Opinion Piece: The Stigmas Around Abortion Need to Be Erased

By Vivienne Rachmansky on Jan 22

Abortion: The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, typically within the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. In the modern era in which we live, it is apparent that women don’t have the same rights as men. The gender pay gap, myriad of sexual assaults around the world, and lack of girls’ education in developing third-world countries are just a few of the issues on the list. The option of getting an abortion, or rather the lack thereof, is another crucial topic that needs to be discussed more often. This issue has obvious connections to politics-- it could even be said that abortion is the single issue that gave the 2016 U.S. Presidential election to Donald Trump, since this margin could have easily pushed swing states in the other direction.

At this very moment, the rights of women are being threatened with the questioning of Roe v. Wade, the US supreme court decision that guarantees a women’s right to abortion. This controversial topic is being politicized; Democrats identify themselves as pro-choice, while republicans are pro-life, yet the issue is so much more. The right to have an abortion, and the access to safe abortions should be a right that women and girls have unequivocally, yet it continues to be jeopardized. Although Roe v. Wade assures a woman’s reproductive rights, individual states can make abortions harder to access, and are attempting to criminalize it.

225 million women have an unmet need for family planning, contributing to 74 million unplanned pregnancies and 36 million abortions every year, according to figures cited by Women Deliver, a women’s advocacy group. Experts agree that if abortions were to be made illegal, women would retort to having unsafe abortions, resulting in a higher risk of death rate. 39% of US women live in counties that do not provide abortion services. A multitude of studies express that being denied an abortion can lead to long-term consequences. Women who are denied abortions are more likely to become unemployed, be below the poverty line, and to become victims of domestic violence. A University of California at San Francisco study found that women unable to obtain abortions were more likely to stay in a relationship with an abusive partner than women who had an abortion.

All the more, abortions are even harder to get for financially unstable women. Even abortion pills will not solve all the problems, especially for those who cannot afford or have access to them. According to Planned Parenthood, one pill can cost up to $1,000, and not all healthcare companies cover the high cost. This is sadly ironic, as financial reasons were the most commonly cited by women who opted for abortions. Women who don’t manage to have access to choices and gave birth are also more likely to be out of a job. This expresses how abortions heavily disadvantage lower-income women.

Another advantage of reproductive choice is that it positively impacts families in the US. Abortions lower rates of child abuse and neglect. In families with two unplanned births, children are twice as likely to become victims of abuse, rather than in families with no unplanned births. Moreover, a student’s unplanned pregnancy often means that they need to discontinue school to take care of the baby. This is another obstacle that stands in the way for females to thrive and break perpetual gender roles.

Opponents of this topic, identifying themselves as pro-life, will state that abortions are unethical, or even qualify as murder. On the contrary, the supreme court’s ruling, which our country is currently required to follow, defines personhood as life after birth. Furthermore, fetuses cannot feel pain at such an early stage in pregnancy. In the words of Stuart Derbyshire, PhD, "fetuses cannot be held to experience pain. Not only has the biological development not yet occurred to support pain experience, but the environment after birth, so necessary to the development of pain experience, is also yet to occur."

Another argument used by many contenders of Roe v. Wade is that women may regret having abortions, and will be affected by other emotional consequences after they terminate their respective pregnancies. However, numerous studies show no direct correlation between emotional challenges and abortions. A peer-reviewed study comparing the mental health of women who received abortions to women denied abortions found that women who were denied abortions "felt more regret and anger" and "less relief and happiness" than women who had abortions.

Maria Bravo, another seventh grade BPC Post journalist, worded her stance on the topic perfectly. “Personally, I’m opposed to them [abortions], but I think that other people should have the right to choose and have an option whether or not to have an abortion.” This illustrates the fact that one might have reasons against abortions for themselves, but is obligated to let others decide for themselves. As noted by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, undue restrictions on abortion infringe upon "a woman's autonomy to determine her life's course, and thus to enjoy equal citizenship stature." Justice Ginsburg has been fighting for the rights of women for decades, so is essentially an expert on the topic.

The right to an abortion should be unequivocal and unquestioned for women not just in the US, but around the globe, and women should have access to safe, affordable reproductive care. It is proven that the choice to terminate a pregnancy helps in betterment of our country, and that when women can’t obtain abortions, there tend to be negative results. Ultimately, the fate of anti-abortion measures will be in the hands of voters. For supporters of abortion rights, the choice should be clear--as said by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights”.