Unplanned Pregnancies
Some women aren’t ready for motherhood as a pregnancy might not have been the woman’s choice. Whether it’s an accidental pregnancy, or a pregnancy due to rape, the mother should be enabled to make her own decision. In the United States, over 92% of abortions are the result of unintended pregnancies, which results in about 42 million induced abortions per year worldwide (Guttmacher Institute). Some of these abortions were self-induced, meaning that the woman was financially unstable and could not afford or have access to an abortion. The majority of these cases were teenage girls who were attending school and did not have time to work.
Real Life Cases
The Emergency Medical Department in Colorado received multiple teenage patients that had attempted unsafe abortion procedures on themselves because abortion was illegal in the place they lived. (NCBI)
1. A pregnant 16 year old patient was admitted to the hospital after attempting an abortion procedure on herself with a coat hanger. She had lost conscious-ness due to a tremendous amount of vaginal bleeding. Although she survived, her body was permanently damaged from this experience.
2. A pregnant 17 year old patient was admitted to the hospital after repeatedly throwing herself against the wall, punching herself in the abdomen, and taking vinegar baths in an attempt to terminate the fetus. This physical and psychological damage left a big impact on the young, desperate girl.
In many situations, the woman becomes pregnant even after using contraceptives (birth control methods). By legalizing abortion worldwide, it enables millions of women to have a voice in their reproductive rights. It also prevents frightened and desperate mothers from harming their own bodies. Another point to be made is that no contraceptive can guarantee full protection. They are not always effective, as 18 out of 100 women who use condoms as their only birth control method will get pregnant (TeensHealth). Women who did not plan for a pregnancy and were responsible enough to use protection could still be impregnated. Banning a woman from aborting the fetus she never wanted or asked for would be unethical. Not only that, but the mother could be impregnated without her consent. Victims of rape or incest should not be forced into keeping the fetus.
“He already used and threw away my body, but I wasn’t going to give him the power to hurt the rest of my life.” -Gabriela
Gabriela, a 27 year old woman living in Ecuador, was drugged and raped. She did not realize she was pregnant until her bump began to show. However, she decided to terminate the fetus shortly afterwards.
Being forced into keeping the baby of your rapist can have a massive effect on your mental health. Carrying your rapist's child into the world would serve as a reminder to a horrible experience. Abortions would allow women to dictate their own future, instead of the government making their reproductive choices for them. In the end, it all comes down to what a woman decides to do with her reproductive rights.
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