Gallagher 1

James Gallagher
Professor Morean
English 100.15
9, December 2014
The Decision Is Yours
No one wants their life to be ruined because of an incident in the past. The decision
to carry out a pregnancy or not affects ones life in an immeasurable way. Although this
argument has not always existed, it is an unquestionable issue in todays society. Unlike
many arguments, the number on each side of the issue is close, and they are all concerned
about the choice of millions they will never know. Everyone should have control of an
enormous choice in their life, especially if teen pregnancy or health risks are involved.
Choice
The United States of America is known to be the land of the free although it seems there
should be a disclaimer at the ending of this saying. Freedom is defined as the power to
determine action without restraint. Therefore, in the U.S. a women has the power to
determine whether or not she wants an abortion, which holds true till today. Those who
disagree with this are arguing against freedom and rights given to those living in this
country.

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After interviewing a nurse from Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn Illinois, a truthful
point was mentioned concerning abortion. After being asked, In your opinion, how might
an abortion affect those involved with the decision and other friends and family? the
nurse responded by saying I would think there would be some feeling of guilt. The
decision makers and family might feel that maybe the choice of abortion is an easy way
out of the tough situation. Could family or friends raise the child? I would think there
could be a lot of friction between family and friends. They might not all agree on the
correct way to handle the decision This introduces a great point. Many more than just the
parents are affected by a tough situation.
Choices keep humans sane. Everyone wakes up and has thousands of choices to be
made every day. These range from something as insignificant as brushing your teeth to as
significant as attending work. With these choices comes consequences we are all aware
about. If one truly wants to have an abortion, then that is their choice not ours. With every
choice comes personal reason in which we cannot deny.
Teen Pregnancy
Less than 2% of teen moms earn a college degree by age 30 (Do Something). In a world
where a college degree is crucial for a stable job, almost every mother should be obtaining
one. Not only are mothers supporting themselves, they are also supporting their children.
A mothers life changes drastically after pregnancy and unfortunately these changes for
teen mothers are often unfavorable. Teen marriages are twice as likely to fail as marriages

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in which the woman is at least 25 (Misacor). As if raising a child while being a teenager
is not hard enough, undertaking this responsibility alone is extremely demanding. This
monstrous task usually does not go smooth. 80 percent of unmarried teen mothers end up
on welfare(Huffington Post). The thought that only two out of every ten of these teen
moms can maintain a stable financial status should change ones view on those in such a
position. Many have to drop out of schooling and give up goals set for the future when
there are other options.
Generally teen pregnancies are accidents where there was no intention of having a
child. Suddenly those involved have drastically changed their future. However with a
decision, their lives could be back on the desired track and not have to face an enormous
setback.
Health Risks
Possibly the most understandable time in which an abortion is the right choice is when the
mother is in danger. The most common factor that puts the mother in jeopardy of health
risks is age. This could either mean the mother is too young or even too old. Between the
ages of 18 and 35 are the safest years of a womens life to give birth to a child. Below and
above these ages are when striking complications begin to occur. Not only does the mother
receive issues due to the pregnancy, but often the baby does too.

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As technology progresses every day, so does the safety of pregnancy. However, the
facts in the U.S. are astonishingly getting worse. As many studies show, such as one by
the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the death rates have risen from 12.4 to
18.5 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births from 1990 to 2014(Huffington Post). The
United States is the only developed country to have this decline and the issue is not
technology, but politics.
The often debated issue whether one life is more important than another is the main
problem. Unless someone has proven this to be true by harming others, one should have
complete control of their own safety. If one wishes to go through with the delivery, then
that is their choice. If one wishes not to go through with the delivery that is also their
choice concerning their safety.
Rape
One specific case where abortion is completely understandable is when a women is
sexually attacked without having any consent. In such an instance, a women had no
decision for this to happen so why would she have to be affected from this? The answer to
this question is she should not have to be affected, she should not be forced to nurture a
child.
This issue itself, pregnancy or not, is an enormous issue in todays society. Studies
have shown [a] woman's chance of being raped in the U.S.: 1 in 5. (Huffington Post).

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This disgusting fact reveals how many women face this problem. These unfortunate
victims should rightfully have an option to get an abortion.
Economics
The cost of supporting someone today is extremely high. When those who can hardly
support themselves face a task of raising a child it puts an unmeasurable amount of work
on the one supporting. Teen pregnancy is more common than many think. The financial
support teenagers can hold is way lower than then amount needed to have , or even raise, a
child. According to CNN To raise a child born in 2013 to the age of 18 , it will cost a
middle-income couple just over $245,000.(CNN) Having a child is one of the biggest, if
not the biggest, commitments one can make. Many Americans today are not lucky enough
to even make this commitment because of financial struggles. More than 45 million
people, or 14.5 percent of all Americans, lived below the poverty line last year
(Huffington Post). More than seven out of every fifty Americans are living under the
poverty level, yet people still believe those struggling must come up with $250,000. This
not only will affect the parents, but also the child. The living conditions of a family under
the poverty level, if not already unacceptable, will now surely be unhealthy. Not only do
poor children have access to fewer material goods than rich or middle-class children, but
also they are more likely to experience poor health and to die during childhood
(Princeton). Parents with financial struggles should not have to raise a child , especially if
they are not qualified for the job.

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On the other hand, adoption is a great option and also could help this issue . It
solves both issues by minimizing the expenses needed from the true parents, and more
importantly keeping the life of the baby. There are really only two possible downsides,
which are unlikely, of this option. First, the unfortunate case of offering the baby to even
worse suited parents. The other possible result, which also creates a serious debate, is the
loss or no paid time off of the job of the mother during pregnancy. Although the EEOC
(Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) states that the employer must treat a
pregnant worker as any other temporary disabled employee, some employers do not
provide paid time off. This results in no pay for the mother for close to nine months which
many cannot afford.
Many decisions and actions are wrongful. However, countless amount of people are
put in difficult situations. An abortion is a terrible action that no one wants to make , but in
hopeless situations this wrongful action may be the best choice. One painful issue
concerning all tough decisions is the thought of what if. Not knowing the result of the
other side of a decision can haunt people for an entire lifetime . Those involved with ending
a relationship occasionally are affected in this manner. Actions really do change a persons
life and sadly those actions are unrighteous. However, there are times when that result is
for the better in ones life. Some actions may be wrong, however there is almost always
circumstances when this action may be right.

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Works Cited
Average cost of raising a child hit $245,000 money.cnn.com CNN August 18, 2014
Web. 1 December 2014 http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/18/pf/child-cost/
The impact of poverty on children princeton.edu n.p. 11 February 2013 Web. 1
December 2014
http://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/journals/article/index.xml?jou
rnalid=53&articleid=284&sectionid=1868
45 Million Americans Still Stuck Below Poverty Line: Census huffingtonpost.com
Huffington Post 16 September 2014 Web. 1 December 2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/16/poverty-householdincome_n_5828974.html

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The U.S. Is The Only Developed Nation With A Rising Maternal Mortality Rate
huffingtonpost.com Huffington Post 19 May 2014 Web. 1 December 2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/19/us-maternal-mortalityrate_n_5340648.html
Teen Pregnancy Statistics teenhelp.com n.p. n.d. Web. 1 December 2014
http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-pregnancy/teen-pregnancy-statistics.html
11 Facts About Teen Pregnancy dosomething.org n.p. n.d. Web 1 December 2014
https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-teen-pregnancy