Abortion has always generated a heated debate all over the world, with supporters claiming that it is the right of pregnant women to decide over their body, while opponents maintain that abortion is equivalent to infanticide.
Firstly, abortion supporters, known as “pro-choice,” strongly believe that every woman should have complete control over her body and no law should forbid her to decide what to do with it. Furthermore, they consider that women should also choose how many children they desire to have. Therefore, if a woman gets pregnant and the pregnancy is not desired, for instance when a woman has been raped, she should have an induced abortion in a secure hospital or clinic.
Secondly, supporters are convinced that safe abortions will result in a decreased number of deaths per year. Hundreds of women die every year due to back-street abortions in Argentina. Regardless of the fact that only therapeutic abortions are legal, most of the abortions that are practiced do not follow therapeutic reasons, hence they are considered illegal and ninety per cent of the women having them belong to the lower class. Since they cannot afford the expenditures of a clinic admission or professional care, they resort to clandestine clinics with non professional “specialists”, exposing themselves to high risks such as hemorrhages, infections, convulsions or incomplete abortions.
In contrast, abortion opponents, known as “pro-life”, are divided into two types. On the one hand, there exist those who are in favour of therapeutic abortions and reject elective abortions and, on the other hand, those who are against any kind of induced abortion. Therapeutic abortion is performed to save the life of the pregnant woman or to safeguard the woman’s mental health. Pro-life activists believe that killing a fetus is equivalent to killing a child or an adult human being. Moreover, they consider abortions unconstitutional acts because they violate the Argentine National Constitution which guarantees the right to life.
In addition to this, pro-life advocates emphasize the physical and psychological consequences of abortions. As regards the former, abortion increases the risks of breast, cervical and ovarian cancer. It also increases the risks of uterine perforation and placenta praevia in later pregnancies. What is more, women who have had induced abortions are more likely to have spontaneous abortions later in life than those who have never had one. Regarding the latter, abortion may cause stress and nervous disorders. Women also experience recurrent and guilty thoughts about the abortion which tends to lead them to a deep depression.
All things considered, it can be concluded that since abortion is an ethical and moral issue considered one of the most arguable subjects of controversy, an agreement between supporters and opponents will be difficult to reach. Both sides seem to have strong beliefs and to be reluctant to change their minds. As far as I am concerned, I believe abortion should be legal for therapeutic reasons or when a woman has been raped. However, I believe that we would not be discussing this topic if there were preventive measures, if people were taught from an early age how to prevent unwanted pregnancies and if they had easy access to contraceptives.
Good essay!
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