I need help writing an 700 word English essay

Robinson 0

Zaniya Robinson

Professor Snellgrove

ENC1101

1 Nov 2022

My Body, My Choice

We live in a country that proposed a bill promising an individual the right to speak as they please, practice their religion of choice in public, and carry concealed weapons to protect their selves. Living in a country that most refer to as the "land of the free," a woman would think that they had the right to do as they pleased with their own body. The America we know today would be called the land of the limited. So, why is the government trying to take away women's rights by abandoning abortions?

Since 1972, the Republican party has placed restrictions on women having abortions if they were past a certain gestational age. This year in 2022, the protection of abortion rights has ended, and many states in the U.S. have made abortions illegal. The Democratic party has been fighting to protect women by giving them options for contraception. Abortions should be a legal choice for women, and the states where abortions are illegal should provide women with safe alternatives to abortion. The government has no right to impede a woman's body by forcing women to give birth to children. Unlawful terminations would lead to more fatalities, and numerous unwanted pregnancies can lead to more families being on welfare. This change causes a financial burden and responsibility to the government. Some may even argue that abortions are inhumane and should be criminalized because it's the result of ending a potential life. Still, there is no convincing proof that an embryo is equivalent to a person or has the same rights.

The government should not control a women's decision on what she decides to do with her own body because they have no right. Men make up 80% of congress, so men are essentially representing women. Since congress has more male representation, they do not consider women's anatomy. Stated Co-Executive Director of the HEART foundation, Aliza Kazmi, "We need to have self-determination and autonomy over our bodies. What we do with our bodies isn't a state's decision. As Muslims, we know that choice is ours alone." To control one's body is equivalent to controlling their life. This discussion is an equality issue. It's more than just being able to have abortions. For many years, the government has sought out a mission to criminalize abortions. They are invading woman's privacy right by controlling their reproductive system. In Roe v. Wade, the supreme court decided that the right to privacy indicated in the 14th amendment protected abortion as a "fundamental right." President Joe Biden stated that "the overturn of Roe v. Wade put women's health and lives at risk." He then said he and his administration team would continue fighting for reproductive health care access. The question "is abortion right or wrong?" is an individual's personal belief and should not be decided upon by the government to choose for women. As abortion laws become more strict, a higher risk of death and other complications concerning abortions will accrue.

Secondly, criminalizing abortions does not end abortions. One of the many reasons people believe abortions should be legal is that some pregnancies are unplanned and unwanted. Making them illegal will only make women self-abort or have unlawful abortions. Unlawful abortions performed by individuals performing unorthodox procedures could lead to more fatalities. The number of illegal abortions has declined in recent years, given the different types of contraceptive options available for women. Still, each year worldwide, about 42 million women get pregnant and decide to have abortions. Half of those abortions are illegal and unsafe, leading to 68,000 women dying annually due to the lack of resources, according to the National Library of Medicine. That's 68,000 deaths that could have been preventable, giving the option to abort safely. In the states where abortions are illegal, emergency contraceptives should be an option for women since they can stop a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus if taken within three days of an individual having sex. There is a close relationship between women not being to obtain contraceptives and the rise in abortion rates. Arguing against legal abortions, critics say abortions are inhumane and should be criminalized because it's ending a potential life that did not get the option to choose if they wanted to live or die. Medical professionals have deemed some abortions necessary due to the mother's health. Some medical reasons could be if the fetus were growing abnormally or if you had any pregnancy complications that were life-threatening to you or your baby if you delivered. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for girls and young women ages 15 to 19. Also, according to California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA), around 325,566 women over the ages of 12 and up are victims of rape and sexual assault every year. Imagine if those young girls were to get pregnant and were forced to carry the baby they conceived by their rapist. Individuals supporting the pro-choice movement contend that in instances of assault, it is reasonable for women to choose to get abortions. Raising children conceived during rape could lead to emotional and physical abuse.

Forcing women to carry babies causes more women to seek financial assistance from the government and could potentially lead to more children being endangered of abuse or in foster care. Dr. Dianna Foster and her research team experimented on the effects of women who had received abortions compared to those who were denied. According to the study, the women unable to obtain abortions led to a $1,750 increase in overdue bills. The occurrences of these women being in financial crisis led to evictions, bankruptcies, and court judgments on past due accounts. During the study, evidence found that women unable to have abortions were more likely to stay in contact with violent partners endangering themselves or their children. Research shows that children of women unable to terminate were more than three times more likely to abide below the federal poverty level than those who were able to abort. Some women reported that they could not provide their families with basic necessities. How the economy is set for women on a low income would make raising a child challenging. Legalized abortions changed families and the conditions where they grew up. One study showed a decreased number of children living in a one-parent household and who received government assistance. Unintended pregnancies could cause women to go through a depression stage where they neglect and abuse children. In Nagoya City, Japan, a study was conducted where researchers studied the effects of shaking and smothering with unintended pregnancies. Found in the study, young mothers were 5.61 times more likely to shake or smoother infants who were unintendedly pregnant than the mothers who wanted to be pregnant. There has not been a study done on shaking babies and smothering in the U.S., but since the Roe v. Wade over turn, there could be an increase in child abuse due to the criminalization of abortions.

In the end, since the Roe v. Wade over turn the U.S. has put women through a great length of trouble. Women should always have access to safe abortions and contraceptives for unwanted pregnancies. The 22 states where abortions are illegal in the U.S. should provide safe alternatives for women since illegal abortions could lead to more fatalities. Abortions only being available in certain states make it more difficult for women going through financial hardships to travel to different states to receive the proper health care. With the criminalization of abortions, more women will have unorthodox procedures to eliminate the fetus. The criminalization of abortions could have a detrimental effect on the country and the health or well-being of many children and women. Multiple sources have convincing evidence supporting the decline in welfare and wealth of families after unwanted pregnancies. Women worldwide and the organizations supporting women's rights should continue to fight for the fundamental right to make decisions about their bodies without government interference.