Espari 1

Tara Espari
Mr. Davis
Government
26 October 2016
Making Abortion More Accessible
Abortion has been among the many top disputes of all time among womens rights
regarding their bodies. There are various amounts of possible disagreements having to do with
abortion. It can be one of the most suitable actions to take under many circumstances. Woman
should not feel penalized for desiring to have an abortion if it suits them in the situations they
may be in. It is most likely a womans decision to become pregnant and have a child, therefore, it
should also be possible to have the option to have an abortion if she is either not physically or
mentally ready, or if the birth was unprepared for. Abortion should be more accessible in all 50
states of the US by funding more clinics applicable to all classes of citizens in order to decrease
the number of unsafe abortions due to financial issues, to decrease the number of children
brought up in poor and neglected homes to families who were unprepared, and to give women
more accessibility to the procedure in cases regarding health issues which may affect either the
mother or child.
Woman receive unsafe abortions most likely due to financial problems. Often, areas may
not offer the procedure to patients because of certain insurance policies, or if one patients case is
not as urgent as other possible cases. Abortion is truly inaccessible for many women living in
regions that lack trained abortion providers. One study estimates 24% of women having
abortions travel 50 miles or more for services (Medical Students for Choice). This may cause
women to follow through with unsafe abortions with unsuitable tools because it was a closer, and
much easier option. Every year worldwide, about 42 million women with unintended
pregnancies choose abortion, and nearly half of these procedures, 20 million, are unsafe. Some
68,000 women die of unsafe abortion annually, making it one of the leading causes of maternal
mortality (13%) (Haddad). Many more health problems, even possibly death, occur due to
unsafe abortions which can be prevented by ensuring that abortion clinics support abortion and
offer support to any citizens in need, despite their financial class. Another possible outcome not
only for the women, but for the caregiver as well would be embarrassment of their practice. The

Espari 2

medical profession must have felt embarrassed and humiliated by the disclosures (Reagan 57).
Many physicians had their licenses suspended for performing illegal abortions.
Many young women may not be financially ready and prepared to care for a child of their
own whether their parents or legal guardians are supporting them. It can be better for society to
have babies aborted than have them brought up poor and neglected, where not only will the child
suffer, but society as well when the child develops a higher attraction to crime, welfare, etc.
(Messerli). It would be adolescent for a mother to desire to bring up a child in an environment
where she knows the child will not grow up healthy or happy, which in that case may cause the
child to grow up suffering. Giving poor parents better control over their reproduction would
enable more families to remain intact and would decrease the numbers of mothers with
dependent children to be forced into poverty and welfare dependency (Schwartz). This puts into
words how if families with financial disadvantages were offered better or even the same services
as upper class families, it would decrease the rate of children being brought up into penury and
hardships. Even if families are not offered 100% covered procedures, different methods of
abortion are offered depending on a womans health or preference (Choosing Abortion). This
way, there are still cheaper, yet safe, ways to receive abortions.
A possibility for a mother desiring to have the procedure done may be due to the result of
rape or incest. As stated on Medline Plus, Abortions may take place due to the mother or childs
health related issues involving rape (White). Many women may not want a child after having
gone through that tragedy due to the possibility of recurring thoughts after giving birth to the
infant. As a woman explained that she got pregnant with a man she had just met and was not able
to support the baby, she stated that The risks of my child being unhealthy coupled with the fact
that I may not be around when the child graduated high school gave me no choice. I had always
been against it in the past and was very judgmental against others who had abortions. I now
understand how these women felt. I will never judge again (Susan). When people say they are
fully against abortion, they may not think about how they may be affected if they were put into
situation like Susans or anyone else having an abortion. Womens health may be at risk as well
as explained, In some cases, a woman must have an abortion to survive a pregnancy. An
example is the diabetic woman who develops a condition in pregnancy called hyperemesis
gravidarum (uncontrollable vomiting associated with pregnancy). She becomes malnourished
and dehydrated in spite of intravenous therapy and other treatment, threatening heart failure,

