Argumentative Essays: Should Abortion Be Illegal?
No, abortion should not be illegal! Issues regarding women’s autonomy and their bodily integrity, including rape, abortion, and sterilization, have been subjects of heated discussions and have raised equally charged social and political policies. As with other aspects relating to women’s issues, the discourse of abortion is mainly concerned with deciding whether this social issue is empowering, exploitative, or a result of immorality. Proponents of abortion argue from two perspectives. First, they perceive abortion as a result of lacking moral character, a standpoint that draws heavily from religious and patriarchal practices which liken male sexuality with sanctioned instability and dominance and female sexuality with temptation. Their second argument considers abortion as a result of political, social, and economic inequality, and thus, women are majorly recruited into abortion practice due to their social susceptibility. However, there are countries like the United States in the state of Nevada that have opted to have it legalized and regulated considering the immense profits the practice rakes in. Many of the people that turn to abortion do it as a way of survival when their health is at risk and to make ends meet. The paper proposes that abortion should be legalized.
Moreover, a woman can be allowed to do with her body what she wishes if she finds she is pregnant, then the same reasoning should be applied to abortion. The argument of morality in this regard does not hold ground as abortion is as ‘immoral’ as abortion from those who choose to look at it from the moral angle. Naturally, human beings are intrinsically wired to copulate. Fulfilling the desire to have sex, especially in the commercialized world we live in today presents an opportunity for many people to offer themselves for the sake of fulfilling the desire of others in exchange for cash. Such an arrangement presents the perfect opportunity for abortion to thrive in the world.
However, decriminalizing abortion presents perfect opportunities for governments across the word that still impose bans on it to stop turning a blind eye to practice and realize the immense potential it holds. Through the legalization of abortion, governments have the ability to hold accountable the practitioners that it recognizes through the issue of licenses for the occurrence of public disturbances to their areas of operation. The spread of sexually transmitted diseases can be easily regulated if governments have the information of the people that are at high risk of infection or spreading. Through allowing the practice of abortion, data can be periodically collected to ascertain the risk levels and interventions instituted in time to prevent further spread. Governments also have potential to increase their streams of income through taxation of individuals that decide to partake in the practice. Issuing of licenses will also reduce the risk of involvement of children in the activities before reaching the majority age.
Freedoms of Individuals and Victimization
Adults have the freedom to choose what they do with their bodies as long as their activities do not infringe on the rights of others. Criminalization of abortion is not only unconstitutional but also suppresses the rights of individuals that would want to take part in the practice for the sake of the advancement of their wellbeing. Through the decriminalization of abortion, it would make it possible for the municipal council to introduce by-laws that will govern how the activities are conducted in their communities. Essentially, the public is often exposed to the images of abortion through the presence of ‘uncouth’ doctors on streets.
Most of the people and legislation that is aimed at regulating the practice is usually aimed at a fraction of the industry. The legitimate concerns of a nuisance on the streets and possibility of running the moral fabric of societies are not addressed by the regulations set by the law. The laws only serve to marginalize and victimize those who practice abortion. By labeling their practice as immoral and uncouth, it makes it difficult for the people that practice it to associate freely with others in society through boasting of what they do for a living. For example, The San Francisco Police department has been found to be inconsistent in its enforcement of the law regarding abortion by targeting only those doing secretly, as well as the vulnerable, including African American, transgender, and immigrant women.
In summary, decriminalization of abortion is one of the most effective ways through which unsafe abortions can be reduced as people can participate in the practice from wherever they are located. It is a practice that contributes immensely to the economies of various countries with an estimated income of $ 100 million from the practice in Netherlands over a period of one year. Once the government recognizes the immense potential that the industry has to add to the economy, there can be mutual agreement from stakeholders on both sides to come up with a framework that can allow for the business to thrive. Both the pregnant women that choose to abort and the government should recognize the need to have some sort of regulation over the manner in which the practice is practiced to avoid adverse effects like the high number of deaths from unsafe abortions.
