Sociology Essay: Examining Arguments For and Against Abortion

This sociology essay delves into the multifaceted and highly controversial topic of abortion, examining the core arguments that fuel the debate. The essay presents arguments in favor of abortion, such as the embryo's dependence on the mother, a woman's right to control her body, the circumstances of rape and incest, and the limitations of adoption as an alternative. Conversely, the essay also explores arguments against abortion, including the potential impact on women's psychological well-being, the contradiction with feminist principles, and the ethical concerns surrounding the use of taxpayer money. The essay concludes by highlighting the ongoing societal division on this issue, acknowledging that the debate is likely to continue due to the deeply held and conflicting beliefs on both sides.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
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SOCIOLOGY
Since the historical times abortion has been a controversial issue, no one can exactly
point out when abortion was started but it has a long history since records were kept, it is
important to study this topic to find out the real reasons behind abortion being such a
controversial issue. There are several opinions present both for as well as against the idea of
abortion. The major issues regarding this topic are mostly ethical, social, and religious and
health related. This essay will discuss about the arguments, which have been made for the
topic that is abortion, and the arguments, which are against this method. Conducting this
research will bring out the reasons why abortion is such a big issue in the society and why it is a
part of American Culture war.
The first argument, which supports the concept of abortion, says that almost all the
abortions are done in the in the first trimester, and during this period the embryo is attached to
the body of the mother through the umbilical cord (Altshuler et al.). The life and health of the
embryo is completely dependent of the health of the mother and thus it cannot be considered as a
person or a separate individual. As the embryo is a part of the mother’s body thus abortion is
justified if the mother is willing go ahead with the process. At the same time, in case of in vitro
fertilization the eggs, which are not planted and thrown away, also should be considered, as
murder is abortion is considered as murder.
The second argument in favour of abortion is that, it is a part of a woman’s civil rights
that she has the right to control the changes made in her body and as the embryo is a part of her
body she should have the right to decide whether to opt for abortion or not (Love). In the cases
regarding teenage pregnancy, it is even more important that the individual be allowed to make
the decision as the future prospects of the teenage mothers depend on the right to abort the
pregnancy.

SOCIOLOGY
The third argument in which also supports abortion emphasizes on the cases related
to rape or incest these situations implicates forced pregnancy. In most of such cases, the victims
are too afraid to share their concerns thus they may remain unaware of the pregnancy, in such
cases contraceptive pills are useless (Staggenborg). In the cases of rape or incest, the victims are
psychologically vulnerable and remain in shock, under such conditions if a woman is forced to
go through the pregnancy then it can surely degrade her psychological condition.
The fourth point that argues in favour of abortion, says that adoption cannot be
considered as an alternative to abortion. The choice of giving away the child depends on the
woman and thus if the pregnancy is forced upon her then she will face moral and emotional
dilemma to give away the baby and thus may face certain problems regarding raising the child.
Abortion is also a safe procedure, which can be adopted by anyone who wants to terminate her
pregnancy (Huang et al.). The abortions which are done through medical procedures does not
pose any threat the health of the individual and there is almost no chances of facing serious
complications, it also does not affect the future prospects of pregnancy.
The first argument against abortion says that abortion does not provide freedom to the
women in any way. Many argue that the right to abort pregnancy is needed to create gender
equality and to provide liberty to the women, but in reality instead of providing free abortion
facilities the women should be provided with other forms of support so that they cater to the
needs of their child and become independent financially as well as socially (Tatalovich). The
facilities can include free or inexpensive childcare systems, flexibility of work and leave for the
single mothers and other facilities.

SOCIOLOGY
The second point that argues against abortion says that, the process of abortion is a
stressful process and the women who go through the process of abortion experience lot of
psychological problems (Couture et al.). The psychological deteriorations have long-term effects
on the mental as well as physical health of the women. The women who had gone through
abortion can experience trauma, anxiety, depression and at times several health complications
related to the poor quality of medical procedure.
The third argument against abortion states that abortion goes against the principles of
feminism. Some of the feminists oppose every form of violence, which includes abortion and
they do so as abortion goes against the core principles of feminism related to justice and non-
violence (Best). According to a nonprofit feminist governmental organization called Feminists
for life, they believe in the rights of every woman even if she has not yet been born and is in her
mother’s womb.
The fourth point, which argues against abortion, abortion contradicts with certain
ethical and moral aspects, as some of the taxpayers are against the idea of abortion thus it is
morally wrong to use their tax money to pay for the abortion facilities (Babbie). The teenagers
who become pregnant most of the time do not have the level of understanding to realize the
implications of their actions, later they may have regrets, which could last, lifelong.
To conclude, it can be said that the topic of abortion is highly controversial, those who
support the issue say that abortion is not murder and the women should have the right to control
the changes occurring in their own body, especially those who have been victims of rape or
incest. On the other hand, another section of the society opposes the idea of abortion saying that
it goes against the feminist principle and the teenagers who are opting for abortion may have

SOCIOLOGY
regret in the future and that the right to abort pregnancy does not provide any actual liberty to the
women. After conducting the research it can be said that maybe the debate for and against the
idea of abortion will be continued into the future as well as the society is almost equally divided
between the people who are against and who are in favour of abortion.

SOCIOLOGY
Reference List:
Altshuler, Anna L., Helen L. Gerns Storey, and Sarah W. Prager. Exploring abortion attitudes of
US adolescents and young adults using social media. Contraception 91.3 (2015): 226-233.
Babbie, Earl. The practice of social research. Nelson Education, 2015.
Best, Joel. Images of issues: Typifying contemporary social problems. Routledge, 2017.
Couture, Jessica L., et al. Endorsement of abortion: the differential impact of social perspective
on women and men. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology 34.2 (2016): 210-220.
Huang, Yanshu, et al. Benevolent sexism, attitudes toward motherhood, and reproductive rights:
A multi-study longitudinal examination of abortion attitudes. Personality and Social Psychology
Bulletin 42.7 (2016): 970-984.
Love, Gillian. Towards a poststructural understanding of abortion and social class in
England. Global public health(2017): 1-11.
Staggenborg, Suzanne. Social movements. Oxford University Press, USA, 2015.
Tatalovich, Warren. The politics of abortion in the United States and Canada: A comparative
study. Routledge, 2015.