Abstract
Abortion has become a contentious political issue because it is a subject that raises the most prominently competing worldviews and ethical systems. Ultimately, however, abortion is a personal choice. The individual faces a decision with meaningful consequences. If the pregnancy was unplanned or unwanted, an abortion liberates the woman from carrying the child to term. Abortion conforms to Constitutional law, resulting in the decision in Roe v. Wade. Recent threats to Constitutional law have showcased the importance of empowering all individuals with the right to choose, rather than forcing parenthood upon them. Abortion is not murder, but those who believe that abortion is immoral are free to not engage in the practice. The main drawback with abortion is that it undermines patriarchal social, political, and economic institutions. 

Introduction

For as long as women have been getting pregnant, they have also been voluntarily aborting their pregnancies. Until recently, though, governments have refrained from making broad statements about the decision to terminate a pregnancy. Reasons for terminating a pregnancy range from the personal to the practical, but such personal reasons have not been a public concern necessarily until the modern era. It is therefore somewhat ironic that in an age of increasing self-empowerment and self-determination—especially for women--that abortion is a political issue at all. An anti-abortion stance in law is fundamentally incongruous with the principles of freedom and liberty ensconced in the Constitution of the United States, which is why the Supreme Court ruled as it did in Roe v. Wade. 

Now Roe v. Wade is under threat as state legislatures have been passing their own laws that restrict access to abortion services, thereby attempting to circumvent Constitutional law. As many as 400 anti-choice policy measures are pending nationwide, with at least 26 outright bans or serious restrictions already in place (Shea, 2019). Even if these state-based attempts to subvert Roe v. Wade fail under legal scrutiny, the measures and the continued support for anti-choice legislation or policy reveal the extent of the problem. There are no real “pros” or “cons” of abortion; abortion is simply a fact of life. Whether abortion is legal or not, women who choose not to carry a child to term will find a way to terminate the pregnancy. There are, however, severe consequences to banning abortion. Abortion raises important questions about the role of government in the lives of individuals, and encapsulates the contradictory, paradoxical, and even hypocritical aspects of American culture and identity.

Pro: Personal Reasons

Abortion liberates the woman from carrying a child to term. Carrying a child to term is not something to be taken lightly. When a woman carries a child to term, her body undergoes many irreversible changes. Whether the woman gives up the child for adoption or raises the child, the psychological and social consequences are huge and also irreversible. Bringing a child to term is something that affects far more than the mother and the child, or even the biological father. Bringing an unwanted child to term would therefore present far more negative consequences than having an abortion, which only adversely affects the woman if she internalizes guilt or shame due to the social norms and values that censure reproductive freedom. An abortion does not preclude the individual from becoming pregnant again in the future. The procedure is fully safe and may even decrease risks for some long-term health issues (Planned Parenthood, n.d.). Also, the option to have an abortion empowers the woman to make the choices about when and how to raise a child, when, and with whom. Abortion therefore allows a pregnant woman to remain fully in control of her life. 

An abortion is recommended for those who are simply not ready, interested, or able to have a child. In some cases, an abortion is required to ensure the health or survival of the female. The abortion may be medically required, but it can also be required in situations in which the biological father had raped the woman or was a person with whom the woman does not want further contact. After all, not having an abortion would usually entitle the biological father to some sort of visitation rights. A woman might not want the biological father in her life, and abortion allows her to have that choice (Adoption.org, n.d.). In many situations, the biological father would be supportive of the decision to terminate the pregnancy.

It is also worth considering that an abortion could prevent a woman from experiencing physical, emotional, and financial strain. It is also unethical to bring a child into the world without the ability to provide love and support to that child. Being raised an orphan or by resentful parents could leave psychological scars that last a lifetime, which is why an abortion is in many cases the appropriate choice.

Con: Personal Reasons

Abortion can present many significant problems for the pregnant woman, impacting her self-concept, her self esteem, and therefore her overall mental health. If the pregnant woman has any internal conflict or cognitive dissonance, then an abortion might lead to feelings of regret or fear. She may also experience adverse social consequences resulting from sanctions against abortion. The adverse consequences of abortion therefore stem from contextual variables. If it is believed that abortion is sinful, wrong, unethical, or even murderous in the woman’s social milieu, then she risks forfeiting her membership in that community. She may even lose the support of her family members, friends, and other loved ones if the act is deemed to be deviant. 

By the same token, the woman who conforms to societal expectations to carry the child to term whether she wants to or not could in fact grow psychologically stronger from the experience of adversity. She succumbs to social pressures in ways that alleviates any of the fears associated with losing her position or status in the family, and does not challenge her own internal beliefs about the responsibility to carry a pregnancy to term. Another reason why abortion could be detrimental would be that it leads to the empowerment of women to create their own destinies as opposed to subverting the social norms that ensure female identity remains closely linked to motherhood.

An abortion can be construed as a selfish decision, one that places “your needs before a child’s chance at life,” (Adoption.org, n.d.). The embryo or fetus is a potential human being, and therefore the termination of the pregnancy prevents that human being from having agency. Once the pregnancy has been terminated, there is zero chance that that same exact life will ever be created again. 

Pro: The Politics of Abortion

Abortion is a political issue because it directly refers to power. When abortion is legal, a woman has the power to determine her own destiny. When abortion is illegal, that power is taken away from the woman. Therefore, abortion bans, restricted access to abortion, or the criminalization of abortion could all be reframed in terms of forcing a woman to carry a child to term. Whenever abortion is not a legal option, the state not only controls the woman’s body but also her mind and her entire life trajectory. After all, carrying a child to term invariably and irreversibly changes...…interest given that her energies are devoted towards the raising of the child. If, on the other hand, she raises the child out of obligation then she deprives that child of love and could create intergenerational problems related to psychological neglect. Abortion would have alleviated these problems. From a broader perspective, forcing women to carry children to term places economic strain on the entire society. Unwanted children are not good for the economy, even if they are perceived of as additional labor for the labor market. 

In traditional or backwards societies that sanction women who become pregnant out of wedlock, an abortion can save the person embarrassment and shame. No one will know the person was pregnant, whereas if the individual chooses to carry the child to term, that person would be forever labeled. Teenage girls should especially consider how being a parent would impact their lives. An abortion would help resolve any potential conflicts that could arise if the family and community were not supportive of the individual suddenly becoming a parent. Instead of expecting the pregnancy to result in the father or the state providing financial support, the woman chooses self-empowerment. Giving a child up for adoption can be traumatic, many times more so than terminating the pregnancy. 

Con: Community and Sociological Issues

The drawback with abortion in many cases is that it potentially disrupts the social norms within that community. If abortion becomes acceptable when it previously was not, then it would undermine the narratives and doctrines that have defined that particular subculture or community. Abortion threatens the status quo, and undermines the moral authority of governing religious bodies. It is not just the Catholic Church but also many other religious institutions that ban abortion. Their reasons differ, but many simply frame the matter in terms of life being sacred. Abortion may be viewed as “playing god.” In societies like these, the life of the mother is considered less sacred than the fertilized egg, possibly because of patriarchal values. Within a patriarchal society, the sperm of the man represents his virility. A rape would signify the potency of male physical and social power, so even if a woman had been raped, she would be considered subordinate to the God-sanctioned social order. She must carry any and all children to term because doing so honors the traditions of her people and appeases the deities her community values. Unless she wishes to disrespect the laws and traditions of her parents, the woman is better off submitting and bearing the child. 

Conclusion

Individuals opt in or out of abortion for very personal reasons. Likewise, societies have different laws about abortion for various reasons but mostly due to ingrained beliefs about the meaning of life and the status of women. If it is believed that as soon as an egg is fertilized, it constitutes a human being worthy and entitled of all human rights, then abortion would be considered murder. The woman is merely a vessel through which life can come, and has no inherent value or right to self-determination. If this view is the fundamental basis for the social order, then abortion would be considered deviant.

Reasons in favor of abortion include the prevention of suffering. Abortion prevents women from being forced to carry a child to term or being forced into parenthood. Likewise, abortion prevents the existence of a child that did not want to be born, and who may suffer as a result of being neglected. Legal abortion ensures the procedure is safe, while still respecting that some people will find the practice immoral or abhorrent.