Argumentative Essay on Abortion in the United States

For many years, women have been getting abortions and over 600,000 women have an abortion each year in the United States. Although this event has been legal for over 40 years, many states are beginning to make it illegal to have an abortion, this event is becoming a massive issue for many women. Some women believe that they have the right to have an abortion because they feel like since it is their body it is their choice and because the fetus gains a heartbeat around 6-8 weeks. It is a woman's choice to have an abortion, the fetus has a heartbeat at 6-8 weeks, and states are banning abortion.  

Women have the right to do what they feel is best for  their body, and most people associate Abortion with simply killing the fetus and do not take into consideration that the mother may be going through something where it would be necessary to have an abortion. The woman may have an illness, the mother lacks the funds to take care of her unborn child, or the mother was abused and forced to conceive a child. Said by Elizabeth Chuck, “In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized a woman's constitutional right to an abortion in Roe v. Wade”(Chuck). Roe v. Wade was a bill passed on January 22, 1973 giving women the right to have an abortion, which was legally protected  under the fourteenth amendment. In the due process of the fourteenth amendment women are guaranteed a constitutional right of privacy.

In accordance with an article written by A. Torres and JD. Forrest, “Three-quarters said that having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities, about two-thirds said they could not afford to have a child and half said they did not want to be a single parent or had relationship problems”(Torres & Forrest).  In this quote, it is providing the numerous reasons someone may not be ready to bring a child into this world. This event is why I believe it to be crucial in allowing women to have the right to make the decision on their own. Women face a lot of tragedies in life and sometimes bringing a life into this world when you are not ready can create even bigger problems that may result in a death due to overwhelming stress levels. 

Some Americans believe that life starts at conception, but according to a New York Times article written by Sabrina Tavernise, “Women should at the very least be able to have an abortion legally before a heartbeat is detected”(Tavernise). During conception, a mother should have a choice whether they want to keep their offspring. Some people though believe if there is a detected heartbeat it is unethical to take the baby’s life, whether the mother has given birth or not. Amy Harmon explains that, “Abortion rights advocates say their own polling and analysis has shown that their messaging has been overly focused on concepts like the right to choose and protecting women’s privacy”(Harmon). Supposing that someone wants an abortion because of financial or ethical reasons, they should be able to decide they cannot have the child. These people should not be forced to have a child they cannot take care of or afford.  

Many states in the United States are in the process of banning abortion and other states have already banned abortion, such states include Alabama, Mississippi, and Missouri. Alabama anti-abortion activists have already had a successful year for the opposed abortion movement with only five months within the year of 2019. Lisa Lerer states, “We’re only five months into 2019...Its been a banner year for the anti-abortion movement”(Lerer). Anti-activists are effectively protesting against abortion as they feel that women should not have an overall say in what they want to do. It shouldn’t be up to the state to decide what a person should do in this case of abortion. Lerer explains that there are some people, “Worry that the Alabama law reacher beyond what votes or the Supreme Court support...The President and his allies are concerned those activists’ bold moves could cost the party”(Lerer). The President, his associates, and other anti-abortion activist are afraid that the protesters brave actions could damage the party.

Although their is a growing support of abortion, there are some underlying factors in why some women do not want to abort. Like many procedures something may fail, and in cases of failed abortions the child may have several physical and or mental illness/disabilities. There are also a lot of people who do not abort because of their religious background. Many faiths are against abortion of an unborn child, not only with faith but that unborn child may have had potential to do and be someone great for  the world. However, those factors may not be true for everyone, people do not have or believe in religion, and do not see it as a moral choice but as the mother choice to do what she wants and feels is best for this unborn child.   

Furthermore, it is and should be a womena choice to have an abortion, a fetus has a heartbeat at around 6 to 8 weeks and that state should not interfere with what a women does to her body. Even though some things may cause some women to want and feel the need to abort, there might be a risk for complications for the mother and possibly for the expected infant. Women have been getting abortions in the consequence that they may not be ready be to be a mother, their pregnancy happened through rape, or they are not financially able to provide for a baby. 

Works Cited

Chuck, Elizabeth. “What Is Roe v. Wade? Everything You Need to Know.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 5 Jan. 2018. Firstpage. 

Harmon, Amy. “'Fetal Heartbeat' vs. 'Forced Pregnancy': The Language Wars of the Abortion Debate.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 May 2019. Second Page. 

Lerer, Lisa. “Did Anti-Abortion Activists Overreach in Alabama?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 May 2019. Firstpage. 

Torres, A, and J D Forrest. “Why Do Women Have Abortions?” Family Planning Perspectives, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1988. Firstpage.

Tavernise, Sabrina. “How Banning Abortion in the Early Weeks of Pregnancy Suddenly Became Mainstream.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Apr. 2019. Firstpage.