Blake Barson

Econ 2010
Dennis Wilson
May 7, 2015

Abortion: Pro-life or Pro Choice

Abortion has long been a topic of debate, as some people believe that a woman has the
right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy if she does not wish to be pregnant or does not
have the means to support a child. Others believe that a woman does not have the right to
end the pregnancy as she is virtually ending anothers life. There are many factors that
can play into abortion and the views people hold.
Abortion is more common than one may think. At current rates, about one in three
American women will have had an abortion by the time she reaches age 45. Moreover, a
broad cross section of U.S. women have abortions. 58% of women having abortions are
in their 20s; 61% have one or more children; 85% are unmarried; 69% are economically
disadvantaged; and 73% report a religious affiliation ("Guttmacher Institute", 2013). This
however was not always the case. Laws have changed dramatically in terms of abortion
and what is legal.
There have been various anti-abortion statues that have been written into the laws
of each state since the1900s. In 1973, abortion was prohibited entirely in 30 states and
legal in limited circumstances, such as pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, in 20
other states. In that same year, the Supreme Court in Roe versus Wade invalidated all of
these laws, and set guidelines for the availability of abortion. ("Wikipedia", 2015).

Norma McCorvey ("Jane Roe") filed a, class action suit challenging the constitutionality
of the Texas abortion laws. These laws made it a crime to obtain or attempt an abortion
except on medical advice to save the life of the mother. A three-judge District Court panel
tried the cases together and held that Roe had standing to sue and presented justiciable
controversies, and that declaratory relief was warranted. Roe won the lawsuit at trial. The
district court held that the Texas abortion statutes were void as vague and for over
broadly infringing the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendment rights of the plaintiffs ("Roe V.
Wade Case Brief Summary", 2013). Cases relating to abortion did not end with Roe
versus Wade, that was in fact, just the beginning. There have continually been cases
arguing one way or another on the issue and there doesnt seem to be any common
ground among the groups or even from state to state.
The abortion regulations in Utah are relatively restrictive compared to those of
most other states. The only abortion clinics in the state are in Salt Lake County making it
difficult for some receive the treatment necessary. In Utah the law states abortion is legal
if it is done before viability, if its necessary to save the womans life or health, if the
woman is a victim of raped or incest that resulted in the fetus, or the fetus has a uniformly
diagnosable and lethal defect. Utah law describes an illegal abortion as one that, fails to
meet the standards for a legal abortion coercing someone to have abortion intentional
termination of human pregnancy including all procedures undertaken to kill alive, unborn
child or produce a miscarriage, Partial Birth Abortion after viability, dilation and
extraction abortions, saline abortions ("Find Laws", 2015).
Another issue that often is raised with abortion is when a minor seeks out
abortion. Just as with adults abortion laws vary significantly from state to state. The

following diagram gives a picture of what each state requires in terms of minors seeking
abortion.

Utah law states that minors under 18 years old are required to provide notice of
getting an abortion to their parents or guardians, if the minor is unmarried. However, if
that isnt possible or safe for them, the court can order an abortion without parental
consent ("Find Laws", 2015).
Obamacare has raised another issue in regards to abortion. Many states and

obamacare plans require the individuals to pay for abortion coverage that they may not
want or need. While states had the option to opt out taxpayers are still paying federal
taxes that are used to pay for courage that includes elective abortion in other states For
example, an estimated 1.25 million Californians received federal taxpayer subsidies in
2014 and 96% of plans sold in California included abortion on demand. In Utah the state
legislature has enacted a life-affirming law to ensure that elective abortion is not included
in any of the plans sold on the exchange for the state. Lets not forget that pro-life
Americans in four states (Hawaii, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont) still have no
choice if they are looking for a subsidized marketplace plan that excludes elective
abortion. Its also important to remember that in a total of nine states, 90 percent or more
of the available plans cover elective abortion. They are: California, Hawaii,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
(Plaster, 2015).
As a parent of two children the idea of abortion makes me sick. Nothing can come
close to the joy my children bring me each day. It is hard to believe that there are people
who would end that purposefully. There are many people who would like to have children
and are unable to, if you become pregnant and arent ready for a child why not consider
adoption? To me it is unfair to end a life and to take away the opportunity of a child from
someone who may have the ability to have one for themselves. If you are old enough to
have sex then you are old enough to deal with the natural consequences. In the case of
rape or incest I still feel that is unfair to the fetus to terminate the pregnancy. Although
it places the woman in an extremely difficult situation that will likely take time and
support to recover from the focus should be on who is actually at fault for the situation. It

is not the fault of the fetus, rather, the fault of a third party. You cannot punish a child that
is just the result of someone elses bad decision.
I also feel that it is unfair I am now force to pay for something that I not only will
never use but I simply dont believe in. For me personally, along with many other people,
abortion is more than a moral issue it is a religious one. The fact that I have no choice but
to pay for the procedure is not only a violation of my personal rights it is a violation to
my consitiutional right to freedom of religion.

References
Find Laws. (2015). Retrieved from http://statelaws.findlaw.com/utah-law/utah-abortionlaws.html
Guttmacher Institute. (2013). Retrieved from
https://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/sfaa/utah.html
Plaster, G. (2015). National Review. Retrieved from
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/413806/obamacare-and-abortiongenevieve-c-plaster-arina-o-grossu
Roe v. Wade Case Brief Summary. (2013). Retrieved from
http://www.lawnix.com/cases/roe-wade.html
Wikipedia. (2015). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion