Abortion or What Comes After

Generally, abortion becomes a hot topic when every election comes up. There are multiple
varying opinions on abortion whether it
should be legal or not, I believe that
women have a right to their choice,
considering it is their body. Since blood
is defined as property of a person, then it
should also be their choice to have an
abortion or not because it is in their body
and should be considered their property.
If you stand against abortion, then there
should be a push for an easier process to
adoption, better access to birth control
and/or contraceptives, and more
affordable childcare before you can
continue arguing against it.

In the article, A Christian Abortion Doctor written by Nicholas Kristof, he describes a

Dr. Willie Parker, who is a black feminist, that began providing abortions to women in the South
because of his faith. He believes he is preforming Gods work and protecting womens
rights, their human right to decide their futures for themselves, and to live as they see fit.
Previously he had refused to perform abortions because they were against his religion, but he
came to a different realization later on and believes it is his calling to give women their choice.
Christianitys opposition to abortion is relatively new in historical terms. Abortion is not
specifically discussed in the bible and there is nothing written in the religion that life begins at
conception. Traditionally, it was believed that the fetus obtains a soul after 40 days or more and
it is murder after that. Parker discussed a time where one of his patients fetus that had Potter
syndrome, which causes the lungs
to not develop, and the woman
chose not to get an abortion.
Knowing that a fetus cannot feel
pain until about 29 weeks, Parker
considered this pure cruelty to not
receive the abortion instead let the
child be born with this disease and
impending death. After the infant
was born, it died through painful
death due to suffocation since the
lungs did not develop. In another
case, a mother had brought her
 daughter in for an abortion and left her daughter for a
few moments. While the mother was gone, another
patient that was in the waiting room of his office
tried to convince the daughter against the abortion by
implying to stay away from the boys she was
messing with, and wasnt she aware to not go around
them. The 12-year-old girl responded by informing
the other patient that it was not a boy, it was a 53-
year-old man who is her father.

Another argument against abortion is stating

that the woman should refrain from intercourse, or
get on a contraceptive. Some women do not have
access to healthcare like others have the privilege,
and even more wont have access eventually if they
still plan on defunding planned parenthood. A solution to this is to offer birth control over-the-
counter. Beginning late last year Pharmaceutical companies have begun seeking FDA approval
to make their products available over-the-counter. In the article, Its Time We Finally Offer
Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pills by Robert Gebelhoff he discusses this hot topic. Gebelhoff
implies that studies have shown that teenagers, who will most likely be the majority of the
customer base for these products, are the most likely to take the pill continuously vs using a
condom because that comes with sexual or emotional pressures. Having access to contraceptives
over the counter will allow women of all ages to have access 24/7 in some instances. Until easier
access becomes available, women should still
have the right to their choice.
 Childcare is also another reason why women opt to receive an abortion instead of have
the child. There have been many successful women who ended up getting pregnant, could not
afford the childcare, and they ended
up having to resign from their
positions and stay home to raise their
child. A newborn child in daycare is
an extreme expense that most cannot
bear the financial burden of.
Villaluna, a women talked about in
the article, Why Are So Many
Women Dropping Out? stated that
her childcare was quoted at $2,500 a
month. She ended up having to stay
home and sign up for state benefits to help her live. If she were to have put her child in day-care
she would have fallen behind every month, but if she does not work then she also cannot make a
decent living wage either. This is one of the many major concerns a woman thinks about when
considering an abortion. They dont want to bring a child
into this world on such a low-income, wondering where
each meal might come from and if they are going to be
able to afford their roof over their heads or not.

Lastly, adoption is another thing a woman

considering abortion thinks of. Adoption is not an easy
process and millions of children live in foster homes,
33% of which will be homeless before they turn 18.
Many adoption agencies have stipulations of who can and
cannot adopt the children that they are caring for. Texas
is proposing a new bill that would let adoption-service
providers turn down prospective parents based on their
religious beliefs. According to the article, Texas Poised
to Allow Adoptions to Be Blocked on Religious Basis
this would also allow agencies to deny lesbian or gay
couples, transgender, unmarried or non-Christians from
adopting. Allowing this bill to pass would not give expecting mothers who are considering
abortion the peace of mind that they might still be able to give their child a good life even if it
may not be with them. Adoption is already a difficult and expensive process and no child is
guaranteed home placement. My brother and sister-in-law were not able to have a second child,
so they turned to adoption. After contacting and interviewing with multiple agencies, most of
them informed my family that they would have to foster the child for at least two years before
they could adopt them. This made them veer away from adoption because they would not want
to become so close with the child only to have the biological parents change their mind before
two years and take their child back. Denying people like my brother and sister-in-law who were
more than willing and financially able to adopt a child causes more children to be homeless
which also veers pregnant women
from choosing adoption instead of
abortion. No mother would want
her child to end up homeless,
starving, or not taken care of.

In conclusion, unless better

solutions are created for the
consequences of having a child or
easier access to contraceptives, I
believe the woman has the right to
choose whether she wants to have
the child or not. We should not
decide what a woman can or
cannot do because of our religion.
We should not expect her to refrain from intercourse, rather give her easier access to
contraceptives. We should not expect her to be able to afford the childcare, instead find solutions
of providing more affordable care. Lastly, if we are urging more women to give their children up
for adoption instead of having an abortion, there should be an easier and more affordable
adoption process put into place. Otherwise, I would assume the woman is making her choice for
her own reasons, and she is looking out for not only her best interest but the childs too.
Works Cited

Gebelhoff, Robert. "It's Time we Finally Offer Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pills." Washington Post
- Blogs, 20 Mar, 2017, pp. n/a, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks-sirs-com.libprox1.slcc.edu.

Kristof, Nicholas. "A Christian Abortion Doctor." New York Times, 07 May, 2017, pp. SR.11, SIRS
Issues Researcher, https://sks-sirs-com.libprox1.slcc.edu.

Kitroeff, Natalie. "Why are so Many Women Dropping Out?" Los Angeles Times, 28 May, 2017, pp.
C. 1., SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks-sirs-com.libprox1.slcc.edu.

Lovett, Ian. "Texas Poised to Allow Adoptions to be Blocked on Religious Basis." Wall Street Journal
Online, 26 May, 2017, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks-sirs-com.libprox1.slcc.edu.