Posted: June 14th, 2015

Abortion or Pro-Choice

Abstract

Article 1

Introduction

Frum (2012) beings his article with sentiments that aroused a lot of controversy from the then Senate candidate, Richard Murdock. The journalist had asked the candidate about whether or not a woman who has been raped should go through with a pregnancy that came about through rape. The candidate response was that the woman should go through with the pregnancy, enduring the traumatic experience and meet all the needs of the child until adulthood. The then presidential candidate John McCain responded that Murdock should admit that he was wrong among other major uproars that arose in the media due to his comments. In general, the candidate was for the idea that the woman should not have an abortion but rather go through with the pregnancy. Other candidates claim that a pregnancy that comes about from rape should be gotten rid of (aborted) because there is no need to put the woman through the trauma of raising the child of a rapist. The thesis of the article is that abortion is unacceptable in today’s society and many different countries have done their best to encourage more births and discourage abortion. The article has been written with the assumption that abortion is highly prevalent in the society even though there have been regulations put in place to deal with abortion and encourage childbirth.

There are a number of logical fallacies that are brought out in the article. First, there is the fallacy that the issue of abortion solely affects the rights of the woman. From the article, candidate Murdock does not consider that it is the right of the woman to make the decision whether to keep the baby or not. Others claim that the woman has a right to make the decision as her future is at stake. The right of the woman revolves around the woman having a child in circumstances that are favorable for her. The second fallacy brought out in the article is that the fetus is not being considered as a person or rather a human being but something that is not yet matured enough to be considered a human being. This is seen in the first section of the article whereby arguments against the senate candidate’s perspective show that the fetus is seen as less of a person as it only exists in the woman’s womb. It is for this reason that the woman that has been raped should go on with life and advance herself without this fetus.

As one reads the article, it brings out two different appeals. In the beginning, Senate candidate Richard Murdock’s sentiments that were against in the circumstance of a raped woman lead to a firestorm of comments that irritate a number of people. These people, such as the then presidential candidate John McCain even urge him to say that he is sorry. The appeal brought out at the beginning of the article is an emotional appeal as the responses given are emotional, taking pity at the woman that has been raped and Murdock claims that she should go through with the pregnancy while others suggest that she should have an abortion to avoid the traumatic experience. As the article goes on, a more logical appeal is brought out as more factual data is used to explain the situation in many other countries that are against the notion of abortion.

Supporting Evidence

In order to support the main points or thesis of the article, a lot of supporting evidence has been well presented. The first evidence given is that in a society whereby childbearing women have been given support, there are less incidences of abortion. On the other hand, in societies whereby less support is given to the women, there are higher chances of abortion. Germany is one of the countries that have a strong welfare system, which gives the working person at least 14 weeks paid maternity leave. Every German child is given an allowance by the state for even 25 years, as long as they are in school. There are also women who choose not to work anymore after giving birth. These women are entitled to a replacement wage until 14 months. This should not be taken as a coincidence but the country has recorded some of the lowest rates of abortion, this being a third of the abortion rates in the US. Nevertheless, abortion laws in the country are not restrictive as a woman is allowed to have an abortion during the first trimester. In the later trimesters, abortion is only allowed in the event of psychological or medical factors.

The situation is rather different in the US whereby abortion is affected by the changes in the economy. During the 1990s, the rates of abortion were low and even lower in the 1800s when the economy was less prosperous. When the US economy went through a crisis in 2008, the rate of abortion increased suddenly. The trends above show the exact reason why abortion is on the rise. The high rate of economic insecurity is the reason for abortion. Frum (2012) explains that 57% of the women, who preferred to have an abortion in 2008, had gone through a change in their economic status such as losing a job or a home. 70% of the women who have had an abortion were either poor or almost poor, while 61% already have another child while 58% of the women who have had abortions are in their 20s.

Netherlands has the most generous laws on abortion in the world. Nevertheless, the country still records the lowest rates of abortion. In rates were lowest in the mid-1990s while between 1996 and 2003, the rates reached the highest value at 31%. The Guttmacher Institute that collects data on reproductive health explains the reason for this as a higher demand for pregnancy termination in the minority groups in the country. The institution also reports that most of the girls who have undergone abortion in the country are of the non-Dutch origin.

Different from the incident given in Murdock’s example, these girls were not raped. The reason for the pregnancy in the first lace is that they were sexually active at an early age, growing up among male-dominated sub-cultural environments. The access to birth control drugs was also highly restrictive in such environments where female sexuality was strictly policed. The non-Dutch girls who got pregnant without being married were considered a disgrace to their parents and the childbearing obligations and costs would entirely be on the women. This shows that abortion in Netherlands occurs in low numbers but is still prevalent because of maternal distress and poverty.

The chances of abortion occurring in an environment where the woman is financially and emotionally secure are low because she has the freedom of choosing the best time for her to be pregnant and abortion is not a choice, even though there are liberal laws on abortion. On the other hand, when a woman is poor, dominated, and is threatened by the needs of childbearing will still find a way to abort even where the laws restrict. This was the case in the US before the 1960.

