Opinion: Abortion is an Inalienable Right

Human rights are not something we can just strip away. As a female, the possibility of my rights to my own body being taken away from me is horrific. Banning abortion causes so much more harm than good and puts women in a situation of fear. Putting young mothers, unhealthy mothers, or women who simply do not want a child, in a position where they must have that child can be fatal to the mother. When states say “no exceptions”, they mean it. Even in the case of rape or incest, abortion is still illegal. That means, say, a 10-year-old is raped and becomes pregnant. That child will have to give birth and care for that baby. This reduces the quality of life for the baby and the mother. It isn’t legal for a minor to adopt a child because they are not responsible enough or well-equipped to be a parent. So why let these same children not only give birth but have to become a parent? Restricting abortions does not decrease the number of abortions, it only increases the number of casualties from back-alley abortions. It’s sickening to think that if someone is raped, they are forced to bear that child. Pregnancy is not always a choice for women. One out of every six women has been raped in her lifetime. And a percentage of those women fall pregnant. Three in ten girls in the U.S. experience teen pregnancy. Teens are not allowed to adopt, so why would they be allowed to raise a child?

Some women are not medically able or financially stable enough to have a child. Why should they have to? And some women simply don’t want children. Shouldn’t they have the right to choose? Researchers have concluded that maternal deaths will increase by about 30% if abortion is banned. If your argument is pro-life, does that mean the mother’s life is irrelevant? And why should men, who aren’t even capable of carrying a child, have the biggest say in the matter? Needless to say, we as women and allies must band together to fight for the rights to our own bodies and safety. We will not stop until we get the rights we deserve.

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