Britt, Leckey 1

Kylie Britt
Maria Leckey
Dr. Crotteau J2
9 December 2014
Pro-Choice for Teenagers
The process of removing a fetus during a pregnancy, called abortion, is a very touchy subject in
the United States today. Abortion, which poses a way out of pregnancy, is becoming a more popular
treatment in the case of teen pregnancy. The process of abortion is not only safe, but also economically
viable. Teenage girls are often not prepared to face the challenges that come with unwanted pregnancies,
and having abortion as an option gives the young woman at hand something to fall back on. Abortion
clinics should always be accessible to teenagers in need.
Abortion is safer than giving birth, and is particularly invaluable when a womans life/health is at
stake. An abortion can be performed two ways: Either through an in-clinic procedure, or with a pill. The
medication abortion is a pill that is taken up to nine weeks after the womans last menstruation cycle. It is
97% effective, and costs from $300 to $600 dollars. The in-clinic abortion is either aspiration (which
takes place before 16 weeks after a womans last period) or dilation and evacuation, a process more
commonly used after 16 weeks of the pregnancy (Teen Abortion Statistics). This process is nearly
100% successful, and the price ranges from $300 to $1700 when completed in the first trimester. It is
unknown which of these methods is preferred among teenagers, when and if they dont choose giving
birth.
Approximately 3 in 10 women become pregnant before the age of twenty.( "Teenage Abortion

Statistics). That figure is larger in urban, inner-city areas, and smaller in more rural regions. Abortions
are currently legal in all 50 states, which allows pregnant women of all ages to have a safe method of
terminating the pregnancy. In Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Washington D.C., over half of

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all pregnancies end in abortion. Though that statistic may be staggering, it brings to light the fact that
many pregnancies today are unplanned and unwanted.
A womans body is forever changed after giving birth. Temporary aspects include post-natal
bleeding, which has been described as a heavy period for up to six weeks, immediately after the birth. It
may take six weeks to nine months to achieve the pre-baby body that many mothers look forward to. It
has been reported that hair thins after birth and that breasts are smaller and tend to sag. The vagina, or
birth canal, has been stretched so it may feel wider, dryer, and sore for years after giving birth ( Loney,

2013). If the birthing experience was particularly difficult, the doctors may have performed an
episiotomy, which is a surgical incision between the vagina and anus to make a wider birth canal, though
many women tear naturally. Repairing the body after a vaginal tear can take months, and a woman may
feel like her body is never quite the same. These changes, often permanent, can make a huge difference in
the lives of women. A mature woman might be able to handle these better than a girl in her teens, whose
body isnt even fully developed.
Besides the physical effects of giving birth, there are many mental changes a woman must be
prepared to go through before, during, and after pregnancy. Postpartum depression affects one in eight
women, and can occur immediately after the birth. This makes it difficult for mothers to care for their
children, as they are suffering from depression. Teen moms are more likely to have severe postpartum
depression when compared to older women. Another illness, psychosis, is a rare mental disease whose
symptoms including hallucinations and paranoia, and, in rare cases, can lead to infanticide or suicide.
Teen mothers may experience these illnesses, or variations thereof, which can include extreme anxiety,
detachment, and hopelessness. Mental illnesses are not always the case after giving birth--many mothers
feel extremely happy and joyful when their child is born. But in the case of teenage pregnancies, when the
child is often not wanted, birth can leave the young woman at hand traumatized and unprepared to face
these inevitable changes. A womans mind, and even outlook on life, is never the same after having a
baby.

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According to CNN financial specialists, it takes an average of $241,080 to raise a child until the
age of 18, without including the cost of college (Hicken, 2013). This price may seem staggering, but to a
teenager who doesnt have a steady job or other source of income, this can be nearly impossible to
overcome. Teen mothers often feel overwhelmed by these daunting figures, or are uneducated about the
price of raising a child. Paying for the proper equipment and personnel when delivering a child costs
$9,600, and with a C-section the price leaps to $15,800. The average cost of an abortion in the United
States is less than $500. Besides the monetary effects on the individual, a pregnancy can have greater
effects on the economy as a whole.
The vast number of teen pregnancies has exposed the social and economic costs of the issue. With
a rate of teen pregnancy as high as 67.8 per hundred girls , it costs taxpayers an average of $10.9 million
dollars a year in child support and public assistance payments (Trends in Teen Pregnancies). Since
abortions were legalized in the United States in 1973, their rate has steadily decreased, and is currently at
its lowest--59% percent lower than its peak in 1988. This current rate is most likely due to the availability
of contraception/birth control, but may partly be because of the sudden spike in pro-life intervention.
Many pro-life organizations, while boasting of having a foundation in religion and ethics, have
been known to spread false information to young mothers to inhibit their having abortions. Some create a
false sense of fear in the woman at hand, playing toward her sense of spiritual awareness and touching
repeatedly on the fact that she is killing a child of God. Pro-life centers/organizations, commonly
known as Crisis Pregnancy Centers in North America, have been exposed for posing as fake clinics and
biased counseling centers for women seeking abortions. They have proceeded to feed women unsupported
data about abortion, including that it causes a higher chance of breast cancer later in life, and also that,
once a woman has an abortion, she is unable to conceive children later in life. These statements are
simply lies, backed with zero facts and fueled by unwarranted fear.
Since women are on the receiving end of these tales, abortions are widely regarded as the wrong
decision, or not even a viable option. Teenagers then do not receive valid information on where to have a

