Although currently legalized, abortion still remains today a largely contentious issue in American society and elsewhere, spurring widespread debate regarding the ethics and morality of such medical practices. Divisions emerge from the conflicting perspectives and definition for what constitutes as life; some believe abortion is murder while others believe that women have a right to exercise control over child-birth. Personally, I’ve always identified myself as pro-choice, and reading Judith Arcana’s article reaffirmed my belief that abortion is ultimately an issue of motherhood. Every woman who has an abortion knows what it means, deals with the emotional burden of her action, and never takes the decision lightly; as Arcana aptly expresses, she “lives in that meaning the best way she can.” It’s important to acknowledge that mother’s are well-aware of the repercussions of abortion, and have taken full responsibility for it, believing the choice she made is the best one for herself and her child.
In today’s society, I feel that people often make hasty judgments towards women who choose abortion, and often try to portray having an abortion as act of malice or neglect for human life. However, it is easy to make such judgments when ignorant of the mother’s personal circumstances, the conditions surrounding the mother, and the probability of the child having a healthy and successful life if born. I also found it interesting how Arcana highlighted the words we use to describe abortions under different contexts. If the pregnancy is deliberate or accepted, we call it baby; when the pregnancy is an accident or rejected, we call it fetus or embryo. Just shows how personal circumstance influences one’s perception on abortion.
Overall, I believe that abortion is ultimately the up to the choice of the mother, and should be taken as the best decision for both the mother and the child. The unfortunately reality is that many abortions happen because of unexpected pregnancy, and unwanted children are often neglected, poorly raised, and often lack the emotional care and nurturing to live strong and successful lives. Women should have the right to decide when they want to conceive a child. It’s a privilege that men possess but often fail to acknowledge; why shouldn’t women be treated the same?
JP,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you how because of the negative conceptions and images society and the media have created about abortion is making it hard and socially pressuring women to not have an abortion. Because of the notion that an abortion is immoral, and what you said as “act of malice or neglect for human life,” society deems abortion as unacceptable under any circumstance; thus taking the individual, mainly the mother, out of the picture and making abortion a systemic entity that lumps women all together. As we have discussed in class about what rights do the fathers have in the decision, I think you make a convincing argument to why they shouldn’t be the main focus of this conversation. Pinning that having a child or not is somewhat more a privilege for the men shows that women should also have that right of choice. When having a child, especially one outside of or before marriage, women not only bare the physical evidence of such “sinister” act but they also have to deal with all the judgments, name calling, and bad talking that often the father of the child is free of. So in that sense I agree with you that women should also have the same privileged to choose.