Espari 3

among other things. Only an abortion will cure this life-threatening condition (Reasons For
Abortions). Some woman may not have any other choice besides abortion in order to survive,
which makes the procedure necessary.
Although there may be a few downsides to abortions, one of the top cons may be that
they will be taken advantage of. As mentioned in Sex Info Online, if abortions are
unconditionally accepted by society and easily obtainable, people would use them as a regular
form of birth control (For and Against Abortions). If minors can get the fee waived for not
having an income and parents or guardians who will not pay for the procedure, they may look at
it as an advantage and be able to use it as a for of birth control which would defeat the purpose of
it being taken seriously. Out of a majority of women who have abortions "Approximately 10
percent of women undergoing induced abortion suffer from immediate complications, of which
one-fifth were considered major (Condado). Many abortion patients have the risk of suffering
from complications whether they are physical or emotional.
By ensuring that abortion would be more accessible in all 50 states of the US by funding
more clinics applicable to all classes of citizens, there would most likely be a decrease the
number of unsafe abortions due to financial issues, a decrease in the number of children brought
up in poor and neglected homes to families who are unprepared or not physically ready for a
child, and to give women more accessibility to the procedure in cases regarding health issues
whether it is for the mother or the child. Many people may say that abortion is throwing away a
life of a person that may have had potential and may have found the cure for cancer, but at the
same time, that child can turn out to be anything as low as a mass murderer and the chances are
the same for both possible outcomes. A woman should have the option to decide whether she can
emotionally, physically, and financially support a child on her own, because afterall, she is the
woman who brings them into this world and would raise them.

Works Cited
Reagan, Leslie J. When Abortion Was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law in the United
States, 1867-1973. Berkeley: U of California, 1997. Print.
"For and Against Abortion." Sex Info Online. N.p., 10 June 2014. Web. 07 Sept.
2016. <http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/article/arguments-and-against-

Espari 4

abortion/>.
Haddad, Lisa B., and Nawal Nour M. "Unsafe Abortion." Reviews in Obstetrics and
Gynecology. MedReviews, LLC, 2009. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. <http://www.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2709326//>.
Schwartz, Richard A. "The Social Effects of Legal Abortion." 92.10 (1972): 1331-335.
Web. 08 Sept. 2016. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC
1530462/pdf/amjph00732-0021.pdf/>.
White, Cynthia D, Dr. "Abortion." Medline Plus. A.D.A.M., 16 Nov. 2014. Web. 17 Sept.
2016. <https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002912.htm/>.
"Choosing Abortion." CSULB-Health Resource. N.p., Aug. 2012. Web. 17 Sept.
2016. <http://web.csulb.edu/divisions/students/hrc/health_topics/abortion.
htm/>.
Condado, Anakaren. "Pros and Cons." Diginet Xpress. N.p., 15 Nov. 2011. Web. 17 Oct.
2016. <http://swc2.hccs.edu/proberts/diginetxpress/fall2011/health/condado.
xml>.
"Medical Students For Choice." Quick Facts on Abortion. Henshaw SK, n.d. Web. 18
Sept. 2016. <https://www.med.unc.edu/msfc/quick-facts-on-abortion/>.
Messerli, Joe. "Should Abortion Be Banned?" BalancedPolitics.org. N.p., 07 Jan. 2012.
Web. 08 Sept. 2016. <http://www.balancedpolitics.org/abortion.htm/>.
"Reasons For Abortions." Family, Women, and Pregnancy. N.p., 2016. Web. 17 Oct.
2016. <http://family.jrank.org/pages/2/Abortion-Reasons-Abortions.html>.
Susan. "Abortion Decisions: Many Voices. Many Choices." Abortion Decisions: Many Voices.
Many Choices. N.p., 2009. Web. 17 Oct. 2016. <http://www.fwhc.
org/stories/story18.htm>.