Pro Life or Pro Choice?

Prosecutors this week plan to charge Robert Lewis Dear, 57, with murder and other
crimes in the Nov. 27 attack that also left nine other people wounded. (cbsnews, 1). This is in
reference to the attack of a Planned Parenthood in Denver, Colorado. This man, Mr. Robert
Lewis Dear presumably bought ten assorted guns and asked how to get to the building. He
walked in and was the cause of three deaths and nine other wounded people. Some of them were
workers, some of them were women there to seek medical help. One was even a police officer.
Now, this is a horrendous crime. It was an unjustified attack under the guise of something good
and whats worse than the attack was that people are supporting this man for what he did. Many
people on Twitter and other social media websites are saying that the women wounded in the
shooting deserved what they got because of what they were going to do. So I suppose my
questions would be: Why would someone who wishes to save lives, take the lives of those
already living? Why is it that abortion is seen to be so taboo? Why is it seen as the most
despicable thing a woman can do? Why do people see it fit to disregard the health and safety of
would be mothers for a fetus? Ive decided to explore these questions and decide for myself,
what does it mean to be pro-life versus pro-choice.

My first question really is something to think about. Why would someone who has
committed themselves to saving the lives of infants and fetuses be willing to damn those who are

already living? Why is the life of whats growing inside of the mother be more important than the
mother herself? The answer is simple. The life of a child is seen as more important. And I
understand why they see it this way. They see abortion as the death, no the murder of a child and
thats why its seen as the most taboo. And in a way, I understand. Its a really harsh reality that
many babies who are aborted were living things. Some defenders of abortion will concede the
scientific proofs but will argue that the entity in the womb is still not, or not yet, a person. Not
a person is a decidedly unscientific argument: it has nothing to do with science and everything
to do with someone's own moral or political philosophy, though that someone may not readily
admit it. (frc.org, 1). This is from a very informative article, explaining reasons to be pro-life
and pretty much discrediting all pro-choice reasoning. It basically says that the people who
believe in pro-choice dont have many morals, nor do they have science to back them up.

Some can argue that when an abortion is done, its basically murder. That it is killing a
baby. A child. Someone who could have lived and maybe done great things. They say that a
woman shouldnt be able to get one at all, regardless of what happens to them. And with this, I
cannot agree. I use this to ask the pro-life movement; what if a woman is forced into this
pregnancy? What if she had been raped? What if she is a child herself? Do you believe that a
thirteen year old girl should be made to have a baby? Shes just a baby herself. What if there was
a mistake like a condom breaking? Or a forgotten birth control pill? Ive had pro-life people tell

me that in that case, it doesnt matter. It was the womans fault for getting pregnant because she
wanted to have sex. I do not believe that sex should have a punishment. I also do not believe that
a baby should be seen as a punishment. Some women want to have sex and not have a child.
Some women just arent ready to have children. Some dont want to go through a pregnancy that
could honestly just make them more ill. Way back when people didnt have proper healthcare,
women died during pregnancies and labor. Do we really want this for our girls even now?

Back to planned parenthood. Now, everyone knows that on every Planned Parenthood,
theres always at least one picketer outside the premises, shouting at women, telling them what
theyre going to do is wrong. However, how do they know what their business is? According to
their website, Planned Parenthood does far more than just abortions. They give general,
affordable healthcare to children, teens, and young adults. They are also the leading providers of
sex education and safe procedures that arent just abortion. In fact, only three percent of all
Planned Parenthood health services are abortion services. (Planned, 1). Yet, people still feel the
need to shout and picket, even shoot women who go there for help. Most people that go there do
so because they cant afford a different hospital. Planned Parenthood gives women who dont
have all that much money a chance to care for themselves or even their existing children without
having to worry. According to health.costhelper.com, For patients not covered by insurance, a
surgical abortion in a doctor's office or a medical abortion at 10 weeks typically costs about $320

to $500. At 16 weeks, a surgical abortion costs about $500 to $700. At 20 weeks or later, a
surgical abortion costs about $1,000 to $2,000 or more. This isnt bad I suppose, unless you add
on other costs. What if she was raped? Rape is one of the most common reasons as to why
women decide to get an abortion. (johnstonsarchive, 3). If so, then she can expect to pay about
$151,423 in medical bills. (endsexualviolence, 1). Women have many other reasons as to why
theyd get an abortion and honestly, it is no ones business besides hers and her doctors. So in
short, Planned Parenthood is a target because of what they do. Unfortunately what they do is
seen as something horrible instead as something good. Women go to these clinics because they
seek help, regardless of what theyre there for. Theyre probably already uncomfortable, even
ashamed and scared. They really dont need picketers screaming at them about how theyre
murderers- especially if they arent even there for an abortion.

