Hailee Riker

English 101 Section 18

Mr. Maslonka
May 4, 2015

Women should have the right to terminate a pregnancy

As humans, we all feel like we have control of our own bodies, and that is true in a sense.
Unless, of course, youre a woman. Women, unfortunately, are policed by the government when
they want to get an abortion. Some states are more strict than others with their rules and
stipulations, but no matter how lax the states rules are on it, our bodies are still being controlled
by what the government thinks is right. While there are certain situations where abortions are
unacceptable, it still stands that a woman should have the right to choose.
According to AmericanPregnancy.org the latest you can get an abortion that isnt a late
term abortion (or an abortion that is preformed in your third trimester and is illegal in many
states unless the mothers life is at risk) is an abortion that is performed while youre twentyfour weeks pregnant and in your second trimester. Abortions performed in your first trimester
can usually be terminated by way of a pill such as the morning after pill. Any abortions after
your first trimester require a surgical abortion. This information is extremely important because
there is a fine line between when it is acceptable to get an abortion and when the abortion may be
dangerous to both you and your baby.
Woman have only had the right to vote since 1920, and with the Roe vs. Wade decision in
1973 women finally got the right to choose. That is a gap of fifty-three years between those two
decisions, which is almost sad to think about, that since the Great United States was forged (or

stolen, same difference) that women have only had the rights to their own bodies for 42 years.
Even to this day, though, people look down and judge women who choose to get abortions for
purely religious reasons, stating that no matter how far along you are that youre killing a
precious human life with a soul inside of you. Not that theres anything wrong with believing in a
higher power or having your own set of morals, but if its not your body, its not your business.
There are a lot of false claims about abortions and how dangerous they are to women.
According to Abortion.Procon.org A woman's risk of dying from having an abortion is 0.6 in
100,000, while the risk of dying from giving birth is around 14 times higher (8.8 in 100,000).The
mortality rate of a colonoscopy is more than 40 times greater than that of an abortion. Another
interesting factoid about abortions is that while people claim that some women are stupid and
dont use protection and just get abortions because they can, only 9.3% of women who get
abortions have had previous abortions, while the other 89.7% are first-timers. Its important
when researching whether youre pro or anti abortion that you get the real facts instead of
spewing falsities.
While some people claim that women who get abortions are more likely to suffer from
domestic abuse, its actually the opposite. According to Alternet.org, [W]omen denied abortion
were more likely to be receiving public assistance (76% vs. 44%) and have household income
below the FPL [Federal Poverty Level] (67% vs. 56%) than women who received an abortion.
The proportion of women denied an abortion who were working full time was lower than among
women who received an abortion (48% vs. 58%).. This research is interesting because not only
are women susceptible to abuse but also, women denied abortions because they cant afford them
wont be able to take proper care of their unwanted child. Republicans seem to care a lot about
the fetus when it is in the womb but as soon as its out they turn a blind eye and judge you for

wasting their tax money on food stamps or other government assistance needed to take care of a
child that was not wanted.
One of the most important arguments about making abortions both affordable and
accessible is that no matter what stipulations the government puts on women who want to
terminate their pregnancy, they will do it no matter what. Thinkprogress.org claims that,
According to the Guttmacher Institute complications from unsafe abortions in the developing
world contribute to 47,000 preventable deaths each year.. It is so important that women have
somewhere safe to go to get an abortion because if that is not available to them they will find
another, more unsafe way to terminate their pregnancy which could possibly cost them their life.
Abortion is a tough subject to tackle but it important to look at it subjectively and realize
that there are a lot of responsibilities that come with raising a child. A lot of women who choose
to abort choose to do so because theyre not financially stable at the moment and do not want to
put a child through having to either live in poverty or get passed through foster care until they are
kicked out when they turn 18 years old. At the end of the day, a group of old men in stuffy suits
should not be responsible to make the decision for millions of women in the United States on
whether or not they have rights to their own bodies.

Annotated Bibliography:
1. http://americanpregnancy.org/unplanned-pregnancy/abortion-procedures/
This website basically holds all the information you need to know about when abortion
procedures can be performed.

Abortion: What Abortion Procedures Are Used During The First Trimester? In most
cases, you will have a choice between medical or surgical abortion procedures during the first
trimester. Medical abortions are only available up through nine weeks gestation.
What Abortion Procedures Are Used During The Second Trimester?
Medication based abortion procedures are not an option during the second trimester.
What Abortion Procedures Are Used During The Third Trimester?
Third trimester or late term abortions are not legal in a number of states except in certain
medical situations. The time frame referred to as late term is often based on when a baby is
considered viable ( meaning able to survive outside the womb). However, the point of
viability is a grey area in many medical communities. Most medical communities establish 24
weeks gestation, the later part of the second trimester, as the earliest time of viabilty. Therefore,
the availability of any procedure used in the third trimester is based on the laws of that state.
2. http://healthcare.findlaw.com/patient-rights/how-did-abortion-become-legal.html
A summary of when and how abortion became legal.
Roe v. Wade
Federal law has protected a woman's right to choose an abortion since the U.S. Supreme
Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.
3. http://abortion.procon.org/
a page with many good arguments about abortion and a womans right to choose.
A woman's risk of dying from having an abortion is 0.6 in 100,000, while the risk of
dying from giving birth is around 14 times higher (8.8 in 100,000).The mortality rate of a
colonoscopy is more than 40 times greater than that of an abortion

9.3% of abortions reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2011
were undergone by women who had three or more previous abortions.

4. http://www.alternet.org/study-women-denied-abortions-more-likely-suffer-domesticviolence-and-be-public-assistance

A page dedicated to the study that women denied abortions are more likely to suffer
domestic violence AND be on public assistance.

[W]omen denied abortion were more likely to be receiving public assistance (76% vs.
44%) and have household income below the FPL [Federal Poverty Level] (67% vs. 56%) than
women who received an abortion. The proportion of women denied an abortion who were
working full time was lower than among women who received an abortion (48% vs. 58%).
5. http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/10/04/963901/47000-women-die-each-year-fromunsafe-abortions/
This article talks about how if abortions are denied to women, they may possibly decide
to get one anyway in any possible way that they can.
According to the Guttmacher Institute complications from unsafe abortions in the
developing world contribute to 47,000 preventable deaths each year.