I am pro-choice because I am a feminist. I am pro-choice because I respect that we, the people, have a right to privacy- we, as women, have a right to our own bodies. The pro-choice movement in America supports the right women have to make choices for themselves- be it having an abortion or not. I have always believed women should be completely autonomous while making decisions solely concerning themselves. Just as well, men are given the choice to have vasectomies, a  drastic life change, from surgical procedure and no one threatens to take this basic human right/personal agency away. Ever since the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe vs. Wade, abortion has been a right for women protected under the 14th amendment- and for good reason. At what point do we look past the freedom to choose abortion and question what other rights will be taken away from those protected by the Constitution?

I am a feminist because I care about all people; men and women. Men and women from all backgrounds. That being said, I’ve always strived to look at things from different perspectives. Over time, there have been various rules and regulations trying to restrict our basic human rights. For example, the Hyde Amendment is a 40-year-old ban that prevents federal funding for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or direct threat to the mother’s life. However I believe the right to choose [abortion] should be an option for all, even for those who can’t afford it. Such an amendment leaves me to question what the women who single-handedly rely on Medicaid would do if they conceive. Planned Parenthood recognized that 1 in 5 women of the reproductive age (15-44), would not be able to afford an abortion if needed, due to their specific insurance coverage not being considered under the Hyde Amendment. Studies also show that women who cannot afford abortion, but wish to, have to sacrifice other necessities like electricity- or even self induce the abortion. This is a scary statistic because a self induced abortion would be traumatic. Needless to say, the safety of their unborn child.

On the contrary, a pro-life activist would argue “why not just carry your child full term?” Think of this; not all women and mothers have the financial ability to provide the life that child deserves, nor do they want to send them away into a tangled system of foster family, after foster family, for 18 years. Another valid argument I’ve questioned is where the line of life and death is drawn. The most safe and conscious abortions are done during the first trimester, or within the first three months of conception. However, not everyone believes the whole first trimester is a moral time to abort. Believe it or not, the first and second week(s) of a pregnancy isn’t actually pregnancy. Your missed period is counted as the first two, out of 40, weeks of a full length pregnancy. At this point, morality is barely up for question since fertilization has yet to begin. By week three a zygote has formed, still without the means to reach the uterus. Implantation follows in week five, as well as the beginning of the embryonic period in week six. Now that’s when life and death becomes a matter of right and wrong, and no longer just the ending of a one-celled entity. However it is not until week 11 that your baby is officially a fetus. Regardless of my personal stance on the matter, pro-choice does not equal pro-abortion. I believe even if abortion is not an answer one’s looking for, that doesn’t mean they’d be in the position to make decisions for someone else’s body.

All in all, the decision to have a child ultimately lies within yourself and will come from your values and beliefs on the controversial matter… so who’s to tell you about your own values? Make a choice.

Sources

https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/hyde-amendment

Onefight.org

https://www.nrlc.org/archive/news/2000/NRL02/freeman.html

http://www.newhealthadvisor.com/Abortion-How-Many-Weeks.html

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/prenatal-care/art-20045302