There is quite a number of medical procedures that are performed in the United States annually. Abortion happens to be among these medical procedures which are entirely focused on women. The issue is not only a major concern in the United States alone, but also in many other countries around the world. Records in the United States show that about 40% of women in the United States procure an abortion at some point in their reproductive lives. The subject of abortion has drawn a lot of debates across the universe with those who are for it and those against it. The topic on abortion has led to the emergence of two groups taking different sides on this issue. The people who normally oppose abortion take the pro-life stand whereas those who stand in support of abortion take the pro-choice stand. Well, there has been a heated debate on the way to go, especially considering the health issues in the women fraternity (UN Millennium Project 23-35).
While women of all categories seek terminations, the average woman who procures an abortion in America is White, unmarried, young, poor or aged above 40 years. This is no doubt that abortion is common in the United States and some other parts of the world. Abortion has commonly been regarded as a discretionary termination of pregnancy. Abortion in the United States was legalized in 1973 in the commonly known Roe v Wade case. Therefore, a lot of abortions are conducted annually in the United States. Despite the introduction of more effective methods of birth control, many pregnancies that occur in the United States are not planned for. Almost six million pregnancies in the United States each year are not planned for. This contributes to the number of pregnancies that are terminated through abortion.
Abortion and Women’s Health
Abortion is a visible and legally active medicine filed; while at the same time is considered a controversial subject. Abortion should be left to the pregnant mother to decide whether to conduct it or not. The people who are against abortion hold the opinion that the parents of a teen less than 18 years seeking to perform an abortion must be informed. In such a case, the ultimate decision lies in the hands of the parents. The pro-choice group which I belong to holds the opinion that the consent of the parents is not needed for a woman to carry the pregnancy. Pro-choice people say that the permission of the parents is not required in this matter. The reason for this predisposition is based on the fact that the parent’s opinion is not sought when a woman wants to use other birth control measures, like pills. Likewise, abortion can be birth control measure and, thus, should not seek the intervention of the parents. Abortion is comparable to other issues, like the treatment for diseases transmitted through sexual intercourse.
Requirements such as seeking the consent of the parents could jeopardize the life of the woman. Some parents are too judgmental and many young girls would be haunted by the decision of their parents. Setting such laws would lead the young females to unsafe places to procure the abortion. Studies show that many young girls seek the intervention of their parents before procuring an abortion. The laws that require the consent of parents before an abortion is performed for minors force them to carry out the abortion at a later state in the pregnancy. This puts the minor in a very precarious situation. The chances for survival of the client in the abortion procedure are very minimal and may not be good for the health of the woman in such an occasion. Some minors may also be forced to make long journeys to get to places where such laws do not exist. This is a very disturbing move taken by the minors and could in the process give way to major health complications as a result of a delayed process (PATH 3-5).
At the stage when an abortion can successfully be performed, the mother’s discretion is paramount. The life of the mother is more important than the unborn fetus. There are some instances where the mother of the unborn child could have been raped leading to the pregnancy or in an instance where the pregnancy was not planned. In such a case, the mother may not be happy to raise the child if the pregnancy came through rape. An unplanned pregnancy may pose a lot of economic challenges to the pregnant mother. In this case, the mother may choose to terminate the pregnancy on such grounds. Therefore, the decision of the pregnant woman is paramount and should not be influenced or compelled by external forces. The efficacy of the pregnant mother should, thus, be felt at all costs (Arnot and Cornelie 231).
The specialists who aid in procuring abortion are well trained personnel in women’s health, such as gynecologists and obstetricians. A number of research studies have proved the safety realized when a number of health care professionals carry out these procedures. These include midwives, physicians and their assistants as well as nurse practitioners. The legalized abortion is a very safe procedure. Research has shown that the rates of infection are very minimal. Abortion has been considered safer on the side of the mother than when she is allowed to carry the pregnancy for the term. Surgical and medical abortions are both effective and safe when conducted by the professional practitioners trained in this field.
Most of the women that are getting pregnancies and resorting to abortion are the teens and the women aged between 20 and 24 years. Considering this age, the health of the women may be adversely affected if the mother is not economically stable to support the child after birth. Some men impregnate the women and leave them on their own. In a case where the men do not take responsibility and the woman is not stable economically, abortion would be a very prudent step to take. The mother of the child needs to be taken care of after birth. A lot of energy and blood has been expended in carrying the birth and during the delivery process. Therefore, abortion can be a good solution to securing the health of the woman if the mother is not economically stable. This is a very serious situation where abortion can come in handy. It is during such cases that abortion saves a situation.
