Spring Break
Right to choose
Lauren Collins
Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: Opinion
Station surfing in the car the other day, I landed on a discussion about abortion. The topic has been beaten to a pulp for years. The possibility of the government controlling a woman's right to abort a fetus seems overwhelming for many.
Pro-life activists are supportive of government interference. Some insist that a woman should never be allowed to abort during pregnancy. Others insist that woman should be legally allowed to control the decision to follow through with a pregnancy or not.
The speakers I listened to insist that if abortion were illegal, then women would not be as likely to resort to this solution. But that seems to make as much sense as the absence of sex education in schools.
Not everything is out of sight, out of mind; a woman should be given the option to safely abort, just as teens should be given information about how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Even if abortion were illegal, it would still be attempted, just as abstinence can be taught, though people will still engage in sexual activity.
Though there are people who abuse the option of abortion, there are circumstances that should certainly be considered. If a pregnancy risks the life of the mother, the future life of the would-be child or the pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, it doesn't seem fair to force a woman to endure the pregnancy. If the government were to outlaw all abortion possibilities, women impregnated by rapists would not only be forced to carry the burden of a child they were not prepared for, but also carry a painful daily reminder of their victimization.
Some pregnancies put a woman's life at risk, but according to some pro-life activists, the woman should sacrifice her own life for the fetus.
As an adopted child, I have always felt conflicted about the abortion/pro-life debate, but I support a woman's right to make her own decision. Though I could have very easily been an aborted fetus, my birth mother had a choice, and she allowed me to live. I still don't know why I was put up for adoption, but even that option was a choice that my birth mother felt was best for both of us.
If the option had not been presented to her, she may have felt pressured to raise me, even if she wasn't a capable mother -- or may have immediately felt it necessary to get rid of me upon realizing her unexpected pregnancy.
People should focus on presenting available options, rather than determining the best solution for individuals who each have their own set of circumstances.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.
Pro-life activists are supportive of government interference. Some insist that a woman should never be allowed to abort during pregnancy. Others insist that woman should be legally allowed to control the decision to follow through with a pregnancy or not.
The speakers I listened to insist that if abortion were illegal, then women would not be as likely to resort to this solution. But that seems to make as much sense as the absence of sex education in schools.
Not everything is out of sight, out of mind; a woman should be given the option to safely abort, just as teens should be given information about how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Even if abortion were illegal, it would still be attempted, just as abstinence can be taught, though people will still engage in sexual activity.
Though there are people who abuse the option of abortion, there are circumstances that should certainly be considered. If a pregnancy risks the life of the mother, the future life of the would-be child or the pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, it doesn't seem fair to force a woman to endure the pregnancy. If the government were to outlaw all abortion possibilities, women impregnated by rapists would not only be forced to carry the burden of a child they were not prepared for, but also carry a painful daily reminder of their victimization.
Some pregnancies put a woman's life at risk, but according to some pro-life activists, the woman should sacrifice her own life for the fetus.
As an adopted child, I have always felt conflicted about the abortion/pro-life debate, but I support a woman's right to make her own decision. Though I could have very easily been an aborted fetus, my birth mother had a choice, and she allowed me to live. I still don't know why I was put up for adoption, but even that option was a choice that my birth mother felt was best for both of us.
If the option had not been presented to her, she may have felt pressured to raise me, even if she wasn't a capable mother -- or may have immediately felt it necessary to get rid of me upon realizing her unexpected pregnancy.
People should focus on presenting available options, rather than determining the best solution for individuals who each have their own set of circumstances.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.
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