Janae Redmond
Janel Spencer
Writing 101S
10 December 2019
Our Body Our Choice
Abortion is a very talked about subject throughout the world. Many people have very different stances on this topic. The well-known sides are pro-choice and pro-life. Both sides believe the other is black and white. Those who sided with pro-choice advocates for keeping abortion legal and believe that it is the women’s right to choose whether or not they want to keep the baby. Those who side with pro-life are generally opposed to abortion and believe that aborting a baby is murder and shouldn’t be legal, while sometimes allowing for health exceptions. Religion may have a lot to do with the reasoning behind their opinion on abortion. The Roman Catholic Church opposes abortion in all circumstances, while the Southern Baptist Church also opposes abortion, but allows an exception when the mother’s life is in danger. Mormons and Hindu teachings also generally oppose abortion. Those who are pro-life may misunderstand the meaning of being pro-choice as advocating for abortion. In actuality, we simply believe women have the right to access abortion when they feel they need one. I personally believe that we as a society should all respect each other’s personal choices. After considering the importance of having the right to terminate rape pregnancies, that not having the right to safe abortions leads to unhealthy ones, studies show that lack of access to abortion negatively impacts women’s emotional state, and the science behind abortion, I hope you will consider the importance of the right to abort for women.
It’s important to remember that not all pregnancies are chosen, planned, or voluntary. Pregnancy after sexual assault is an ongoing public health issue. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine says that almost 3 million U.S. women (2.5%) experienced rape-related pregnancy during their lifetime. Rape victims who have been impregnated can be a very traumatic situation for them and they can end up not being able to bond with their child; for some, they can grow to resent their child as they are a constant reminder of their trauma. Trauma is very stressful on a person and can lead to depression, anxiety, and many other psychiatric disorders. About 33% of rape victims have suicidal thoughts and 13% of rape victims will attempt suicide. (The Suicide Prevention, Awareness, and Support organization) Numerous rape victims who struggle with untreated depression and suicidal thoughts unfortunately go through with taking their lives. A child with a mother who can’t be emotionally available for them can end in a messy life for that child. Pavan Amara wrote an article about a woman named Sarah he met at his “My Body Back” Project. Sarah was impregnated after a sexual assault. During labor Sarah was reliving her assault every push she made. After the baby was birthed, she couldn’t keep herself sane and became very suicidal. She didn’t take her own life, but she did suffer quietly for months. She was avoiding her neonatal visits which put her child’s health at risk. Abortion should especially be legal and accessible for women who have been through a sexual assault so they can prevent any further traumatic outcomes. Although the risk factor is low, there is always the chance that rape victims can catch a sexually transmitted disease from their attacker. According to the CDC, HIV is a common infection that the few sexual assault victims get. Thankfully there is antiviral and antibiotic medication that can prevent it from affecting the child, but not everyone can afford or has access to those treatments. The PMC claims that the total operating cost for 2,153 visits (while considering the laboratory testing, medications for treatment, supplies, and the number of visits) was estimated at $255,769, or $119 per visit. Coercion is also something to keep in mind when thinking about pregnancy and abortion. Up to 80% of women experience some form of sexual coercion and it’s commonly committed by someone they know. Although it’s not considered a sexual assault, persuading someone by using force and/or threats to commit sexual acts can also be a trauma for some and possibly could hinder their ability to trust others. The effects of coercion can make dating hard for women as well. Abortion should stay legal for these exact reasons. If we put ourselves in the shoes of women who are at risk of experiencing sexual trauma, hopefully we can realize how important the choice of abortion is for them.
