In 2002, a 13 year old girl was impregnated and taken for an abortion by her 23 year old foster brother. The abortion business did not notify authorities until the girl returned 6 months later for a second abortion. A judge found a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Arizona, negligent for failing to report the case to authorities. One lawsuit alleged that the girl was subjected to repeated abuse and a second because Planned Parenthood failed to notify authorities when the girl had her abortion. If having an abortion was illegal this 13 year old would have had to live her life being sexually abused. Having an abortion saved this young girls life. Abortion should not be used as a form of contraception, but should remain legal in case of rape or incest.
Forcing a woman made pregnant by a violent act of rape or incest can cause further psychological harm to the victim. If women are forced to live with the baby after rape, it can put an emotional scar on the girl. In a study done by Dr Sandra Mahkorn, a professional rape counselor, found that 15% of people who were rape victims, got an abortion. After rape or incest, the victim is in immense emotional shock and her body is affected. A baby should never have to enter the world unwanted. According to a May 7th, 2009 article on abortion.procon.org entitled “Unintended Pregnancy Prevention” approximately one-half of pregnancies in the United States were unintended. Having a baby is a lifelong decision that requires a responsible consideration, preparation and planning. No one knows when or if they will be raped, and if a baby is a result of a rape the victim may not be ready. The rape victim should not be forced to keep a baby when it can affect the rest of their life.
Although many people believe abortion is used as a form of contraception, studies show that that is not true. Pregnancy can occur even when someone is using responsible contraception use. In a study done by the Guttmacher Institute in May 2006, says that out of the total number of pregnancies, 24% end in abortion and only 8% of those have never used a contraceptive. That 8% is due more too individual carelessness than the availability of abortion. Access to an abortion is necessary because contraceptives are not always easy to access. A July/August 2001 Guttmacher Institute study of health care, insurers found that 75% of insured women lacked coverage for contraceptive services. In 2009, 17 million US women are completely uninsured. How can you deny someone the right to an abortion when the proper contraceptive uses aren’t available to everyone?
The availability for a woman to have control of her body reflects her civil rights. On January 22nd, 1973 in the Roe V. Wade court case, the court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth amendment extends the women’s right to an abortion. According to Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, “no woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother.” Everyone in this world has a right to control his or her body. Nobody should decide whether or not a woman will have an abortion. A woman’s right to choose abortion is a “fundamental right” which is recognized by the Roe V. Wade court case. People who oppose abortion believe that having an abortion is murder. According to Stuart W. G. Derbyshire, PhD, senior lecturer at the University of Birmingham, fetuses are not capable of enduring pain when an abortion is being performed. “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.” A fetus is not a human being. When someone is getting an abortion it is terminating a pregnancy, not a baby. Personhood at pregnancy is not a proven fact. Personhood begins when a baby is born.
No body likes it when society interferes with someone’s choosing to have an abortion. There are a lot of reasons why someone would want to have an abortion, including rape or incest. Having the choice to have an abortion reflects a woman’s civil rights. Having an abortion should not be used as a form of contraception, but it should remain legal in case or rape or incest.