Now, Ive heard numerous times that abortion is inhumane, and by definition I guess it
can be seen as true. There are a lot of processes that women have to go through depending on
whats happening with the fetus itself. According to americanpregnancy.org Abortions can be
done even in the third trimester. Third trimester or late term abortions are not legal in a number
of states except in certain medical situations. The time frame referred to as late term is often
based on when a baby is considered viable (able to survive outside the womb). However, the
point of viability is a grey area in many medical communities. Most medical communities

establish 24 weeks gestation, the later part of the second trimester, as the earliest time of
viability. Therefore, the availability of any procedure used in the third trimester is based on the
laws of that state. (americanpregnancy, 6). These kinds of abortions are the ones that most prolifers will use in their arguments- mainly because in the third trimester, the baby looks like a
baby and is a living breathing thing. When these kinds of abortions are done, generally it requires
killing the unborn baby while inside the womb and then inducing labor. Other forms require the
doctor to tear apart and then extract the baby piece by piece. As one could probably guess, this
kind of abortion is fairly traumatizing for the would be mother and father and rather cruel to the
baby if it was still alive before the procedure. With all this information, I can understand why
pro-lifers would want this to stop. I would like these kinds of procedures to stop as well, but I
dont think Abortion should go away. I dont think it could go away. Honestly, abortions have
been around for probably as long as women have been around and its going to stay in practice as
long as we need them. Its just nice to know that there are places where women can get a safe
abortion if they were to need it. Id rather safe places over wire coat hangers.

Another question I might have would be, what if we all became pro-life? What if we
outlawed abortions all together? What if all the children that could be aborted werent? Honesty,
wed probably over populate and then die out due to lack of resources. Does abortion help this
kind of over exaggerated future? Maybe. I believe if we just had better sex education classes,

abortion rates would plummet. Texas anyone? Texas and other states that require abstinence only
sex education have much higher rates of teen pregnancy, and you guessed it, higher rates of
abortions. Good sex education teaches young adults how to stay safe and how to not get stuck
with an unwanted pregnancy. And yet people still want to blame the mothers for getting pregnant
in the first place. They want to say that she is responsible and should have to raise the baby,
regardless, yet they dont hold the man who got her pregnant to the same regard. Men are
allowed to leave while women are forced to live with this baby they never wanted to have and I
dont for a second think this is fair. A woman should be able to hold the rights of her body to
herself and should be able to make the decisions of what she wants to do with it. Margaret
Sanger said, No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her own body. This
concept is fundamental for women. Bearing a child alters a woman's life more than anything
else. Other women's rights are hollow if women are forced to be mothers. Being born is a gift,
not a right. People don't ask to be born, and some even wish they weren't[If a woman has sex,
she has to pay the consequences...] This vindictive, self-righteous attitude stems from a belief
that sex is bad and must be punished. Motherhood should never be punishment for having sex.
Forcing a child to be born to punish its mother is the ultimate in child abuse. Anti-abortionists
trivialize motherhood and childbirth by dismissing pregnancy as a mere inconvenience. They
ignore or belittle the needs of the woman and the conflict she endures in making her decision.

(prochoiceactionnetwork, 9) This was from a pro choice article, basically doing the same as the
pro life article.

Amongst the fight, both sides have their rights and wrongs but inherently, its up to the
woman who has the baby to make the decision. It shouldnt be up to her spouse, it shouldnt be
up to their friends, it shouldnt be up to the government. Its her body and thus her choice. In
2013, Congress tried to push for almost seven hundred new laws regulating the female body and
ninety-four of them have passed so far. (politicususa, 1). Fourteen of those laws were for
abortion alone. In what world is it okay for a bunch of men in congress to pass laws on womens
bodies? Meanwhile, there are currently no laws regulating mens bodies. I wonder why that is.
So with this Id like to ask why people think it is their right to infringe on the rights of others.
Why do they see themselves as higher than others to the point that they can say that the life of a
fetus is more precious than the life of a living ,breathing woman? What makes her life any less
valuable than her babys? Why should she be forced to give birth to a baby that she cant afford
to care for, isnt healthy enough to bear, or never even wanted in the first place? Is it because
God said so? What happened to separation of church and state?