Now let’s talk about unsafe abortion. Unsafe abortion is an ignored public health problem contributing to 13% of maternal death worldwide. (US National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Approximately 55% of all abortions from 2010-2014 were safe or performed by a trained health worker using methods appropriate to the pregnancy duration; more than 30% of abortions were ‘less safe’, meaning the trained provider was using an unsafe method (such as sharp curettage), or using a safe method (like misoprostol tablets) but without appropriate information about the pregnancy; and about 14% of abortions were ‘least safe’, meaning they were provided by an untrained person or did it themselves using dangerous methods, such as introduction of foreign objects and use of herbal concoctions.” All these percentages together mean that 45% of abortions worldwide are done unsafely. Deaths from abortion are high in the cases where the abortion happened in the least safe circumstances. In countries such as Southern Africa and South-Central Asia where there are restrictive abortion laws (banned or only allowed when saving a women’s life), only 1 out of 4 abortions were done safely. In comparison, in countries such as Northern Europe, North American, and Eastern Asia where abortion is legal and accepted, 9 out of 10 abortions were done safely. Around 7 million women are admitted to hospitals every year in poor agricultural countries, as a result of unsafe abortion. Women, as well as adolescents, with unwelcomed pregnancies will look to unsafe ways to abort when they don’t have access to a safe abortion. Things like poor availability, high costs, and stigma make it difficult for unsafe abortions to be avoided. To prevent unsafe abortion, countries need to make sure that women have access to safe and legal abortion.
Alexandra Sifferlin, a writer for The Times, wrote about a study called “the turnaway study” where University of San Francisco researchers interviewed 956 women from 21 states who sought an abortion; they interviewed the women a total of eleven times (once a week after seeking an abortion, and again every six months for five years). When the women who were turned away after wanting an abortion were interviewed a week after the fact, it was found that they had the highest levels of anxiety, low life satisfaction, and very low self-esteem. This was very similar to the other women six months to a year later. Earlier studies have shown that women’s depressive symptoms peaked just before having an abortion and showed immediate emotional improvements after they got the procedure. The notably high levels of stress of the women who got turned down from an abortion can be due to the stress of trying to acquire the procedure along with the stresses provided by society that come with it.
The science of abortion is where it gets complicated. In May of this year, the New York Times science bestseller and journalist at MIT, Adam Rogers, wrote an article about how anti-abortion laws are using incorrect science to defend their views by stating that the heartbeat of a fetus is the defining moment of aliveness. Anti-abortion laws want to ban abortion after more than six weeks of pregnancy. They generally say that a “fetal heartbeat” predicts whether a living baby will come out of the pregnancy. Within his article, Rogers quotes qualified ob-gyn and gynecologist doctors; one being Jennifer Kerns. Kerns claims that the rhythm described in the six-week abortion bans is “a group of cells with electrical activity and we are in no way talking about any kind of cardiovascular system.” To some extent the rhythm is a sign of a good healthy growing embryo, but what’s truly happening is our technology has advanced dramatically to the point where we’re able to detect the electrical activity. In 1984, scientists would feel extremely lucky if they picked up any activity six weeks into the pregnancy. Janet Rossant, a senior scientist and chief of research emeritus at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, states, “there is a definite cardiac rhythm in the tiny, little, immature heart at 8.5 days of development, but it is certainly not enough to support viability.” Following that statement, she claims that the tiny heartbeat is just an encouragement of the vascular and circulatory system development but is not viable by itself. The word “viability” is commonly used to describe a baby that is far enough in maturation that it can survive outside the mother’s womb. In actuality, it generally takes 24 weeks. Viability means that in that moment, it looks like the pregnancy is normal and can continue on. Many believe that after the third trimester (week 28 and on) or, because every pregnancy is different, when the fetus begins to form actual systems where they could survive on an incubator (controlled environment for the care and protection of premature or unusually small babies).
At the time Rogers article was posted, Alabama was set to vote on a bill would make preforming an abortion a crime that is punishable by up to 99 years in prison. He states that Alabama is just a small part of a nationwide push, with more than 300 bills in 2019. Georgia and Ohio are a part of that push as well. Those who are pushing these bills may have forgotten about possibility of a miscarriage after the detection of so called “heartbeat”. This would mean that women who do miscarry would be subjected to prosecution, which could possibility deter them from getting medical attention. Brett Kavanaugh (a trump nominee) enlightened the Supreme Court with the possibility that legalizing these anti-abortion bills would overbalance the Roe v. Wade, the 40-year-old decision that legalized abortion until the fetus is viable in 1973.
Considering the evidence, I encourage everyone to make the facts known. Not everyone wants to be politically involved, but protesting could possibly help people be aware of the importance that women should be able to choose what they want to do with their bodies. Due to Roe v. Wade, the law supports their right and overriding it would be unconstitutional. My call to action is to be an advocate for abortion if they so need within the trimester specification. Stick your guns and know your rights.
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