Abortion Legalization: Examining Pro-Choice Arguments and Impacts

This essay presents a pro-choice argument for the legalization of abortion. It begins by defining abortion and outlining the varying perspectives on the issue, emphasizing the pro-choice stance. The essay argues that a woman has the right to choose whether to have an abortion, highlighting the potential negative consequences of unwanted pregnancies on both the mother and the child, including increased crime rates. It references studies linking the legalization of abortion to a decrease in crime and addresses counter-arguments, such as the moral dilemmas surrounding rape and failed contraception. The author concludes by advocating for abortion legalization to improve the quality of life for both the mother and the child, citing the importance of being prepared for parenthood. The essay uses sources to support the arguments and provide evidence for the claims.

Should Abortion Be Legal?
Abortion can be explained as a deliberate termination of a fetus from its mother’s womb.
The act usually takes place between conception and twenty-eight weeks after pregnancy. Various
societies and different nations have varying viewpoints when it comes to abortion with some
countries allowing it to some extent while others are banning it altogether. As a result, abortion is
a highly debated topic. In this essay, I am going to argue for abortion.
According to ProCorn.org, the proponents of abortion identify themselves as pro-choice.
The group indicated that having an abortion is a woman’s right and cannot be limited or
regulated by a governmental, religious or societal authorities. The right of a woman to abortion
“outweighs any right claimed for an embryo or fetus” Pro-choice continue to argue that if there
are no legal means to carry out abortion, then “pregnant women will resort to unsafe, illegal
abortions if there is no legal option.” (ProCorn.org, n.d)
Pro-Choice is the viewpoint in which the mother has the right to choose whether she
wishes to receive an abortion or not. Many people believe that if you are not ready to have a
baby, then it would be better for you and your infant if you aborted and waited until you were
prepared. This would allow for the child to have a happy childhood and grow up to be a well-
functioning member of society (Lee, Sheldon, & Macvarish, 2018). Studies show that the
children in unwanted pregnancies are much more likely to fall into a life of crime. An economist,
Steven Levitt, the author of Freakonomics, recently linked the legalization of abortion to the
crime rate decrease that occurred in the late 1990’s when the crime was at an all-time high and
had no signs of decreasing. His theory behind this was that the top years in which people commit
a crime is between 18 and 25. When the late 1990’s came around approximately 20 years after
the Roe v Wade decision that legalized abortion, there was just nobody to commit crimes. Some

fewer people had grown up with a troubled childhood because they were born into families who
were ready to take care of them and love them.
People will argue that if you don’t want a baby, you shouldn’t be having sex. But who is
to say that a married couple is not allowed to have relations even though they may not be quite
ready to have a child because they would not be able to support them with the finances they
currently have. Also, there are the times when you are trying to be safe and use the method to
prevent conception, but they fail (Stossel et al., 2007). You could not control that, you were
trying to make the right choice, but in the end, the product failed you. Now if this was a court of
law, and you had been doing something perfectly legal, but then a product failed you, who would
be liable, you or the manufacturer? The same thing goes for any form of protection used to
prevent conception. If it fails, then you are stuck with the child because a corporation can’t raise
a child.
Finally, there are also the moral dilemmas. For example, what if a woman is raped?
Should she then be forced to keep that child? I believe that she should not be forced to, she
should have the choice because there was nothing she could have done to prevent it. Therefore I
am pro-choice because I believe if it means waiting a few years to have a baby to improve the
quality of life for both you and your child then it would be worth it.

References
Abortion ProCon.org. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2018, from https://abortion.procon.org/
Lee, E., Sheldon, S., & Macvarish, J. (2018). The 1967 Abortion Act fifty years on: Abortion,
medical authority and the law revisited. Social Science & Medicine, 212, 26–32.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.010
Stossel, J., Levitt, S. D., Dubner, S. J., ABC News Productions, & Films for the Humanities &
Sciences (Firm). (2007). Freakonomics. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities &
Sciences.