Abortion Pros and Cons: Laws, Statistics, and Key Arguments

Introduction

Abortion is an enormously controversial issue that divides hundreds of millions of people all over the world. In some respects, what makes it so polarizing is that it is often conflated with the concept of women's rights. Those who support abortion — or are "pro-choice" — do so for a variety of reasons: (a) they feel that every woman should have the right to choose; (b) they feel that having a legal and regulated option for women who want to terminate their pregnancies is safer and better for the common good than banning such facilities and essentially forcing women to seek unsafe, back-alley terminations; or (c) they feel that population control is something every nation should engage in. Those who oppose abortion have their reasons as well: (a) they view it as immoral; (b) they feel it hurts women rather than helps them; or (c) they believe it undermines the fabric of society by serving as a direct assault on the family, the life-bearing process, and the future of the world. This paper identifies the pros and cons of abortion as seen through the eyes of these two sides.

Defining Abortion

The Oxford English Dictionary provides the following definition of abortion: "The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy" (OED, 2018).

The U.S. National Library of Medicine (2018) provides this definition: "An abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy. It uses medicine or surgery to remove the embryo or fetus and placenta from the uterus. The procedure is done by a licensed health care professional."

The Library of Medicine adds that "the decision to end a pregnancy is very personal. If you are thinking of having an abortion, most health care providers advise counseling."

What do these two definitions tell us? Abortion is defined both as a deliberate act designed to end a human pregnancy and as a medical procedure to remove an unwanted embryo or fetus from the uterus. The terms used to describe abortion carry two different connotative meanings. The first draws focus to the fact that abortion is the termination of a human life growing in the mother's womb. The second draws focus to medical terminology — fetus, embryo — and thus distances the act from the idea that it involves a human life. However, following the second definition, the Library of Medicine also notes that abortion is an act in which a pregnancy is terminated and that one should seek counseling if considering this option. Abortion, therefore, is not something the United States government believes should be taken lightly, although it asserts that every woman should have the legal right to procure one.

Arguments in Favor of Abortion

According to those who are pro-choice, the legalization of abortion makes it medically safer for women to terminate their pregnancies, as trained medical staff is available at facilities to assist in the procedure. If abortion were outlawed, women who wanted one would have to take matters into their own hands, which could harm them both physically and psychologically. According to Upadhyay et al. (2015), fewer than 0.25% of abortions conducted today lead to long-term major health problems for women.

Another argument used to support abortion legalization is that it gives women the right to choose — which is considered especially important if an early check-up reveals that the baby will suffer from a debilitating disease, or if there is any other reason for which the woman might want to terminate the pregnancy. Having the option to choose is of utmost importance, according to this line of thinking.

A third argument posed by those who support the right to abortion is that it serves as a method of population control. According to utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer, "abortion is justified…as a method for curbing overpopulation" (Horgan, 2012). Utilitarianism is a philosophy asserting that the greatest common good should be the primary pursuit of any society. According to such a philosophy, abortion would be justifiable if it could be shown that limiting the number of births benefits society overall. China is one example of a country that has implemented strict rules regarding population control.

Other arguments in favor of abortion include the notion that an unwanted child should not be brought into the world, that it helps reduce costs associated with welfare, that it can reduce poverty and crime within a community, and that it is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution.

Conclusion

Those who support abortion do so for a variety of reasons: they may feel that every woman should have the right to choose, that having a legal option for women who want to terminate their pregnancies is safer, or that the global population is growing too high and some means of control is needed to prevent a catastrophe. Those who oppose abortion have their reasons as well: they may view it as immoral, feel that it hurts women rather than helps them, or believe that it undermines the fabric of society by serving as a direct attack against family values and the building blocks of civilization.

The statistics show that while abortion rates have trended lower in the U.S. over the past forty years, approximately 1 million abortions are still procured each year. In some places — such as New York City — more minority women are having abortions than live births. In countries like China, where abortion has at times been not only a right but a requirement for women who exceed their quota of children, this method of population control may be backfiring as populations continue to age. In Japan, for instance, the aging population poses a serious problem for future generations. Throughout the West, the population is also aging, meaning that fewer and fewer births are being recorded. This decline in the birth rate will likely have economic, social, and political ramifications for years to come — some of which could represent unintended consequences of the legalization of abortion.

Ultimately, abortion remains a topic about which many people feel deeply and passionately on both sides. It is an issue that has been politicized since the 1970s in the U.S., with the Women's Movement closely tied to the outcome of Roe v. Wade. Yet even some who supported that ruling in 1973 have since changed their position and become anti-abortion advocates, as evidence emerged over the years about what legalization actually meant in practice. The story of Jane Roe herself — Norma McCorvey — is a compelling illustration of this phenomenon: caught in the middle of a sociopolitical movement, she felt she had been used to further the aims of a political group. Today, the debate between the two sides of the abortion issue continues.

References

Guttmacher Institute. (2018). Abortion fact sheet. Retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states

Horgan, J. (2012). Ethicist Peter Singer critiques Roe v. Wade, Obamacare, Romney. Retrieved from https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/ethicist-peter-singer-critiques-roe-v-wade-obamacare/

Huang, Y., Zhang, X., Li, W., Song, F., Dai, H., Wang, J., ... & Wang, Y. (2014). A meta-analysis of the association between induced abortion and breast cancer risk among Chinese females. Cancer Causes & Control, 25(2), 227–236.

OED. (2018). Abortion. Oxford English Dictionary.

Pedersen, W. (2008). Abortion and depression: A population-based longitudinal study of young women. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 36(4), 424–428.

Pope Francis. (2014). Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to the members of the Diplomatic Corps. Vatican City.

Sun, Y., Che, Y., Gao, E., Olsen, J., & Zhou, W. (2003). Induced abortion and risk of subsequent miscarriage. International Journal of Epidemiology, 32(3), 449–454.

Upadhyay, U. D., Desai, S., Zlidar, V., Weitz, T. A., Grossman, D., Anderson, P., & Taylor, D. (2015). Incidence of emergency department visits and complications after abortion. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 125(1), 175–183.

U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2018). Abortion. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/abortion.html