In a more or less similar case, women aged above 40 years are also opting for abortion because of their health (UN Millennium Project 23-35). At this age, the woman has advanced in years. Bringing up a child is a very demanding task. It requires energetic women to carry out the task and, therefore, a child born by a mother in her forties could face a lot of difficulties in its tender age. The mother may also face some complications during birth and, thus, the abortion option would be a better way to go. Waiting for the birth of a child jeopardizes the life of a forty year old woman. This does not necessarily mean that the birth may not come out successful. The fact is that the consequences that follow may lead to a weak body after the birth. To stay healthy and strong, terminating the pregnancy would be a good option.
Despite the important gains that have been realized and the progress made towards the achievement of good health of reproduction, the results are not evenly distributed. The economically challenged women are in dire need and are not well served in ensuring good reproductive health (Sheikh 105-128). The unwanted pregnancies and early childbearing are some of the most significant factors that have promoted the burden of illness experienced amongst the women in the society. This is especially true for the women who are facing hurdles in economic matters. Much time in life is lost to death or disability related to poor productive and sexual health. Abortion has provided an appropriate solution that can help these women to deal with the situation amicably.
Violence based on gender compromises reproductive and sexual health amongst women. Many women in such situations do not have control over the decision to have sex or not. They merely do not have power to negotiate the sexual practices that would be safe for them. This places many women at a very huge risk of health complications and disease. Some of these problems can be controlled through abortion. In a situation where the woman does not have control over the sexual activity, abortion could be the last option for such a woman. The man may not understand how this affects the woman, because he is not directly involved in the actual delivery of the child. In the end, the woman will suffer health complications, not the man. While some men would be reluctant on whether their wives should abort or not, women should have an outright answer. The life of the mother is more important than the anticipated child that is still in the mother’s womb.
Many families are facing a lot challenges on the side of the mother because of the woman’s subjugation under the man. Women get to some level in the family where they cannot defend themselves on matters of reproduction and child bearing within the family. In such a situation, the woman may end up getting pregnancies against her wish. The health of the woman continues to be in jeopardy if no measures are taken to curb the menace. Some couples are normally reluctant to use contraceptives due to personal reasons. Men may not really be concerned with the situation and, therefore, the woman has a very high chance to get pregnant. If the woman is let to carry all these pregnancies successfully, their health will be put under a very high risk. If couples shy away from using the other control measures, abortion would be the best option. This would be mainly useful for the welfare of the mother.
It is very clear that pro-life philosophy will not apply in most cases as advocated for by pro-choice group. Pro-life is a more unfair position compared to the pro-choice argument. At least, there is a mother we already have and know about. Concerning the unborn child, it has not yet come to existence. Its effect has not been felt in the society and, thus, losing the baby may not be of great loss in many aspects in comparison to the case if the mother was lost during delivery or disabled by illness after delivery. A woman who will find herself in a series of births is likely going to suffer in her health generally. Abortion can, thus, be helpful to such mothers who have little or no control in regulating their pregnancies.
The constructive engagement of all couples and partners in the enhancement of good reproductive health is a subject that needs to be treated with seriousness. If men are not concerned with what transpires in their relationships, then the choice of abortion should be left to women. Women need to be taken care of as they are the most affected in this case. They need a lot of health services and health information to lead good reproductive health. There are a lot of complications, illnesses and other health issues that take place during pregnancy. Abortion is better than waiting to go through all these experiences that are most likely going to be experienced during each pregnancy. Some of these illnesses and complications could produce lasting effects in the life of a woman. This finally affects the health status of such a woman and she may end up being physically weak. There are some conditions which once they develop can produce permanent effects (Glasier et al.1595-607).
Giving a lot of births can cause emotional stress and trauma. As it was already mentioned, children born amidst poverty are usually a humiliating affair to the parents. Research has shown that much of the burden will befall on the mother. The fate of the children on health matters is mainly determined by the mother. The mother plays a very significant role in determining what the children will eat and their ultimate eating habits. Therefore, the failure to meet her family obligations may result in problems with mental health. Moreover, the pain that is experienced in giving birth is great. When that pain meets other life challenges, the situation for the mother could be worsened. It could lead to detrimental effects that could have a negative image on the life of the mother. The health of the mother is, therefore, more important than having births out of every pregnancy.
The facts discussed above justify the need to procure abortions for mothers at their won discretion. The social and emotional wellbeing is an important aspect in the health of a human being. Human health can generally be defined as a state of being well, socially, emotionally, mentally and physically. These contribute to the wholesomeness of an individual. Therefore, abortion can help in rescuing this situation for women. Like any other human being, women need to be fit all round. They need to experience a sort of calmness that comes with making decisions that suit them and that work towards their wellbeing. It is very important that the pro-life stand held by some people in the society considered this diverse approach and the ultimate goal realized by procuring abortion. The fate of the unborn child will, therefore, be determined consequently by the mother. It is imperative that the mother is not compelled by external forces to bring up a child she cannot manage to feed or a child that was forcefully delivered.
