The Fate of our Future

By: Marilyn Short

All most all women at some point in their lives have the potential to become
pregnant and therefore have the potential to get an abortion. This makes abortion a
shared problem among all women. Men will never get pregnant but that doesn't leave
them out of the conversation. Anyone informed of abortion probably has an opinion on
it. Regardless of their gender people speak against and for abortion. This controversial
topic divides America and tears our definition of morals. There are two extreme sides to
this situation but there must be a place where almost everyone can agree.

In the past, there have been cases of unsafe, unsanitary abortions occurring
regularly. Whether or not people believe abortion is murder most people can agree that
this procedure should not be performed under dangerous or illegal conditions. Often
times people who disagree with abortion can accept it as long as the government keeps
it safe and clean. The health of the people involved should always be valued. Along with
that, most people can agree that the rights of women are important. Preventing
unwanted pregnancies is something that most can agree would help the controversy of
abortion secede. If there are little to no unintended pregnancies then there will be
almost no demand for abortion. This solution infringes on neither the rights or morals of
anyone.

There are two main opposing sides to this controversial issue: pro-life and pro-
choice. Pro-choice supports womens rights and believes that abortion is simply just a
right that all women should have the access to whenever. People who believe in pro-
choice, believe the choice to abort empowers women to be in control of their own body
and future. In her article Stop Calling Abortion A Difficult Choice, Janet Harris shares
her experience with abortion, This was in the mid-1980s when abortion was about
women having control not just over their bodies but over their destinies. An unwanted
pregnancy would have derailed my future, making it difficult for me to finish college and
have the independent, productive life that Id envisioned. She explained how her own
abortion was not a difficult choice for her and that it allowed her to continue her life
without any complications. Many understand having a child when not mentally or
physically prepared can be extremely challenging and it makes it is very difficult to
continue any future plans without neglecting the child. To support pro-choice is to
support the rights and decisions of the women who want a legal abortion.

On the other hand, pro-life supporters believe that abortion is morally and
religiously wrong. It is not that they do not support womens right but that life starts at
the time of conception and should be protected until it is able to survive on its own. In
her column, Why I March for Life published by USA Today, Deanna Wallace states the
different reasons she has heard as to why people protest abortion: Some march
because theyve experienced the pain of abortion themselves, some have lost brothers
and sisters to abortion, some come for religious reasons, some in support of non-violent
choices, and still others come to promote pro-life feminism. Later on in her essay,
Wallace shares the story of three children whose lives started out with abuse and
neglect and each time their mother considered abortion because they were unwanted.
However, all three were adopted by the same parents and went on to happy, successful
people. In the end of her story, she shares what happened when one of the children
grew up, Baby #3 went to law school and is now an attorney with the nations leading
pro-life legal team at Americans United for Life. She gets to spend every day helping
state legislators and policy groups pass laws that protect other unwanted children,
giving them the chance to overcome the circumstances of their birth, just like she did.
Baby #3 is me. This is my family. This is my story. This is why I march. While people
who support pro-life still respect women and their rights, they wish to protect the unborn
child and promote the idea that both the mother and the child can have a life after the
pregnancy.

Women should have the right to get an abortion but at the same time, abortion is
taking away a potential life regardless of the stage of the pregnancy. By disguising
regulations on abortion such as limiting the number of abortions one person can have
and regulating at which stage a woman can have an abortion then hopefully a
compromise can emerge from the conversation. However, if we look at the root of the
problem we could possibly start to solve the problem. According to the Orlando
Womens Health Center, nearly 50% of all pregnancies are unintended and about half of
women who have an unintended pregnancy decide to have an abortion. If we bring
more awareness to the prevention of unwanted pregnancies then we could prevent
almost all abortions. Birth control is expensive for someone in a low-income household
but it is not the only form of protection. On Planned Parenthood's website, there are 18
different ways to prevent unwanted pregnancy and even information on how to decide
which method is best for different people. Despite the controversy around Planned
Parenthood, they do provide an excellent amount of information that every woman
should be aware of. If we spread awareness of this information and support the use of
birth control then the problem of abortion will be nearly solved.

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