April Ma

Mr. Geist
HELA 10
19 February 2016
America the Mediocre
America- the worlds greatest country- is recognized by its love for democracy, freedom of
expression, and fun. However, when one really examines the people and the policies of this great
nation, America is far from a utopia. Immigrants come to America to escape the oppression of
their own countries or to advance to newer, freer things. But written in superscript at the bottom
of that contract, freedom is simply a mirage. Basic human rights like choosing to control ones
own body are considered an infringement upon religion- for example, abortions. And despite
any of George Washingtons religious counterparts: Banning abortions is counterproductive,
inhumane, and heartless.
Banning abortions is illogical and counterintuitive- it wont stop abortions from happening.
There is empirical evidence that if the law says something, a substantial amount of people wont
follow it. For example, crime in America is illegal, but people still commit crimes, the way even
if a woman needs/wants an abortion, she will find a way to do it illegally. Drugs like heroine are
banned, but people still receive or distribute them (OBOS). This risks illegal abortions. Using the
previous example, drugs are illegal, yet there are thousands of drug smuggling rings, which are
far more dangerous than receiving medical doses. If abortions MUST be performed despite the
conflicting legalities, they will be performed illegally, and like illegal drug smuggling rings, will
be much more dangerous. Those illegal abortions have proven to have used unsterile instruments,
unsafe environments for women, and much higher risks of dangerous diseases or bad side

effects (OBOS). Illegal abortions further contradict the whole pro-life idea, as a substantial
amount of them result in serious diseases and or death. Banning abortions also prevents women
from being able to choose for themselves. Equality between the sexes is the nations key to
economic, emotional, and ethical success (OBOS)! Even if the federal government does ban
abortion in the United States, that legislature will be circumvented, as can be shown through
empirical evidence. When other countries envision the United States, they imagine a powerful
and good government- the fact that pregnant women are able to avoid the law will not be good
for the American self-image.
Furthermore, people say that abortions are unethical. Pro-Lifers believe that abortions kill babies,
that the people who decide to get one/those who perform them are murderers. God has blessed
you with a gift. To kill is it a mockery of His word (Robinson). Whether abortion can be
considered murder is dependent on the individual, however, scientifically, it is not. People
believe that the fetus itself is a living human being and that an abortion kills it, which is therefore
murder. However, fetuses arent alive. Before the first trimester is over, in a womans womb is
not a fetus, but simply a bundle of undeveloped cells. Unless the person believes that the term
human to include that of the unborn, then abortion is murder. Even if such a belief is perpetuated
and based upon a religion, it still should not be made into federal law, as state and church should
be separate (Sjoberg). To continue the point, unwanted pregnancies are a burden to the women
who dont want them. They are usually very unhappy and refer to the fetus as an it, much less
a human. Human life is living independently, and fetuses cannot exist without the carrier,
therefore cannot be considered fully a human life (Arthur). Women who need/want an abortion
but cannot obtain it are in danger because their bodies may not be prepared or to nurse a baby.
This results in a high risk of miscarriage, which often times results in the inability to get pregnant

again. This also risks the mother dying during childbirth, and to have a high threat of
cervical/ovarian cancer, which is also one of the leading causes of death in women. How can one
consider themselves to be pro-life if they save a life by also taking one? If people are truly
pro-life, not only must value the life of the unborn but they must value the life of the woman
carrying it. Those same people who oppose abortion may believe, however, that even though a
woman may decide what she/they want to do with their body, they should not be able to decide
the other humans life. If that is the standing argument for that stance, then the government, or
anyone else, does not get to decide either. That ideology essentially advocates that the fetus
should decide for itself. Neither of those options stand morally- a woman, under no circumstance
should be told what to do with their body. The fetus is in their womb, in their bodies, so they get
to decide what to do.
Usually when women request abortions for themselves, they do not wish to have the child for
income/health reasons. Those who oppose abortion claim that it [abortion] is not pro-family, and
to keep the child instead. However, this claim is a conflict of interest. How can one be pro-family
when a mother is raising an unwanted child in a financially or emotionally unstable home? What
kind of family bond can come from such disparity? When people wish to have a child that means
they are ready to accept that child into the world with loving and plentiful arms. When a child is
not wished for, they continually stress themselves over trying to find a way to abort the fetus.
This stress hormone is called cortisol, and excessive amounts of it can cause damage to the
baby (NCBI). And although pro-lifers suggest adoption as an option, it is shown statistically that
adoption centers barely receive substantially enough visitors to even adopt a fraction of the
children they shelter (Marr). Foster care is an even more unreliable program, and often hosts
children in unsafe or unstable environments, thusly raising harvesting that emotional distraught

into mental deterioration (Teo). The question of foster care boils down to this: Would one rather
raise a sociopath or nothing at all? Foster homes are not good for children. It may seem as
though foster case is the option for an unwanted child, however, foster care is a terrible program.
Its proven to mistreat children and leave them emotionally/mentally scarred. People often
choose to abort their baby because the child is unable to enter a safe and stable home. The
parents/parent of the child probably cannot pay for themselves, let alone a child. And because
America thinks maternity leave is ridiculous, the mother will probably be laid off and unable to
earn money to take care of herself and her child. In another scenario, if a woman is impregnated
through rape, abortion must be federally legalized because when she/they have been so brutally
violated and assaulted and out of control of their own body, the least the government can morally
do is to allow them to get rid of such a horrid memory. Imagine a young lady- forcibly
impregnated, traumatically scarred, haunted by the memory of such a terrifying experience and
afraid to approach any man- being forced to live with the reminder of said experience for nine
months. This type of emotional torture is not the democracy America should be advocating.
The right to legal abortion in America is extremely crucial and should be a given. Why does this
country worry about personal health choices, when they should be worried about Iran violating
its nuclear sanctions, or about racism in America? People who choose the Pro-life epistemology
want to save the unborn, until the after birth when the person is black, Latino, Muslim, female,
gay, etc., which essentially represents the idea that their lives before birth matter more than their
lives now. Legal abortions has far more pros over cons, and the fact that America is still debating
this issue on the prime basis of religion is ridiculous, considering that America adopts the
concept of state and church to be separate. Abortion is ethical and empathetic towards mothers
and families, and banning it is cruel, illogical, and inhumane. This is no longer America the

Great, this is America the Mediocre.

Works Cited
Robinson, Thomas. "Moral Philosophies: Abortion." BBC News. BBC. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
"Abortion Is Good For Everyone.." Wonkette. Web. 19 Feb.
2016.http://wonkette.com/592834/abortion-is-good-for-everyone.
"Every Reason for an Abortion Is a Good Reason." RH Reality Check- Our Bodies, Ourselves.
2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2016. http://rhrealitycheck.com/article/2013/07/15/every-reason-for-anabortion-is-a-good-reason/.
Arthur, Joshua. "What Happens to Women Who Are Denied Abortions?" The New York Times.
The New York Times, 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.