The Abortion Debate

I would say that the most immediate “women’s issue” that came to my mind before taking this course would be that of abortion. As is demonstrated in, “How It All Began: I Have Had an Abortion,” feminists across the globe began fighting for their rights as citizens to obtain abortions as early as 1904. Moreover, abortions were made legal within the first trimester of pregnancies in the US with the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973. However, in modern day society, abortion remains the cause of extreme social and political debate.

As a (potentially biased) woman, I personally agree with Arcana in that abortion is ultimately a “motherhood issue.” Pregnancy only alters the female body (in ways that men can never understand). Moreover, mothers are heavily downtrodden in our society, as we have discussed in class. Thus, perhaps due to the fact that abortions can only be performed on women (who are expected to remain docile and forever-nurturing), they have been labeled as shameful acts in society. Because of this societal-induced burden of abortions, I have a great respect for the women in the feminist liberation movement in Germany who protested anti-abortion laws by publicly signing a petition stating that they had received one in the past.

As a neuroscience major, I understand some of the scientific details of the act of abortion, and I have also been instructed as to how true “life” has been defined in the womb (if I am remembering correctly, brain function of the embryo-science’s classification of “life”- begins after the first trimester of pregnancy). Therefore, even though I fall on the pro-choice side of the abortion debate, I can understand how many pro-life individuals construe this act as immoral, since it remains scientifically complex and unclear. However, I can only have a great respect for all women that have to courage and strength to obtain abortions, since as Arcana puts it, “every woman who has an abortion knows what it means, and lives in that meaning the best way she can.”

I think that overall, abortion is purely a female’s choice, and it should be taken as what is best for the well-being of the mother and of the child. If newly impregnated women believe that they cannot care for a child sufficiently, they should not be made to feel ashamed or guilty for their lack of nurturing resources. Every single human being, male or female, makes choices everyday. Abortions are an extremely important choice for numerous women, thus enabling them to retain healthy ways of life (especially those who have been assaulted, raped, are too young to have healthy children, etc.). As Arcana points out, no woman who receives an abortion takes it lightly (regardless of her religion, race, class, or age). Thus, no one should judge women for making this incredibly difficult choice if they feel that it is necessary in their own lives.