Abortion has been a topic of debate for many years. Every four years, when it is time for a presidential race, each candidate takes a different stance on abortion.
But it all comes down to whose choice should it be. Should the woman who is carrying the baby be able to choose by herself to have an abortion? Or should the government have laws that state when an abortion can take place?
A brief history of the debate
When it comes to abortion, there are two sides, pro-life and pro-choice.
Pro-life supporters believe that abortion should be illegal. Most of the supporters identify themselves as conservative or Republicans.
Pro-choice supporters believe that the woman or the family in that situation should have the right to choose. They also believe that making abortion illegal is not the way to go. Most of these supporters are labeled as liberals or Democrats.
Why is there an argument?
Many views split the United States, but abortion has been a source of contention for many years.
In 1973, the US saw a monumental case that changed abortion laws forever. The Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution allows and protects pregnant women’s rights to choose to have an abortion without any government restrictions. This case was Roe v. Wade.
This ruling has recently been called into question.
Just last week, the state of Texas passed a law making it illegal to have an abortion if the fetus is six weeks or older. It’s famously known as the “heartbeat” bill. The bill states that if the fetus has a heartbeat, it cannot be aborted.
The heartbeat bill is now LAW in the Lone Star State.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 19, 2021
This bill ensures the life of every unborn child with a heartbeat will be saved from the ravages of abortion.
Thank you @SenBryanHughes, @ShelbySlawson, & #txlege for fighting for the lives of the unborn in Texas. pic.twitter.com/aolhUKM9tv
Texas is not the only state to pass a strict abortion bill. The Supreme Court announced on Monday that they would review a bill recently passed by the state of Mississippi that bans most abortions after 15 weeks. This is the first law and a bill that has challenged the Roe v. Wade case.
Abortion laws in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, and Ohio are all extremely restrictive. These laws come dangerously close to outlawing abortion entirely.
However, there are several states that have granted full abortion rights.
In January 2019, the state of New York passed a law that would safeguard abortion rights even after 24 weeks. Of course, these types of abortions happen in certain situations.
In that same year, the state of Illinois passed a bill in June that repealed a 1975 law that would require spousal consent, waiting period, restriction on facilities, and penalties for doctors.
In the end, the debate is over who has the right to choose when it comes to abortion.
Our options
Most pro-life advocates argue that the fetus is a living being who deserves to be protected. However, when it came to a pandemic that required them to go into lockout and wear masks in order to protect and save lives, the same pro-lifers refused to obey these laws.
Another popular assumption is that if abortion is legalized, women will cease having abortions.
If this is the case, we might make guns illegal as well. However, most Republicans who favor making abortion illegal argue that we cannot make weapons illegal because a bad man who wants a gun would find a way to get one. This also extends to abortion; if anyone wants or needs an abortion, they will find a way to have one which is dangerous.
Of course, no one knows a woman’s body better than she does. She should be able to decide what she wants to do with her body.
Instead of focusing on banning or restricting abortion, we should educate women (and some men) about the issue. We should work on making this a smooth and simple procedure so that we can save lives.