Im aware that all lives matter, and the life of a baby is just as important as anyone elses,
but when you get down to it, its her choice. Its her choice because the choice of a living human
being should be more important than something that has yet to actually live. Am I saying that

fetuses arent living? No. Its been proven that a fetus is alive around the twelve week point, the
fetus would have a beating heart and would be able to move. ( liveactionnews, 7) So I will not
say that abortion isnt killing something that is living. But its something that is living solely off
the mother. So again, she should be the one who gets to decide what to do with it and herself.
Will I say that all mothers who get abortions want to get them? Absolutely not, but when its
necessary to save the mothers life, then its necessary. In that case, the mother is probably
devastated. She probably wanted that baby more than anything, but he life is more important.
This isnt being selfish, this isnt being cruel, this is a woman who is deciding for the good of
herself and her baby. And sometimes, it isnt right for a baby to be born into the world. Forcing a
woman to keep the baby is more cruel to the baby than it is to the woman. If she isnt fit to keep
the baby then the baby is going to suffer more. I think a lot of pro-life believers forget this fact. If
she isnt a fit mother then she shouldnt have a baby. Simple as that.

So with all of this, I believe in pro-choice. I believe a woman should be able to make the
choice for herself what she wants to do with her body and her baby. She should be able to get the
health care she needs in order to stay healthy. She should be able to live the way she wants and
sleep with who she wants without the fear of being forced to have children when she isnt ready.
Im pro-choice because Im for the lives of those who are already living. For those who still have
lives ahead of them if they dont have this baby. For those who merely dont want children and

seek help for something they dont want. Life is precious, but not when its forced upon others.
Pregnancy is an extremely hard thing that not all woman chose to go through, and people treat it
like its some sort of cake walk. They treat the women who get abortions as though it isnt
emotionally taxing and exhausting. Not to mention humiliating. Quite a few women feel
ashamed after an abortion, meaning that they did care for what was growing inside of them. Its
not our choice what happens to the women who seek abortions. It should not be an issue to be
voted on by the nation. It is not the choice of some vigilante who decides that the life of a fetus
is more important than nurses and police officers who are already living and breathing members
of society. Being pro choice means that you support all the woman out there who suffer every
day because of the guilt put upon them to have a child. There are thirteen and fourteen year old
children who are forced to have children themselves because of a patriarchic society. Getting rid
of abortion clinics just takes away the safe and sterile places for women to do it and instead
forces them to do it themselves. Im for the safety of women because no one should be forced to
care for something they cant take care of. Im pro-choice because Im for the living.

Works cited
"Abortion Procedures During First, Second and Third Trimester." American Pregnancy
Association. American Pregnancy Association, 25 Apr. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
"Costs, Consequences and Solutions." Costs, Consequences and Solutions. National Alliance to
End Sexual Violence. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
"Family Research Council." Family Research Council. Family Research Council. Web. 11 Dec.
2015.
Flanders, Nancy. "Stunning Photo of Noah, Miscarried at 12 Weeks, Will Amaze You | Live
Action News." Live Action News. Live Action News, 19 Mar. 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
Johnston, Robert. "Reasons given for Having Abortions in the United States." Reasons given for
Having Abortions in the United States. 26 Aug. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
"Misconceptions About Abortion." THE PRO-CHOICE ACTION NETWORK. THE PROCHOICE ACTION NETWORK. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.

"Planned Parenthood at a Glance." Planned Parenthood at a Glance. Planned Parenthood

Federation of America, 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
"Planned Parenthood Shooting Suspect Robert Dear Asked for Directions to Clinic." CBSNews.
CBS Interactive, 8 Dec. 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
Woodbury, Adalia. "Republicans Have Launched 694 Attacks on Womens Reproductive Rights
in 3 Months." PoliticusUSA. PoliticusUSA, 13 Apr. 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.