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Abortion should be illegal

Introduction

Abortion is not a new topic of discussion. For a long time now, pro-life and pro-choice

advocates, legislators and religious institutions have debated this issue. Among these divides,

two kinds of arguments usually dominate. To begin with, there are those that use liberal

arguments because they favor personal choice over any other value. Secondly, there are

conservative ones who seek to maintain the status quo of the fetus’ life. It is important to note

that some countries permit abortion if the pregnancy is the result of rape or if it puts the woman's

life at risk. Many young girls who do not know what they will do when they find out they are

pregnant, and so they resort to this immoral practice. As a result, abortion should be illegal for it

goes against the right to live.

Despite years of discussion from both sides, a common ground between pro-choice and pro-life

advocates has not yet been found. However, abortion is wrong for it promotes sloppy sexual

behavior among both men and women for they believe that they will simply abort in the event of

pregnancy. Negligence is usually the main cause of unplanned pregnancies. Young people

engage in careless sexual behavior assuming that they have an easy way out. This can lead to

sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS and eventually death (Baird & Rosenbaum 73).
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In addition to this, premature termination of pregnancy is dangerous and may cause the death of

a mother and her baby or cause infertility. Due to this sexual promiscuity, this practice

undermines the social institution of the family.

Another argument in favor of abortion is that it should be allowed to protect victims of rape. The

law should consider the futures of these people especially if they are young girls. It is unfair to

force them to give birth to children conceived out of traumatic experiences such as rape since the

child may serve as a constant reminder of her terrible experiences for the rest of her life. The

restrictive laws of abortion are unfair because they go against the freedom and rights of women

to do as they please with their bodies (Haney 5). As a result, they also argue that abortion must

be legally permitted to prevent the possibility of sterility and even death of women who resort to

illegal abortions. Additionally, pro-choice advocates argue that abortion can be used as a

mechanism to solve the problem of overpopulation, especially in developing countries.

Abortion violates human dignity. Therefore, it is wrong since it unfairly ends the life of an

unborn baby. From the moment of fertilization, a living individual with unique human DNA is

already in existence in the mother’s womb. In line with biological research, after conception, the

genetic inheritance of the fetus is complete. Interrupting its development is, materially and

morally, a murder. Also, studies have shown that the baby’s heartbeat can be hard after the fourth

and fifth weeks of pregnancy. As a result, the fetus becomes a human being immediately after

conception and must be treated as such. The fetus must enjoy the same rights that other people

enjoy (Baird & Rosenbaum 89). Just as it is wrong to kill, abortion should be viewed as killing,

an action that is punishable by law. Women who abort their unborn babies must be held to

account and pay for this crime. Besides, this will promote responsible sexual behavior.
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In addition to this, although their strategies used during the process of abortion are improving,

there is still a high risk for the development of harmful effects to the health of women and an

almost absolute certainty of experiencing traumatic mental effects (Haney 22). Abortion is an

unnatural procedure which interferes with one of the primary duties of the human body;

reproduction. The body of a woman can naturally resist abortion, causing physical challenges or

even death. One of the most worrying aspects of this situation is that many women are usually

not well-informed about the side effects of abortion. They often rush and make this precarious

decision. Abortion is a crime, an absolute evil since it equals termination of one life to save

another.

On the other hand, pro-choice advocates argue that abortion should be a woman’s choice and

thus women should be allowed to abort at their will (Baird & Rosenbaum 104). They argue that

the criminalization of abortion has ignored the role played by women in the psychological

destiny of the baby. A mother who is not psychologically ready to take care of a baby should not

be allowed anywhere near one. This is because she may see the baby growing in her as an agent

of devastation and bodily invasion (Saurette & Gordon 70). Therefore, if a woman does not

desire or is not ready to raise a child, then she should not be forced to do so. There are certain

laws that protect women with respect to abortion, especially those who have gone through rape.

However, women do not benefit from these measures. On the contrary, they will add risks to

their mental and physical health. They will have to live with the pain of having allowed the death

of a human being. Numerous studies have proven the dangers of abortion to the physical health

of a woman. Having said this, we must admit that with or without law, abortions will continue.

Reducing them significantly would require structural measures, such as policies to support

women who cannot provide adequate support to their children, restructuring of the adoption
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system, active prosecution of abortionists (Haney 67). No civilized society should permit people

to deliberately cause harm or take away the life of another human being without retribution, and

abortion is no different.

Besides, adoption can serve as a viable option to the practice of abortion and which achieves the

same outcome without posing harm to anyone. With over 1.5 million families in the United

States for instance who are willing to adopt and raise a child as their own, there is no such thing

as an unwanted child (Saurette & Gordon 77). The principle of double effect cannot be applied in

cases of immediate abortion. This is because the action in itself is destructive and harmful to the

fetus. Consequently, it does not matter whether there are positive intentions that can be achieved

from abortion. It is wrong to try and provide any moral justification for the practice of abortion

based on the principle of double effect.

Conclusion

In conclusion, abortion is a crime and should therefore be treated as one. If governments and

institutions can come together to pass laws against abortion and fight towards this cause then this

can promote positive living. We must all strive towards an abortion-free society where all human

beings are valued and protected whether thy have been born or not and a society where

abortionists face justice for their crimes.

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Work cited

Haney, Johannah. The Abortion Debate: Understanding the Issues. Enslow Publishers, Inc.,

2008.

Baird, Robert M., and Stuart E. Rosenbaum. "The ethics of abortion: pro-life vs. pro-choice."

(2001).

Saurette, Paul, and Kelly Gordon. The changing voice of the anti-abortion movement: the rise

of" pro-woman" rhetoric in Canada and the United States. University of Toronto Press, 2016.