Opinion | Abortion Rights in America

Abortion should be accessible for all women in the United States

Opinion | Abortion Rights in America

Rainey Sharp, Staffer

Since 1973, Roe V. Wade has kept abortions laws legal, allowing females all over the country to abort unborn fetuses roughly until 15-20 weeks. Females were able to choose whether they wanted to terminate their pregnancies or continue through until birth. Recently, the Supreme Court voted and overturned the legislation.

As of June 24, 2022, the Roe V. Wade legislation, which resulted in the ban and limitation on abortions in several states in America. This is extremely unfair to the women in our country, who should have a right to make choices about their own body, especially when it results in their mental or physical health.

Abortions can be crucial in some cases of pregnancies, and banning them can severely impact a woman’s health. Termination of pregnancies are highly recommended by doctors in some areas. “One of the most common reasons I help women to terminate their pregnancy is because their water is broke [early in pregnancy] and they have an infection,” says Assistant Professor Stacey Beck. If there’s a clear sign of infection, the condition can be life-threatening, “because there is an extremely high risk that the infection inside of the uterus spreads very quickly into her bloodstream and she becomes septic. (Reuters.com)

Getting pregnant is not always a woman’s fault. 5% of rape victims age 12-45 get pregnant as a result each year, according to pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. That 5% equals about 32,101 documented pregnancies. These females impacted and impregnated nonconsensually should have the right to abort the fetus if they choose.

The foster system is overcrowded and abortion bans will only increase the numbers. In an article from Children’s Rights, stated is the fact that “currently 424,000 children are currently in foster care”. With abortions being banned, how many of those fetuses that would be getting aborted are now coming into the world, unwanted? Yes, some parents may choose to keep and care for those infants, but more than likely most are going to be surrendered into the foster care system, overflowing the numbers and never giving some children a chance at a family.

We need to fight for the women’s rights of our country, until the Supreme Court gives us the privileges we deserve as citizens.