It has been reported that about 500,000 women die of causes related to pregnancy every year (UN Millennium Project 23-35). A great number of these women suffer complications and issues that are linked to the pregnancy or the process of childbirth. These complications have been found to initiate long-term consequences. Based on this fact, it is true to say that these misfortunes could have been averted through abortion. This shows how expensive it is to take care of a pregnancy. With all these illnesses, the mother cannot be left to suffer. It is obvious that the pregnant woman will make an effort to attend the health center to take care of both her life and the life of the unborn child. Pregnancies come along with very many diverse complications which, when not dealt with amicably, could produce detrimental effects. Imagine a situation whereby the mother is going through all this trouble as a result of a pregnancy that came to being through rape or a pregnancy that was not planned for. It can indeed be a humiliating experience. The circumstances under which the pregnancy came to existence could finally have very consequential effects on the mother.
Looking at sub-Saharan Africa alone, high fertility formerly would amount to an unrestrained increase in the reproductive age of women and hit between 15 years and 44 years by the year 2015. The absolute rates of fertility in several countries are still at or even exceeding five births for every woman. This has been occasioned by the absence of contraceptives use. The services of family planning are hardly put in practice. Sometimes, this does not happen out of choice, but it happens anyway. The woman finds herself in a situation where there was no time to get contraceptives. In another case, some women are very poor to afford a contraceptive. The issue at hand is very serious and since the pregnancy was not planned for, abortion could be useful in handling the situation in a manner that will not leave the woman in a tricky position in whatever aspect.
It is, therefore, important to help women to make informed choices concerning their sexual and reproductive health with the social support and the essential information useful for them. Family planning is among the most fundamental and basic services of healthcare. The ability to make decisions on spacing and the number of children promotes the health of mothers and the children as well. Small families are easier to manage during these hard economic times. Therefore, abortion plays a very significant role in ensuring that women achieve this goal even in the most unfortunate circumstances. A problem may occur while implementing the use of other measures applied in family planning; for example, on realizing that, it is not the last option for the mother. Abortion is the last option and is always available in case whereby a woman accidentally gets pregnant. When this children spacing is desperately needed and the situation has turned out to the worst, abortion can be useful.
Internationally, a very huge number of women lack the basic contemporary ways of family planning. Contraceptives and family planning services are not available in many places across the world. There has been the increase in the age gap of the women in the reproductive bracket. It is now starting as early as fifteen years in developing countries. The question would be where the fifteen year old would take the child on birth. Even if she can get support to bring up the child, her life is in danger from suffering and complications, as well as other health issues. This puts the mother of the child at a very risky situation because of her underdeveloped body to successfully support the delivery process. There is likely going to be a lot of health complications in such a scenario. What this young female teen needs is guidance and counseling, and then advice on matters of abortion to make the ultimate decisions. It is good to assist the teen in understanding the situation she has found herself in and the health implications on her body, and future reproductive life.
Family planning is a very effective method of reducing maternal mortality through the prevention of unwanted pregnancy. However, even though abortion is not considered a family planning method in many parts of the world, its use could be amazing in the impact that it can create in the lives of women (Edmonds et al 447-453). Abortion can strangely enough be used as a family planning measure in a situation where all other measures have failed or were expensive to acquire. Killing the unborn fetus can be a more useful procedure rather than letting the mother be in the danger of suffering from pregnancy related illnesses and complications. Health is a very important aspect in the life of every human being.
To continue, legalizing abortion has helped to save a lot of lives. Many women in the past took upon themselves to perform abortion. This was and has always been a very dangerous process. As a result, many of these women lost their lives due to unsafe abortions. Therefore, despite a lot of people will resist abortion, some women would still find a way of dealing with the situation. A denial of abortion to women would cause them to visit some practitioners to get cheap abortion at the expense of their health and life in general. The legalization of abortion in the United States has played a significant role in protecting women from unhealthy environments. This impact can also be realized in many nations of the world that are still pro-life. The fact that they hold such a position does not mean that there are no abortions in their countries. The fact is there are very many unsafe abortions performed internationally and that put the health of women at risk. Being pro-choice would save the lives of many women and, at the same time, take care of their health. Unsafe abortion as a result of a nation’s pro-life position can lead to infection, uterine perforation or even death among other health complications (Complications You Can Have with Abortion).
This research paper has explored on a medical operation that has been one of the world’s most controversial subjects in the medical field. The issues linked to pregnancy have been pointed out as very harmful to the life and health of women. For one, family planning services have not sufficiently been provided across the globe and, therefore, abortion can be an alternative in such areas in an effort to ensure good children spacing. Unwanted pregnancies, pregnancies realized through crime issues like rape, and economic challenges are some of the grounds highlighted due to which an abortion can be procured. The health of women is at a higher risk when carrying a pregnancy than when an abortion is performed. Many deaths have occurred during pregnancy or at child birth. Thus, this paper stands in support for abortion as it contributes a lot in enhancing the health of women in matters of family planning and evading the complications of pregnancy.