Abortion

Abortion. Is it murder? When does life begin? When can abortion legally be considered killing the baby? That’s the thing. No one knows for sure. There’s no definition, there’s no legal or natural law of when life begins. When you boil it down, the decision is entirely up to the woman having the baby.

Citizens can do whatever they want to prevent abortions. They can make movies showing happily-ever-afters for women who follow through with the unplanned pregnancy. The new hit movie Juno is a prime example. “Pro Life Pulse blogger Jill Stanek calls ‘the movie pro-aborts will hate.’” (CBS News) Antiabortion activists have actually gone as far as to name the unborn children of women who plan not to keep the kid. “They each pledged to ‘spiritually adopt’ a fetus developing in an unknown woman -- to name it, love it from afar and above all, pray daily that the mother-to-be would not choose abortion.” (Los Angelos Times)

But here’s the thing -- making abortion illegal, shaming the not-mother-to-bes, and praying to ultra beings will not stop abortion. Even an anti-abortionist can admit that. “Now an outspoken anti-abortion campaigner, King says the best way to reduce abortions among black women is to dissuade more of them from premarital sex.” (Retuers.com) And this woman had two abortions at one point in her life.

That’s exactly the key to help prevent abortions. “For example, more women and couples need access to resources and services that will help them to better plan when they want to have children and how to use contraceptive methods effectively until that time," the report said.” (Reuters.com) Show them ways to help stop unintended pregnancies. Humans are humans, they make mistakes, they get excited and caught up in the moment. They have regrets, and they will have sex. Sure, abstinence is indeed the only 100% fool-proof birth control, but how fool-proof are the humans who rely on it? Hormones are very powerful. Don’t deny yourself that.

Living in a country where abortion is illegal will not make the problem go away. Cristian Mungiu actually directed a movie based on two women friends, one pregnant, who lived in a country where abortion was illegal. They had to bring their own supplies for the illegal procedure; hot water, cotton balls, bandages. The scary situation didn’t stop them, because they believed the alternative would be worse. The point is that they went through with it, illegal or not. Mungiu stated, also, that it was based on a true story and the details were not exaggerated at all, and scenes were not edited to spare the public, as most Hollywood films would be. (NPR)

Accept abortion as a necessary evil - and yes, that’s what it is. Anti-abortionists have this cruel idea that pro-choice people are pro-murder. But it‘s not true! “The Journal of Family Issues published a report earlier this month asserting that women often choose abortion because of their wish to be good parents.” (CBS News) Women who choose to get an abortion are actually thinking of the child, of their families, of their already born children. Adoption doesn’t always go well, look at all of the parentless children out there now. Consider the economically struggling families who have to support yet another child, along with a few others, when they can barely keep their heads above the water. Why sacrifice all of those lives for one, why bring that new baby into a family of misery, pain, and suffering? Think about unwanted children. Imagine the psychological pain that child must endure, growing up knowing he was a mistake. Mothers who are forced to live with something (or someone) they regret, and be reminded of it all the time, will sometimes grow to hate, abuse, or neglect whatever it is. No child deserves that. Isn’t it better to send them up to heaven early?

Unplanned pregnancies that end in abortions don’t always come from “slutty teenagers”. Pro-life people argue young teens shouldn’t sleep around until they’re ready for the responsibility. But, “half of the roughly 1.2 million U.S. women who have abortions each year are 25 or older. Only about 17 percent are teens. Sixty percent have given birth to least one child prior to getting an abortion.” (CBS News)

Pro-life activists claim the contraception pill and abortion are used as regular forms of birth control, and not for emergencies. "They're giving kids a false sense of security for those who are potentially going to engage in risky sexual behavior," Fichter, an anti-abortionist stated. (Chicago Tribune) Pro-choice activists, however, are not telling women to rely on abortions as a form of birth control. Instead they argue women should have the right to choice, weighing the pros and cons of having this unplanned child. What they ultimately decide is what they believe is right for the child. And, as the famous cliché goes, “The Mother knows best.

Works Cited

Associated Press, "Giveaway of emergency contraception angers anti-abortion group." Chicago Tribune 17 Feb 2008 21 Feb 2008 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-ap-in-plannedparentho....

The Huffington Post, "Kids: The New Voice In The Abortion Debate." Los Angelos Times 22 Jan 2008 21 Feb 2008 http://frecklescassie.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/8th-graders-and-abortion/.

Movshovitz, Howie . "'4 Months' Raises the Iron Curtain on Abortion." NPR 24 Jan 2008 21 Feb 2008 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18384538&ft=1&f=100....

"The Complex Face Of Abortion." CBS News 20 Jan 2008 21 Feb 2008 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/20/health/main3733178.shtml?sourc....

"U.S. abortion rate falls, study finds." Reuters.com 17 Jan 2008 21 Feb 2008 http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSN1722176020080117?feedT....

"Making Room For Baby." CBS News 11 Jan 2008 21 Feb 2008 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/11/opinion/main3699797.shtml?sour....