Abort or Not Abort

To be completely honest, I’m torn on the issue of abortion. But, I must stress that when entering into the discussion of abortion, it is important to remember that there are two sides to the issue – social and legal.

Social Issues

I think that in most cases abortion is used as a means of birth control – a practice that I don’t agree with. I’ve known too many people who have had abortions simply because they were careless, or didn’t believe they were mentally mature or financially stable enough to keep the child. Honestly, I think that one should think about these things BEFORE one begins to have sexual intercourse. My parents used to say, “If you’re grown enough to have sex, then you should be grown enough to handle the consequences of doing such” – whether that be sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancies, or heart ache.

Now, please, in no way think that I am being self-righteous. I know that accidents occur and that no one should be forced to have a child when they are not ready. However, I really feel conflicted and become torn when I think that a child can be aborted because of such.

On the other hand, some resort to abortion when there are conflicting circumstances surrounding the pregnancy, such as: rape, incest, maternal life, health, and/or mental health issues. In these cases, I think it would be silly for me to state what one should do, being that I’ve never been placed in any of these situations. It would be stupid of me to state any definite opinion; each of these instances is an extreme situation, where one should have the right to come to a conclusion on one’s own. If I was placed in any of these circumstances, I honestly don’t know what I would do…I truly feel sorry for anyone who is placed in any of these situations.

Legal Issues

Legalities…ooh legalities. Current laws pertaining to abortions are diverse due to the fact that religious, moral, and cultural views continue to have a huge influence on abortion laws throughout the world. According to Wikipedia (2009), “the right to life, the right to liberty, the right to security of person, and the right to reproductive health” are significant issues surrounding human rights and existence or absence of laws controlling abortion.

Some countries require that certain criteria be met in order for abortions to be allowed or upheld; however not all of them use a trimester-based system to regulate or permit who is entitled to an have an abortion. In the United States, some states require a 24-hour waiting period before the procedure, or require that a parent or legal guardian be contacted in the event a minor requests an abortion (Wikipedia, 2009).

I agree with some of these laws, however I resonate most with the laws surrounding minors. For instance, I believe that a minor’s guardian and/or parent should be given knowledge of the minor’s request for an abortion, due to the fact that this is a medical procedure. In any other case, if a minor was in need of medication or medical aid, a legal guardian would need to be given notice; therefore, I see no reason why this should be any different. This is a life-changing matter and I think that someone other than a minor needs to be informed of the procedure.

In conclusion, abortion is a sticky issue. It’s kind of hard to take a stance in black or white. I can, however, say that no one should enter into this decision lightly. No matter what, someone’s life will be drastically altered in the end.

-Janae is a blogger for The Sorbate. Check out her bio to see where her view comes from.

Cited Resources

Abortion, Wikipedia