My Body, my Choice Abortion: Exploring Abortion as a Personal Decision

The Reality of the Situation

Picture this hypothetical situation for a college woman: 21- year old, Candy is going out with friends for her birthday. They started going to bars around nine o'clock that night, and they started partying early because she had plans to go see her family early the next morning. She hasn't ever partied before tonight and honestly never really wanted to.

Her friends have promised her she will be safe with them, so they start drinking and having fun.

Twelve o'clock hits, and she can barely walk on her own. She sits down, and that's the last thing she remembers. It's the next morning, and she has woken up in a hotel room by herself with no clothes on. Terrified, naked, hurting, and not knowing what to do, she jumps up and calls her friends. They say they left her with some guy.

She doesn't know what happened but knows she did not want sex. Fast-forward four weeks, she hasn't had a period and is panicking. Pregnant, that is what the test says. She never reported the rape, and now she is carrying the rapist's baby. She walks into the doctor's office with abortion as her only option. Scared, with no one with her, Candy aborts the baby.

Abortion in Society Today

Sadly, Candy is just another statistic. In an online article, more than 55 million abortions have taken place since 1973 (Earll). That is a sad reality that society needs to wrap its heads around. The amount of normalcy put into abortion is ridiculous these days. Although people throughout the nation choose abortion as their first option when getting pregnant, society should be educated on the details of abortion, as well as educate society on the different options of abortion, and show society how abortion hurts a female's body before making the ultimate decision of having an abortion.

A Closer Look at Abortion

Unfortunately, many people today cannot seem to understand all the broad concepts of abortion. Therefore, to get a better understanding of how horrifying abortion is and how common it has become today. Somehow abortion has become a very common thing, but talking about it seems to be a curse. It is important that people understand what the world was like before abortion but also examine the world of abortion today.

The Normalization of Abortion

Furthermore, abortion has been normalized in society through everyone excepting it as a new fad or the first option to not being a responsible human, but abortion is something way more important than someone trying to fit in or not wanting to step up to the plate as a parent. Everyone understands that some people just aren't ready to be parents, but why take a life?

Educating Society on Abortion Procedures

Society should educate women and even men on the horrific details of abortion in detail to know what really happens to a fetus during the operation. The things that happen to the fetus during an abortion are horrifying. When you walk into the doctor's office, everyone is very welcoming, but they do not try to talk you out of it. They do not tell you the grim details of what happens to the fetus. Which, in my opinion, should be told?

Focus on Women's Mental Health

They are only focused on the woman's pain when they should be worried about her mental state after the procedure. In an article on planned parenthood, it is stated that the doctors will give you written instructions on how to care for yourself after your abortion and how to take the medication they give you.

Plus, they will give you a number you can call at any time if you have any questions or concerns about the abortion after the fact. (planned parenthood) This shows that all the medical field is concerned about is the women's well-being, not the child that she is trying to get rid of. There are many ways an abortion can be done. Pills, vacuums, and other medications all come with severe risks for the woman as well as all are very horrific for a fetus.

The Grim Details of Abortion

Most abortions start with the question, "What kind of abortion would you prefer?" and end with, "Here are some side effects," but no one talks about the in-between. In an image on Quora, the steps of an abortion are given. The following information may be graphic. An abortion can be given up to twenty-three weeks of pregnancy. Which means the fetus has limbs and is forming organs.

As stated on Quora, the body parts of the fetus are grabbed with long-toothed clamps and viscously pulled from the fetus' body out of the vaginal canal, as well as remaining body parts are grabbed and pulled out, only leaving the head, which is then crushed to remove it from the vaginal canal. Lastly, the placenta and remaining contents are suctioned from the uterus and thrown into surgical waste. (Daversa) These steps are what happens to the fetus during an abortion.

Considering Alternatives to Abortion

People should be educated on the different options when becoming pregnant before assuming abortion is the only choice that they have. Adoption is an alternative rather than getting an abortion. It is also way safer for the woman's body and mind. In an article in Miss Mill Magazine, the author, Reardon, talks about the process of adoption as lets you know to keep in mind that you can choose to have contact with the adoptive family before birth, after birth, or ultimately you can decide to choose not to have any contact at all with the family and the child after you give birth. (Reardon) Adoption is a scary alternative being that you must birth the child and then give it away, but it is a safer way to have a child rather than taking a life and harming your body.

Temporary foster care is also a safe alternative. In an article in Miss Mill Magazine, Reardon talks about the process of Foster care and states that If a person wants to raise the child and doesn't think they can support it at the present moment, it is a very good option to choose foster care, especially if they do not have a family member willing to raise the baby until the parent is able to take care of the child. (Reardon) Foster care may be very dangerous for a child's mental health, but it is a way better option than aborting the child. Letting another family member raise the child is a very doubtful choice but a reasonable one.

