Abortion is a deliberate or spontaneous termination of pregnancy. In civilized democracies, abortion is allowed by law for women who wish to safely end their pregnancies. In cases where access to legal abortion is limited, people resort to unsafe ways (Huq et al., 2017). There has been heated debate across the world on whether abortion should be legalized.
Reasons for Making Abortion Legal
There are situations when abortion is the only right thing to do for a woman. In an event that a woman is raped and as a result, becomes pregnant, abortion becomes the only way to get rid of the unplanned and unwanted pregnancies (BBC, 2014). Similarly, there are incidences where the life of the mother is threatened due to medical complications such as cases of sickle-cell anemia, severe diabetes, and heart disease. If in such circumstances, carrying out an abortion will at least save the life of the mother, then abortion should be legal (Berer, 2017). Furthermore, it is argued that women should be allowed bodily autonomy so as to make decisions they feel are right about having children relative to their age, relationship stability, and financial stability (Minyersky, 2018). Finally, abortion is considered a government policy issue for regulating population sizes, improving a population, and regulating particular groups in a population.
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Contrary Opinion
Opponents of the legalization of abortion argue that procuring an abortion is against the fundamental rights of the unborn. They believe that the unborn baby has a right to life that must be protected by all means possible. Others with strong religious beliefs contend that abortion is equal to killing the unborn, which is sinful and condemned in the Holy books (Berer, 2017). For instance, Christians and Buddhists are strongly opposed to abortion on grounds that it is unreligious.
Rebuttal
Legally or scientifically, a fetus is not a human being and lacks self-awareness or consciousness thus it is not right to equate abortion to killing or committing murder. Also, banning abortion would not be a solution for stopping abortions as women will still seek it through unsafe and illegal ways. Thus, it would be better to legalize it and provide safe ways to carry it out.
Conclusion
Abortion should be legalized as it is a choice that should be considered when ethical. However, it should be discouraged given the fact that other more effective methods such as the use of contraception are available to prevent pregnancy. Mortality and morbidity rates caused by unsafe abortion can be reduced if proper access to abortion services, contraceptives, education on sexuality, suitable interventions, and post-abortion care is ensured regardless of whether it is legal or illegal.
References
BBC. (2014). Abortion: Reasons for abortion. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/legal/when_1.shtml
Berer, M. (2017). Abortion law and policy around the world: In search of decriminalization. Health and Human Rights Journal , 19 (1), 13-27. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5473035/
Huq, E. M., Raihan, J. M., Shirin, H., Jahan, Y., Chowdhury, S. A., & Rahman, M. M. (2017). Why abortion is illegal? Comparison of legal and illegal abortion: A critical review. Mymensingh Medical Journal , 26 (4), 944-952.
Minyersky, N. (2018, August 8). The legalization of abortion will benefit thousands of women. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/08/the-legalization-of-abortion-will-benefit-thousands-of-women/
