Abortion

One of America's most heavily debated topics is abortion. As of September 12th, 2005, the weighted average of pro-choicers versus pro-lifers was 38% to 56%. The concernable topic of abortion is whether or not it is morally right to kill another "life".

There are many downsides to the illegalization of abortion. America does not stop every crime. If this were the case, abortion might be a bit more frowned on. If rape were not such a big deal in this country, abortion would not occur as much. A woman, or young girl, can have her life shattered in an instant. To be impregnated from a rape would be horrific. How is it morally right that a woman be held responsible for something she could not prevent?

Adoption is said to be an option in this case. While it is true that many of the children that are placed into adoption find good, loving homes, it is also true that many go from home to home trying to find the support and love that they need. Sometimes these children are placed in abusive situations. Incest also plays a major factor in abortion. Again, the idea of placing the child up for adoption is brought up. Children born from an incestual relationship are proven to have deformities, such as mental and psychical disabilities. About 13,000 women every year have abortions because of incest or rape.

Studies show that out of the teenage women who become pregnant, about 35% have abortions. Young women who have unplanned pregnancies face difficult choices. Compared to other young women who do not have to take care of a child, she is faced with the idea of dropping out of school to take care of her child, may receive inadequate prenatal care, will most likely rely on public assistance to help with the raising of her child, develop health problems, and most have her relationship or marriage end in divorce. Children that are born to these teenage mothers are said to be more likely than children of older mothers to suffer great disadvantages. These disadvantages are medical, psychological, economical, and educational.

If abortion is illegalized, many women will turn to unhealthy procedures of receiving abortions. Back alley abortions and ones performed by people not specialized in the procedure can result in serious medical conditions and often leads to death. There are plenty of horror stories of females who wished to have abortions, but feared the reactions of the people surrounding them. Even if legal, many women still turn to unsterile and unhealthy methods of receiving an abortion.

One circumstance is that of a female whose body simply cannot sustain a child.During child labor, the mother may die, sometimes resulting in the death of the child as well. If this female was a young woman, she may have been refused of her right to an abortion by her parents, forcing her to have to experience an extremely painful and heartbreaking situation.