Let American Consumer Counseling Help you Get Out of Debt!AbortionClinics Should Not be Closed in the U. S. In 1973, the Supreme Court’s decision madeit possible for women to get safe, legal abortions from well-trained medicalsurgeons, and therefore led to dramatic decreases in pregnancy-relatedinjury and death (“abortion”).
Now there is a new proposal to close abortionclinics. This proposal takes away the privacy rights of American womenthat are guaranteed by our Constitution. By closing abortion clinics thegovernment is not only taking away women’s rights, but is also punishingthose whom want to exercise their right of a pro-choice woman. Abortion clinics allow thousands of womenevery year to have abortions. Having the abortion should be woman’s personalchoice. By closing these clinics, there will be no providers to performthe operation, so the choice has already been made for them.
Closing theclinics will increase the barriers of having an abortion. When there aretoo many obstacles, the right to make their own choice is taken away fromthem. In 1973 the American Supreme Court ruled that Americans’ right toprivacy included: “the right of a woman to decide whether to have children,and the right of a woman and her doctor to make that decision without stateinterference” (“abortion”). The Constitution says we have a right to privacy,so taking away a woman’s chance to make decisions about her own body violatesthat right.
The American Civil Liberties Union defendsthe Constitution and peoples’ rights. ACLU has protected the rights of abortionfor women, and in recent years has argued mayor cases opposing restrictionsthat deny woman access to reproductive health care (“ACLU”). Policy 263states: “The ACLU holds that every woman, as a matter of her right to theenjoyment of life, liberty, and privacy, should be free to determine whetherand when to bear children. “(The American Civil Liberties Union)The closure of abortion clinics will bedone with the purpose to reduce the number of abortions. This raises thequestion whether this will be an effective method or not.
Before 1973 abortionswere illegal yet the number of women who sought abortions did not decrease(“abortion”). Before 1973 many thousands of women died or suffered seriousmedical problems after attempting to perform their own abortions, or goingto untrained doctors who performed cheap abortions with uncivilized methodsor in unsanitary conditions (The Abortion Law Homepage. ). If clinics areclosed, women will still continue to attempt, and succeed, in ending unwantedpregnancies just like before 1973. Women will risk their health and possiblyeven their lives. By keeping these abortions clinics open it ensures ahigher probability that the women who do have abortions will be in a safe,sanitary environment, and therefore injuries will be fewer in number.
If clinics are shut, the waiting listsof abortion clinics in other countries will be much longer. Women willhave to wait longer to get an abortion, and will be treated later in theirpregnancy which is much more dangerous for the pregnant women. Pro-life activists claim that the unbornbaby is alive and has feelings when the heart begins beating. But, theheartbeat begins between the eighteenth and twenty-fifth day (“Fetus”). They also say that women who have abortions are “murderers”.
This problemcould be solved by keeping abortion clinics open, because then the womancan be treated before the twenty fifth day when the fetus is not yet aliving baby. She will not have to wait because of long waiting lists, butinstead will have the abortion as soon as possible with as less psychologicalpain. If a woman has to travel to another countryto have a legal abortion, she will have to pay more money. She will nownot only have to pay for the abortion itself, but also the traveling costsand that does not include the psychological costs as well. Not all peoplecan afford these costs. So by keeping clinics open more women will havethe chance to exercise their right and have their desired abortion.
Ifa working woman or student suddenly has to leave the country, this meansshe will have to think of excuses and lies for an explanation. This isnot fair to the woman, she should not have to explain herself to anyone,it is her body and therefore she can do what she wants, she does not needother people’s consult. Abortion clinics are not a “butcher’s place”where young babies are murdered. They provide a choice for women whetheror not to bring a child into this world. What is worse: taking away the life ofan unborn child that is not even aware of life itself yet, or a motherbringing an unwanted child into this world, knowing that she will not beable to take care of it, and that her child will have to suffer from thepoor circumstances in which she lives.
As of now the woman has the abilityto make that choice and save the child from poor, possibly abusive or hatefilled environment. Personally I feel that living in a circumstance suchas abuse is worse than the abortion of the fetus. Rape victims should alsobe able to have an abortion because they know that if they were to keepthe child, they would cringe when she thought about whom contributed tothe other half of the child. The offspring will be a painful reminder tothe rape victim.
She did not choose to take the responsibility of a childand therefore should not have to pay the consequences. A woman who cannotlove her child has no right to have a baby in the first place. One option for women who are not able totake care of their baby is adoption. Yet she will have to carry the babyfor nine months and then give it up. Not all women are able to do thisphysically or psychologically.
After the pregnancy she will have to hopethat their baby will find a good and loving home. And this is not alwaysthe case. The child will possibly have to suffer from living in orphanageswaiting to get adopted. Adoption can not always be seen as a good solutionto unwanted pregnancies. The advantage of closing abortion clinicscould be that woman will be forced to take the responsibility over theirbaby, and give their unborn child the right to life. But it can not beseen as something entirely positive.
The mother will always regard thechild as a “mistake” and will never love it the way she would have if shehad wanted to keep the child. Getting an abortion does not always meanthat the woman is only thinking of herself, she also thinks on behalf ofher baby. Abortion clinics do not make the choice easier, nor do they forcethe woman into the surgery. People who are against abortion having thechoice not to have one. It is not fair to take away the choice of peoplewho do want one.
List of works consulted:”Abortion. ” Encarta Encyclopedia 1999. 1999 ed. “ACLU. ” Encarta Encyclopedia 1999. 1999ed.
“Fetus. ” Encarta Encyclopedia 1999. 1999ed. The Abortion Law Homepage. “Abortion LawHomepage”. 24 November 1996.
(11 March 2000). http://members. aol. com/abtrbng/index. htmThe American Civil Liberties Union. “AbortionClinic Access Law”.
1997. (11 March 2000). http://www.aclu.org/library/aaabort.html