In an article in Miss Mill Magazine, Reardon talks about the process of letting another family member raise the child and states that this option is an ideal situation for women who want to be a mother but now cannot provide for the child and wishes to keep in close contact with the child as it grows, without using the foster care system. Letting a family member raise your child is a reliable way to keep the baby alive and still have contact with it.

Impact of Abortion on Women

Women should be informed about how their body and mind is affected by abortion before it they choose to have one. Also, how the men will feel and react to the abortion. Women do not fully understand the effects of abortion and how an abortion will harm their bodies.
In an article on Turning Point, the author explains how abortion affects a woman's mental state and is linked with a plethora of psychological and physical complications and reduced maternal bonding with children born after the aborted child. (Pregnancy) Abortion comes with all kinds of risks that no one states when talking about it. Mental health for women isn't taken seriously, but when a woman has an abortion, their mental health is pushed to the test.

In an article on Turning Point, the author explains how women who have had abortions suffer a tremendous amount of anxiety, depression, and suicide. (Pregnancy) This quote shows that women who get abortions are very fragile. Women do not think of how men will feel about abortion. Time After Time, men's opinions are getting pushed to the side. In the book Abortion, the author describes how men really do not get informed about the woman's choice of abortion and are just fine with not knowing.

The goal of a man is to use women to achieve their own selfish purposes are already achieved. Meaning they enjoy a kind of freedom from not having to carry the burden of knowledge on their chest. (Fisher) Men do not get fully notified most of the time of what is happening with the pregnancy and abortion. In most cases, the men are ultimately fine with not knowing what happens. Women should get informed before having an abortion. They should be given the side effects of it as well.

Consequently, women who find out their child is going to be born with a mental disorder or deficit think very differently about abortion. They would say that they did not choose for their child to be disabled. They couldn't possibly bring a special needs child into this world, not because they would be embarrassed but because they couldn't let a child suffer and not be able to do the things regular children do.

In evidence, an article in New York Times states, "We decided mostly based on that factor, and out of not wanting our child to endure a lifetime of hardship and pain.." (Sedgwick) It is true that cases like these are very worthy of considering abortion. The woman must take not only their life into consideration but also the fetus. This decision is very hard for a woman and can bring a huge amount of stress on a woman. However, given the facts of these sad stories, it is a difficult thing for women to talk about abortion. But why?

Conclusion

Is it the only choice? The answer to these questions is very hard to answer in just a simple yes and no answer. But wouldn't it be great if these questions were simple? To be clear, there are several other choices for women to consider before abortion. Adoption, Foster care, and several more options are available. Thus, given the need, a child's life is more important than throwing it away because of a disorder.

Evidently, women that have been raped would think extremely differently about abortion. They would possibly say that they did not choose to be raped, let alone to get pregnant. They do not want to have their rapists' babies. It is true that cases like these are worthy of pity. These are just girls who are trying to have a good time but get raped instead. Cases like these ruin a woman psychologically and put way too much stress on her as a college girl. This man robbed her of her life because a man just wanted to get in bed with someone.

So, it is understandable for girls in cases like these to want to have an abortion because, inevitably, every time they look at the baby, they see the rapists. However, given the facts of these stories, it is very difficult for women to talk about abortion. Is abortion the only choice? If such an option exists, and no one gets hurt, wouldn't it be great if women chose the option that saves a life? And the answers to these questions are a definite yes. Thus, given the need, women should choose alternative options rather than options.

To conclude, abortion, once so rare, is now a hot topic in American society. Through the years, people have grown to accept it as normal. However, women should be educated on abortion, how it's done, and how it will affect them, as well as be told the options rather than abortion. Many children's lives could be at stake if society doesn't open its eyes to the horrifying truths of abortion. When a pregnant woman gets murdered, it is, in fact, called a double homicide, no matter how far along that woman is, so what is abortion called to you?

Works Cited

1. Sedgwick, Josephine. "'I Couldn't Tell Anyone': Women Around the World Reveal Intimate Stories of Abortion." The New York Times, 9 July 2018.
2. Earll, Carrie Gordon. "By the Numbers: U.S. Abortion Statistics." Focus on the Family, 2018, 
3. Reardon, David C. "AbortionFacts.com." Women Who Abort: Their Reflections on the Unborn. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Aug. 2014.
4. Fisher, Brian E. Abortion: The Ultimate Exploitation of Women. Morgan James Faith, 2014.
5. Planned parenthood: "What happens during an abortion?". 2018.
6. Davesar. Quora: What happens to the fetus during an abortion? 2016. 

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