Abortion is legal and is an acceptable procedure based on a woman's choice

For Abortion Abortion has become one of the most controversial topics of our time, with a great number of people as proponents and opponents, and all with valid arguments. The greatest argument for those in favor of abortion is that women should have the right to decide what goes on with their bodies. If they do not wish to be pregnant, it should be within their right to terminate the pregnancy since the event is taking place within their bodies. In a similar sense, as the fetus develops inside of the woman, she is essentially considered the owner of the fetus (Jacob 71). As the owner of both her body and the fetus, the woman is the one to make the decisions for the fate of both. This belief holds especially true in cases where women become unintentionally pregnant due to rape, sexual abuse, or incest. Since they were unwilling to engage in sexual intercourse, which resulted in a pregnancy, it should be up to them to decide what happens next. The argument of sexual emancipation and equality is as equally as important as a woman’s rights in regard to her body. By not allowing women to have abortions, others are taking control of a woman’s freedom. “ The ability of a woman to have control of her body is critical to civil rights (Graber 114).” Furthermore, if the government takes away a woman’s reproductive choice, they are placing her rights below those of men. Since men are not the ones that become pregnant, they are able to simply walk away from their wife’s or girlfriend’s pregnancy. Women are not capable of walking away from a pregnancy with that kind of ease, which is why abortion seems appealing. If a man can disregard a pregnancy, women should be entitled to the same. The government should not have a say in what a woman does with her body because they do not enforce the men to be fathers. Against Abortion On the other side of the argument are people who consider themselves to be pro-life. Their strongest argument is that, from conception, a woman has a living, breathing human life developing inside of her body. To terminate a pregnancy would be nothing short of murder. “ Abortion is in direct defiance of the commonly accepted idea of the sanctity of human life (Baumgardner 23).” Since society looks down on people who take the life of another, the same holds true for abortion. As such, these people feel that abortion should be treated as murder and should therefore be an illegal procedure. Likewise, even though the fetus is incapable of exercising its rights, it has been determined that, as a living being, it still has rights. By having an abortion, the mother is killing a conscious, free human. While it is true that a woman may not have had the choice of becoming pregnant, the fetus is also unable to have a say in being aborted. It is not a choice that they are given. Also, even though a fetus is dependent on the woman, those against abortion still believe that the fetus is also set apart from the woman as its own independent entity (Maguire 88). Just like a child is dependent on its parents to be cared for, so is the role of the woman during pregnancy, and the fetus is no less important, nor any less of a human being. Religion also plays a role in determining whether or not abortion is morally right. Most religions, including Catholicism and Christianity, view all living life, whether a full grown man or a fetus, as precious and valuable. Abortion is, therefore, considered to be a sin; in some religions, having an abortion is enough to send an individual to hell. This belief goes back to the concept that abortion is a form of murder. Since religions do not condone murder, they do not condone the termination of a fetus. Personal Opinion I believe that abortion is a woman’s choice. There are so many factors that can play into a pregnancy, such as consent and cause, that to deny a woman the chance to have an abortion would be to deny her the rights to care for her own body. A woman’s choice to have a baby is just that – her choice. The government, religious institutions, and complete strangers have no right to determine how someone else should live their life. If a woman is unhappy about being pregnant and decides to go through with an abortion, it will be her who will face any consequences that may come about due to the procedure. An abortion does not affect anyone or anything but the woman and her body. Thus, nobody else should be involved in deciding if abortions are or are not right, or what a woman should be allowed to do with her body. Works Cited Baumgardner, Jennifer. Abortion & Life. New York: Akashic Books, 2008. Print. Graber, Mark A. Rethinking Abortion: Equal Choice, the Constitution, and Reproductive Politics. Princeton, N. J.: Princeton University Press, 2009. Print. Jacob, Krista. Abortion Under Attack: Women On the Challenges Facing Choice. Emeryville, CA: Seal Press, 2006. Print. Maguire, Daniel C. Sacred Rights: The Case for Contraception and Abortion. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print.