging

the person trying to get an abortion by making them receive counseling that is biased against

getting the abortion or making them get an ultrasound, sometimes, they'll make them do both

with a certain amount of time between both. None of these benefits the person in the unfortunate

position. There’s the Hyde Amendment previously mentioned. Targeted Regulation of Abortion

Providers (TRAP) laws are laws targeted toward the doctors who provide abortions by placing

certain regulations that are said to make abortions safer but are just excuses to shut down

abortion clinics and stop the doctors.

One of the reasons why a person would be opposed to abortions is the moral and ethical

standpoint. People with this stance take the argument that an embryo in the womb is a human

and deserves rights, to abort it would be murder of a person that can't defend themselves. Until

around the second to third week since fertilization is when an embryo is considered a person.

Since there is science behind it, it’s simply up to a person on how they interpret it. Whether or

not they believe that aborting would be as horrible as murder is up to a person to decide for

themselves. In this stance, there is a heavy persuasion aiming at people's emotions even using

phrases like “abortion is the opposite of love” and harsh ways of describing it such as “killing

children.”

Even just considering having an abortion is a very difficult and painful one, why would anyone

consider having one in the first place? Abortions tend to happen because the pregnancy was
 Torres 4

simply unintentional. A pregnant woman might not be in the position to be having a baby.

Having a baby might just make life more difficult for some people. Not everyone has the

resources that are needed to have and properly take care of a child. Having a child could also put

roadblocks in a person's life, for example, stopping them from finishing their education. There

could also be more dangerous reasons. Some women face greater health risks in being pregnant

or giving birth.

Though having access to abortions is important, what is the procedure? And how safe is it all?
 Torres 5

References

“Can You Explain What Pro-choice Means and Pro-life Means?” Planned Parenthood, 10 Aug.

2023,

www.plannedparenthood.org/blog/can-you-explain-what-pro-choice-means-and-pro-life-

means.

“Abortion in U.S. History.” Planned Parenthood Action Fund,

plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/abortion-central-history-reproductive-health

-care-america#:~:text=The%201960s%20gave%20rise%20to,Wade%20case.

Center for Reproductive Rights. “Abortion Laws by State - Center for Reproductive Rights.”

Center for Reproductive Rights, 16 Aug. 2023,

reproductiverights.org/maps/abortion-laws-by-state.

Where Can I Get an Abortion? | U.S. Abortion Clinic Locator.

www.abortionfinder.org/abortion-guides-by-state/abortion-in-the-united-states.
 Torres 6

“Why Pro-Life? The Case for Inclusion | MCCL.” MCCL, www.mccl.org/whyprolife.

Website, Nhs. “Risks.” nhs.uk, 11 Mar. 2024, www.nhs.uk/conditions/abortion/risks.

Lmhc, Dawn Stacey PhD. “Why Do People Have Abortions?” Verywell Health, 7 Aug. 2023,

www.verywellhealth.com/reasons-for-abortion-906589#toc-health-reasons.