The following is expert opinion that supports the claims given in the above article (Frum, 2012). Remember that the thesis statement of the essay is that abortion is not acceptable in the society and many countries are doing their best to encourage child bearing. Susan Cohen has written her expert opinion on abortion and the notions surrounding abortion in today’s society. As an expert, she writes that the first thing that we need to understand about abortions is that the reason for its occurrence is an unintended or unwanted pregnancy (Cohen, 2015). According to her, most of the women that are victims of unwanted pregnancies are women of color or women from the minority communities. This is well reflected in the Netherlands situation whereby even though the country has set up regulations against the vice, the non-Dutch girls are most subject to unintended pregnancies hence the need for abortion.

According to her, looking for sollutions to curb abortion does not begin by answering the question of why black women have high rate sof abortion but rather at looking at what can be done so that these women from minority communities or women of color need in order to reduce chances of unintended pregnancies and better health outcomes. Cohen (2015) also adds that the social and economic inequalities of the women bring about the different health disparities. The unequal access to reproductive health facilities creates a gap that should be breached to ensure that all women have equal access to information and contraceptive services. This will help reduce instances unintended pregnancies that result in abortion. Cohen (2015) explains that we are in a time in which the spate of abortion is being politicized andvery little progress is being made in the US to find a solution.

My opinion of the above article begins with a reflection of what actually is abortion. For me, the word abortion refers to the termination of a pregnancy and removal of an embryo or fetus. These leads to the embryo or fetus becoming incapable of surviving. The above definition may be very simple to understand but this word has been the source of a lot of debate in many countries. There are areas that allow women to choose whether to go on with a pregnancy or terminate it (pro-choice as will be discussed later) while there are countries in which abortion is highly discouraged by the laws and stiff penalties. The above article shows the steps that Germany and the Netherlands have take in order to reduce chances of abortion. Abortion is one of the controversial issues that are never clearly decided or clear rules derived on it. The above countries that rules against abortion claim that abortion is the killing of a helpless baby and not giving this child a chance to grow and become a human being. On the other hand, others claim that a woman should be given a right to decide whether or not she is capable of carrying a child for nine months and take care of it once it comes into the world. If the woman finds that she is not ready for any of the above, she should not be forced to go ahead with the pregnancy and should be allowed to have an abortion.

These issues make me wonder whether the topic of abortion brings a thin line between what is humane and inhumane. This is actually a life and death issue as the life of an innocent child is being debated and abortion gives it a risk of death. This makes me wonder whether a woman should have freedom to use internal reproductive systems as she wishes or the government laws should decide for her. This is in the case of Germany and Netherlands where laws against abortion make the ultimate decision. The above article outrightly claims that abortion is wrong. Nevertheless, there is a gap in the laws givevn in Germany and Netherlands as they do not mention whether there are exceptions given in cases of incest, rape and potential fatality.

There are many people highly opposed to abortion. These people can be refered to as being ‘pro-life advocates’. This means that they are proposing for the life of the child and the woman has no right to choose over the life of the child. Such people include organizations such as The Christian Coalition, The Human Life International (HLI) that are for the child’s life.

There are a number of reasons why the above arguments that are against abortion stand. First, I believe that abortion is killing an unborn baby or destroying an unsuspecting life. I think it is a good idea that the governments are taking steps against abortion. This is an important move because the women who have abortions are ‘playing God’ through taking someone else’ life into their own hands. This is a risky process as these same women are aware of the many risks they are exposed to as their whole reproductive system is in danger. I also believe that there are other options women can have instead of having abortions. There is the option of adoption. I agree with what has been said in the article that many women go through with abortions because of the state of economic insecurity that they are curently facing. Through adoption, the child can be given a loving home with parents that can provide it with the needs that the woman was not able to provide. This is a good option as there are many families made of man and wife and are unable to have babies. The other option is looked at before the young woman has had the child. The woman has the option of choosing whether to have sex and face the consequences of engaging in the action. The aspect of ‘playing God’ is highly prevalent in the society of today as one is trying to take the responsibility of God and

Refutation of Counterargument

People who claim that a woman should be given a right to choose whether to go through with an abortion or the pregnancy are playing with the life of a real person, whether the person is in the stage of a fetus or is already matured, there is life in them. This life is being treated like a ball that is being tossed around whether it is important or not. This is not right at all because under no circumstance does the child come into the world without God having a plan for him. Having an abortion could be killing a person who will bring better change and advancement in the life of the mother or the society at large. I believe that there are some prominent people who were set to bring the change that the society of today needs to advance but were murdered even before they saw the daylight. There is no one who has a right over the life of another person, like the mother who has no right over the life of the child. ‘Playing God’ and taking another person’s life is just not right.

Article 2

Prochoice

Introduction

Summary of thesis/ main points: What are the things or prescriptions needed for prochoice laws

Supporting evidence

Refutation of counterargument

Expert Opinion

My opinion

Conclusion