The Pro-Abortion upholds the right of the women to terminate their pregnancy. Abortion is not murder. A fetus is not a human person. Unless and until it is delivered from a mother’s womb, it is not and cannot be considered a human person. It has no consciousness or capacity to reason. It becomes endowed with a human personality only if it is completely delivered from the mother’s womb.
As such, abortion is not murder. To say that abortion is murder will be tantamount to saying that the sperm cell and the egg cell is a human person. Moreover, even if the fetus can be considered a human person not all cases of the taking of a human life is considered murder. There are instances when the law does not impose any criminal nor civil liability on the perpetrator of the act. Consider for example the case of self-defense which exempts the person from punishment.
The Pro-Abortion argues that abortion is moral because and constitutional. It is a manifestation of the mother’s personal decision. It is entitled to protection under the Right to Privacy. A mother has the right to decide for herself what she intends to do with the fetus that is inside her. The government therefore has no right to limit or even interfere with that freedom. Neither can the government pass laws restricting this right as the Supreme Court of the United States had already spoken on this issue.
Abortion is a fact of life. Even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in the future or even if the legislature passes additional laws denying medical aid to pregnant women, pregnant women will still avail of abortion. Because abortion is illegal more women will continue to avail of abortion services from doctors who practice this medical procedure secretly and in an unsafe manner. Consequently, more pregnant women will be denied access to safe and sanitary abortion services.
Research shows that more women are being exposed to unsafe abortion. According to World Health Organization, the Allan Guttmacher Institute and the Family Health International, “Worldwide, 20 Million unsafe abortions are performed annually. This equals one unsafe abortion for every ten pregnancies and one unsafe abortion for every seven birth rates.” (History of Abortion, 1998, p.1) Moreover, based on their studies, “the number of women who die worldwide from unsafe abortions each year range from 70,000 to 200,000.” (“History of Abortion” 1998, p.1) Thus, the continued denial of benefits to those who avail of abortion services will only work to the prejudice of women who do not have the money. Poor women who want to undergo abortion will only be forced to resort to clinics and doctors who provide these services secretly.
Abortion is moral because it promotes equality of the sexes and empowers women. Abortion gives women the power and the choice on how to lead their lives. Worth considering is the survey conducted from 2000-2001 which stresses that a majority of the pregnant women nowadays are single and come from poor families.
According to Rachel K. Jones, Jacqueline E. Darroch and Stanley K. Henshaw, “Information gathered from this nationally representative sample reveals that the typical woman having an abortion is between the ages of 20 and 30, has never married, has had a previous birth, lives in a metropolitan area, and is economically disadvantaged and Christian.” (Jones, Darroch and Henshaw, 2008, p.1) If the society will continue to deny them the medical benefits then they will be forced to continue their pregnancies. Consequently, instead of the state helping to alleviate poverty, it in effect becomes instrument in promoting poverty.