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Brooklynn Early
John Kubler
English 114A
25 October 2014
Modern Day Womens Suffrage: Women Are Denied The Right To Abortion
To engage in a conversation about abortion, one must be open minded. Abortion is one
of the many topics that is never ending and opens up deliberations from medical standpoints to
religious views. The feud between pro-life and pro-choice lies within whether or not it is a
crime to terminate a pregnancy and if it is considered murder. However, there still remains
many different perspectives on when life begins and at which point abortion is a crime. I believe
that abortion is a very personal issue that should be left up to the individual who is seeking the
abortion. The state should not have the power to control whether or not someone is ready and
stable enough to bring a child into this world. Adoption should not always have to be a solution:
there are more than enough children suffering in the foster care system. There are circumstances
in which abortion is a primary option for an individual. Abortion has became a war between the
life of the mother and the life of the unborn fetus.Abortion is an individual right that the state
should not be taken away.
The life of the mother should come first in making the decision to abort the unborn
fetus, and the patient and the decision should be left to the mother.She should be the only one to
determine whether she wants to sacrifice her life for the life of the fetus if a decision has to be
made. No one should be able to interfere in the decision a mother chooses , whether it be to
have a child or terminate her pregnancy in early stages. Jim Fetzer,a former Marine Corps
officer who has published works on scientific knowledge and cognitive science believes that

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the decision to bear children is among the most personal we confront in life . Bearing
children is a personal decision that should not be compromised by state laws. Abortion is not
always about terminating a pregnancy because a female is not ready for a child, it can be a
solution when the life of the mother is in jeopardy. Medical professionals have agreed that the
life of the patient is primarily their first concern, therefore, abortion should be legal up until the
point of birth if any one physician willing to perform an abortion says it is needed for the
preservation of the health of the mother(Fetzer 1) . This means that first a physician must
agree to the terms of proceeding with an abortion of a child when the mother is in her third
trimester only with the exception that it will save the life of the mother. I agree that in
circumstance such as this, the mother should have the right to choose to terminate her
pregnancy if her life is in dire danger. Ultimately, it is the physician that will use his/her
experience and knowledge to determine whether or not the life of the mother is in jeopardy.
James D.Argresti,who is the president of just fact and dedicated to publishing verifiable fact
about political issues asserted that medical judgment may be exercised in the light of all
factors-physical, emotional, psychological relevant to the well-being of the patient . If a
patient is not physically or emotionally capable to continue a pregnancy or carry a child full
term, then abortion would be an alternative. However, there is assistance for mothers with
severe mental illness, abortion is not their only solution.
Women who are denied the right to an abortion can seek drastic measures that can have
dangerous medical consequences short term and long term. Women have turned to so-called
do-it-yourself abortions when they have been denied or simply cannot afford an abortion .
These do-it-yourself abortions are extremely unsafe and can include methods like,
swallowing who bottles of quinine pills along with castor oil, and women who douche with a

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variety of dangerous chemical products in an attempt to terminate pregnancies can experience
other medical related problems (Argresti). There have even been reports of pregnant women
throwing themselves down stairs or having people punch them in the stomach . With such
restrictions placed on abortion, women are suffering and maybe even the fetus if women are not
going to professionals to take care of their abortions. Women should not have to resort to such
drastic measures.
Another factor that plays a role in abortions are rape and incest victims. They are more
likely to terminate a pregnancy. Restrictions on abortion make it hard for victims to terminate
pregnancies and they shouldn't be forced to share a child of someone who assaulted them.
Rachel Cohen, writer for the American Prospect and abortion activist discusses some of the
restrictions and new proposals to require a sexual partner to consent to seek and abortion, this
poses multiple red flags. First, it may be good for couple to both agree on an abortion before
termination, however, a sexual partner can be forcing a woman to terminate her child against
her will. Also rape and incest victims arent able to bring their sexual partner and I imagine that
it wouldnt be something theyd want to do either.
Another reason why the state should not outlaw abortion is because there still remains
confusion on when life begins and if abortion is considered murder.In Roe v. Wade, the judge
was not able to define when life begins with certainty and when those in the respective
disciplines of medicine, philosophy , and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus there
raises multiple opinions on the issue at hand (Anderson 1). The idea that abortion is murder
simply does not apply to taking the life of early-term fetuses, since they do not properly
qualify as persons . In other words, an unborn fetus at early-stages can be terminated without
being considered murder because it isnt a person yet. This poses a great deal of debate between

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personhood and humanity, so the question is that of when personhood obtains the
corresponding legal/moral/social rights and obligations that entails? (Fetzer 1). At what point
in the pregnancy is the fetus given unalienable rights? The judge argued that a developing fetus
was not a person and until there is a clear resolution, nothing further can be done to outlaw
abortion (Anderson1). I am indifferent when it comes to clearly defining when life begins:
however, I do believe that abortion should be legal as long as there remains little to no evidence
on when life begins. Some believe that building characteristics is what define a person and
others believe a heartbeat is the start of life. The notion of a living human body suggest that to
be a person an entity must have a separate existence, which hints that even fetuses, must less
zygotes and embryos may not qualify (Fetzer 1) According to the latter, unborn fetuses arent
considered people because their existence relies on the health of the mother carrying it.
I stand firm in my decision that abortion should not be outlawed and that women should
have the right to terminate pregnancies if it jeopardizes the health of the mother and if the
patient is a victim. Abortion is a decision that should only be determined by the mother because
she is the one who will be affected and the one who will have to care for the child. The state
should not be allowed to make decisions like this for women. I believe that would be giving too
much to the State. Women have always been fighting for rights, and abortion should not be
something up for deliberation, it is a personal matter that should not be forced or taken away
from women. There remains insufficient evidence to define the beginning of life and until then,
women and children should not have to suffer as a result of the lack of confirmation.

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Works Cited
Agresti, James D. "Just Facts Daily." Just Facts Daily. N.p., 18 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Oct.2014.
Anderson, Kerby. "Arguments Against Abortion." Arguments Against Abortion. N.p., n.d. Web. 27
Oct. 2014.
Cohen, Rachel. "Why Women Need Abortion Rights." SocialistWorker.org. International Socialist
Organization, 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
Fetzer, Jim. "Why Abortion Is Right for America." Veterans Today. N.p., 7 Apr. 2013. Web. 28 Oct.
2014.