Forgotten Pieces

Abortion is a very heated subject. People usually have a stance on the topic or feelings about it. However, many of those people don’t consider what happens to the child after it is born, or the impact on a woman after an abortion. This paper is to inform more people about the different sides of the issue.

For Pro-choice supporters, the argument is more about future implications. They must think about these implications because it is not a simple task to decide on having a child or not. To have a child the woman must think about her economic status and emotional stability to support the child as well as herself. If she does not have both of those needs met it may be in the child’s best interest to think about abortion, or giving her child up. Especially when you look at what help these mothers have, it is not always their choice. New mothers are suddenly burdened with hospital bills, transportation issues, food scarcity, keeping up with mental health and many other troubles that come with a lack of preparation and money. For those without preparation or money women can have a hard time dealing with all of the responsibility suddenly thrust upon them, especially for women of minorities or single woman. These women have no help with their mental health needs, transportation or, in many cases, housing. However, the government does have some programs such as WIC, standing for Women Infants and Children. This means that the government will provide food for these groups. The amount of food you get is based on how many children you have as well as your income. There is also another program called food stamps that has the same idea. However, there are many ways to trade food stamps for money so that the mother can pay for other things such as, child care, clothes, apartment, house rent or auto care. In a few cases, there is also government subsidized housing, which allows the women to live in an apartment for significantly less than a regular apartment, although there is a very large waiting list for these apartments so it is only a select few who actually attain this housing. There is a point one must question “Why would you put these mothers and children through such unnecessary suffering, when a less painful solution is there.” One that will not deter the woman’s future or society's.

Many of the Pro-life Advocates believe that no matter the circumstances a life is a life and has rights. To clarify many pro-life supporters believe life begins at conception. Some of the Pro-life arguments are that at twelve weeks the fetus can feel pain during the abortion procedure as well as cause physiological damage to the patient. As Maureen Condic a highly distinguished woman in the pediatric field states that the “most primitive response to pain, the spinal reflex," is developed by eight weeks gestation, and adds that "There is universal agreement that pain is detected by the fetus in the first trimester." (Bailey 9) Depending on the definition of life the fetus may also have rights under the constitution and would be considered as murder if the woman carrying the child intentionally decided to end its life.

However, the child infringes on the women's rights as much as she infringes on its life. This is very complicated from a legal standpoint because the child is still inside of and dependent on the woman. Not only the child but the woman is important too, pro-life is supportive of every life and believes all life should be valued. The woman included. After an abortion procedure is done it can have long lasting effects, for example, southern medical journal states that “of more than 173,000 American women, women who aborted were 154% more likely to commit suicide than women who carried to term.” (Southern Medical Journal) The woman not only have long lasting mental effects but “A study published by the peer-reviewed International Journal of Epidemiology estimated that about 15% of first-trimester miscarriages are attributed to a prior history of induced abortion.” (International Journal of Epidemiology) This means that it will be harder later in life to conceive a child if the woman chooses to do so.

The arguments presented should induce thought about how important it is to hear everyone's perspective because not all things are black and white. Pro-choice advocates care about life and pro-life advocates care about choice, they are both fighting for what they think will be best for the most people. Hopefully, this article will bring some insight to each side.

Work Cited:

Abortion ProCon.org, abortion.procon.org/?print=true.

David. C. Reardon, et al., "Deaths Associated with Pregnancy Outcome: A Record Linkage Study of Low Income Women," Southern Medical Journal, Aug. 2002. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12190217

HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), www.hud.gov/topics/rental_assistance.

Ronald Bailey, "Do Fetuses Feel Pain?," reason.com, July 12, 2013

https://reason.com/archives/2013/07/12/do-fetuses-feel-pain

“Texas SNAP Eligibility.” Texas Benefits, texas-benefits.org/Snap/Snap-Eligibility/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjr2EzbvO4AIVhP_jBx0fFQt8EAAYASAAEgKvpvD_BwE.

“Women, Infants and Children (WIC).” Food and Nutrition Service, www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-eligibility-requirements.

Yuelian Sun, et al., "Induced Abortion and Risk of Subsequent Miscarriage," International Journal of Epidemiology, June 2003 https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/32/3/449/637113