Legalization of Abortion: A Discussion of Rights and Implications

This essay argues for the legalization of abortion, emphasizing its importance for women's autonomy, gender equality, and financial well-being. The author contends that women should have the freedom to make choices about their bodies, highlighting the concept of bodily autonomy. The essay furth...Read More

Running head: LEGALIZATION OF ABORTION
LEGALIZATION OF ABORTION
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1LEGALIZATION OF ABORTION
The present-day society has been facing a huge number of controversies in the matters
related to the legalization of the abortive rights which is observed to have been gaining the status
of a necessity in the modern days. The term “abortion” is generally defined as the activity related
to termination of pregnancy. This society is observed to be divided into two groups in relation to
the activities of abortion, pro-life and pro-choice. The pro-life group trusts abortion to be wrong
as well as considers it to be murder. However, the supporters are unaware of the fact that even if
abortion were illegal, they would still be performed, by an unsafe method at times leading to
maternal complications inclusive of death. Abortion should be legalized because it is a basic
freedom of women to make choices, it is an important aspect of gender equality and women
empowerment, and unwanted pregnancies result in financial deprivation. The following essay
attempts at the exploration of the factors that are related to the advantages of the legalization of
the practices of abortion.
The legalization of abortion should be implemented in order to help the women make
proper and free choices regarding her own existence. The involved woman should be allowed the
autonomous right to choose as well as decide on the changes that she would have to face. The
national law should be influential and supportive of the regulation as well as the organization of
the interaction between citizens and the ways in which the residents would be leading their lives.
However, the law should not be controlling the changes that take place within the body of the
individual. In case women are not granted the choice for the abortion, the decisions of the other
members of the society should not be accepted either in case they deny her the rights. A woman
should not be forced to live her life according to the terms and conditions that are levied on her
by the other members of the society regarding the physical changes that would affect none but
her. Hendricks (2010) opines that the abortive rights are unitary in nature and is mainly

2LEGALIZATION OF ABORTION
dependent in the inseparability of the physical and the social components that are related to the
abortion and not on the distinct nature of the activities (Hendricks, 2010). The women should
thus be allowed to take decisions on the abortive matters that they might face in their life time.
This would help the concerned woman to establish her own independence and self-identity
within the given societal boundaries.
On the similar note, the activity of abortion should be legalized because it is an important
aspect of gender equality and women empowerment. The intuition of a connection between
gender equality and abortion rights date back to the eighteenth century (Hendricks, 2010). The
preservation of the physical autonomy of men, and not women, is the major case of gender
inequality. It is highly evident that women cannot get pregnant by themselves and many women
do not get pregnant by choice. The major reasons that might be cited for the forced pregnancy of
the women refer to the activities like rape wherein the woman concerned cannot be held
responsible for the pregnancy-related changes within the body of the woman. The act of forcing
the woman to continue with the pregnancy or to give birth to the child against her own will is
unethical and immoral at the same time. The access that is granted to the women in terms of the
reproductive activities tend to play a vital role in the overall development of the women
concerned. This would help them in the achievement of their fullest potential as well as lead
healthy lives as well from the personal, academic, professional and political viewpoints. The
reproductive choices of the women are first-order, “strategic life choices which are critical for
people to live the lives they want” (McReynolds-Pérez, 2017). Thus, the reproductive choices are
often considered to be central to the empowerment of the women who have been involved in the
activity.

3LEGALIZATION OF ABORTION
On the other hand, the activity of abortion should be legalized due to the fact that the
unwanted pregnancies might at times result in the conditions of financial deprivation within the
family. The inclusion of the unwanted as well as unplanned child into the family leads to the
implementation of the extra financial burden as well as brings forth an increase in the
responsibility of both the parents of the child. The women often face issues in delivering the best
of their services at the workplace due to the changes that they undergo during pregnancy and
childbearing. On the other hand, a major section of the employers do not offer paid maternity
leaves. This leads to the loss of income and in a number of cases might even lead to the loss of
job. A study conducted in the US highlighted significant and large differences in the
socioeconomic status enjoyed by women who were denied wanted abortions in comparison to
those who had received abortion. The economic hardships that were faced by the women were
higher in case of the women who were denied the right to abort apart from the baseline
differences (Foster et al., 2018). The study further suggested that the women who were denied
the rights of abortion were forced to depend on the various public assistance programs after the
pregnant conditions made them lose their full-time jobs. The public assistance programs that
were attended by the women were not considered to be sufficient enough to help in the
maintenance of the family. The conditions were observed to worsen with the increase of another
baby within the family thereby leaving families of the women who are denied abortive rights to
live their lives in the situations of poverty (Foster et al., 2018).
In conclusion, it might be stated that the women should be granted the access to the
legalized abortion that is safe for the women. This is required as the abortive rights bear direct
relevance to the gender equality, freedom and empowerment of women. This might also be
relevant in the maintenance of the financial well-being of women. A woman should bear the sole

4LEGALIZATION OF ABORTION
control regarding the changes that take place inside her body. This is inclusive of the growth of
the baby inside her womb. There should be an establishment of the gender equality regarding the
regulations that are implemented on the physical freedom that is enjoyed by the male as well as
the female members of the society. The gender equality that needs to implemented within the
society should be influenced highly by the freedom and the choice in terms of the reproductive
matters. The ability of the women in the establishment and the exercise of their own choice
might help in the proper upliftment of the society at large as well as the family and the country as
well.

5LEGALIZATION OF ABORTION
References
Foster, D. G., Biggs, M. A., Ralph, L., Gerdts, C., Roberts, S., & Glymour, M. M. (2018).
Socioeconomic outcomes of women who receive and women who are denied wanted
abortions in the United States. American journal of public health, 108(3), 407-413.
Hendricks, J. S. (2010). Body and Soul: Equality, Pregnancy, and the Unitary Right to
Abortion. Harv. CR-CLL Rev., 45, 329.
McReynolds-Pérez, J. (2017). Abortion as empowerment: reproductive rights activism in a
legally restricted context. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 17(2), 350.