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safe, clean abortion performed. Sexual education in schools fail to explain the availability of these
procedures or even offer them as an option. To inform teenagers about where to go if an abortion is
needed would not be encouraging abortion itself. Without education about where or how to have a safe
abortion, desperate pregnant women may resort to a self-induced abortion--particularly if abortion clinics
are not available to them.
Throughout history, women have terminated their pregnancies without any proper medical
assistance. Methods have included throwing oneself down a flight of stairs, self-induced hypothermia,
and the removal of fetus by coat hanger, the latter of which has become a symbol for the pro-choice
movement, reminding all of the dangers of home abortions. The number of self-induced abortions is on
the rise, according to a number of scholarly articles about this topic ( Honigman, et al., 1993).
Part of what pushes for home abortions is a current rise in hostility amongst religious
organizations toward the procedure. Pro-life Americans tend to be this way because of their religion. The
religious side of the abortion debate is traced to this question: Is a fetus a human being? Because the Ten
Commandments from the Christian Bible states Thou shalt not kill, this issue seems straightforward to
many. But regardless of the fetus being considered a human, there is a separation of church and state in
the United States, which allows any person to practice their religion without forcing their beliefs on
others. To restrict the access to a medical procedure like abortion for the sake of religion is to infringe
upon the rights of women. And though the Bible says pre-marital sex is a crime, todays legislature does
not allow the stoning of sexually active, unmarried teens. This country was founded upon the idea of
secularism so that everyone may feel free to practice their religion, but also so a persons rights may not
be hindered by the former.
When womens bodies are regulated by the government, they are given a sense of inferiority.
Whether or not to have an abortion should be the womans decision, because she is the one who knows
her body the best. Its not illegal for a woman to receive a ovariohysterectomy (a procedure to remove all
ovaries from the uterus), and this operation makes it impossible for a woman to ever bear a child again--

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so, why should any woman ever be questioned about whether or not she wants to give birth? Even a
pregnant teenager should have the right to control her body. Abortion clinics should therefore always be
accessible to pregnant teenagers in need.

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Works Cited

Curtin, Sally. "Reproductive Health." Teenage Pregnancy/Unwanted Pregnancy (2013):

n.pag.Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 8 Jan 2014.
<http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/data_stats/>.
"Teenage Abortion Statistics." Teen Pregnancy Statistics. Teen Pregnancy Help, Treatment, and
Counseling, n.d. Web. 9 Jan 2014. <http://www.teenpregnancystatistics.org/content/teenageabortion-statistics.html>.
Hicken, Melanie. "Average cost to raise a kid: $241,080."CNN Money. Cable News Network, 14
Aug 2013. Web. 6 Jan 2014. <http://money.cnn.com/2013/08/14/pf/cost-children/>.
"Trends in Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing." Office of Adolescent Health. Office of Adolescent
Health, 20 Dec 2013. Web. 9 Jan 2014. <http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-healthtopics/reproductive-health/teen-pregnancy/trends.html>
Honigman, B, G Davila, and J Petersen. "Reemergence of self-induced abortions.." J Emerg.
Med. . National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, n.d. Web. 5 Jan 2014.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8445179>.

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion-4260.asp
http://www.prochoiceactionnetwork-canada.org/abortioninfo/teens.shtml
http://www.prochoiceactionnetwork-canada.org/Exposing-CPCs-in-BC.pdf

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Formal Outline - Pro Choice for Teenagers

Thesis: Abortion clinics should be accessible to teenagers in need.

I. Its an effective and safe process.
a) Its one of the safest and most basic of procedures; advanced instruments are not
needed, only a legitimate doctor.
b) Abortion is safer than giving birth, particularly to women whose lives/health are at risk
when carrying a child.
II. Many pregnancies today are unwanted and unplanned.
a) A womans body is forever changed after giving birth.
b) 3 in 10 pregnancies in inner city areas end in abortion.
III. The costs of raising a child are high.
a) Many teens are not in a position to support the child financially.
b) The parents of the teenager often end up having to support the child, becoming
grandparents long before their time.
IV. If abortion is unavailable to teenagers, some will continue to do whatever it takes to abort the
child.
a) Many teens do not know where to go for help because proper information isnt
provided.
b) Home abortions are becoming more common among suppressed teenagers.
V. Religion is the counter argument when it comes to abortion.

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a) There is a separation of church and state--the right to an abortion is a matter of state.
b) The woman in question should always have control over her body, and should know
whether or not an abortion is right for her.
c) The ethics of aborting a child are often involved.
VI. Some pro-life organizations expel false information about the dangers of abortion.
a) They create a false sense of fear in the woman at hand, playing towards her ethics.
b) They proceed to feed women unsupported data about abortion, including that it causes
a higher chance of breast cancer later in life, and also that, once a woman an abortion, she
is unable to conceive children later in life.
c) There is a misconception that pro-choice means pro-abortion, which is inaccurate.
If a person supports womens rights, including the right to control her body, then he or
she shouldnt stand in her way when she wishes to do so.
Syllogism:
Pregnant teenagers need the option of an abortion clinic.
Abortion clinics are not accessible to pregnant teens.
Therefore, abortion clinics should be accessible to pregnant teens.

Toulmin Method:
Data: All data is included in the works cited page. One main point includes that 3 in 10
pregnancies in inner city areas result in abortion (many abortions are unwanted).
Claim: Pregnant Teenagers should be able to get abortions, and the information to do so should
be provided to them.
Warrant: Teen pregnancy, especially the lack of information provided to teens about birth control

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and pregnancies, is an issue that must be addressed.