Introduction
The right of choosing abortion is fundamental in making sure a woman is able to decide for herself when and with whom to establish and grow a family. It is important to protect and expand such an essential fundamental human right in the access of safe and quality health care. The landmark 1973 ruling in the Supreme Court in Roe vs. Wade that duly affirmed abortion as being a constitutional right was the commencement of the fight women’s autonomy and equality (Suarez, 2017). The paper demonstrates and supports the importance of pro-choice with regard to abortion considering the health and welfare of both the mother and the unborn baby as a fundamental right.
The concept of pro-choice holds that every individual has the fundamental right of deciding whether and when to have children. Being Pro-choice means that people have the ability of choosing abortion as an option for any pregnancy that is unplanned but this does not mean that if someone holds the pro-choice perspective he or she would choose abortion (Suarez, 2017). Being pro-choice is allowing people to make their own conscious decision whether to go for abortion or not. Making abortion illegal will lead to many unplanned pregnancies to be terminated in unhealthy and precarious conditions. Denying women the right to abortion pushes them to unsafe settings that are unsupervised by existing medical agencies and government.
Safe abortion an only be attained through allowing pro-choice to be the way that allows people to decide their destiny. People who are against abortion are known as pro-life (Goldenberg, 2017). However, in many circumstances pro-life proponents are only concerned with the life of the fertilized egg or embryo but they are not concerned about the life expectant mother, the unintended pregnancies or the wellbeing of the child after it is born (Cioffi et al., 2020). It is important to consider the circumstances that are surrounding both the woman and the child by allowing her to make decisions concerning her life. Unintended pregnancies and conception out of rape necessitates the need of allowing safe abortion to happen in legalized and well equipped medical healthcare facilities under the supervision of trained medical practitioners.
For a long time the fundamental right of choosing abortion has been a subject of controversy and pro-choice proponents have been compelled to defend it over and over since anti-choice agencies and politicians focus on undermining this right until legal abortion is abolished completely (Goldenberg, 2017). There have been many laws that have been legislated restricting the ability of a woman to access abortion care. The laws take many forms that include attempting to outlaw access to abortion care, shutting down clinics, restriction to access basing on income level as well as dictating medical procedures that are available. Anti-choice extremists use dirty tricks in trying to stop women from choosing abortion as option by bring so many hurdles and make abortion inaccessible to a certain clique of the population. Restricting abortion endangers the life of the mother when they resort to look for the same services from unqualified medical practitioners who practice in dark alleys (Suarez, 2017).
When the fundamental right to abortion is endangered, the basic equality of women is denied. It is a fallacy to profess equality in the society if women cannot access the basic right of making decisions for herself as well as her family. In a survey conducted in the USA 7 out of 10 Americans are in support of the right to legal abortion. Pro-choice proponents are trying as hard as possible to ensure that women have a right about their life and destiny (Wayne, 2016). Despite the restrictions that are being raised by anti-choice supporters, it is important to consider the argument of pro-choice particularly when the life of the woman is involved. The argument that women have moral right of making decisions about their bodies is pro-choice and supports gender equality. Right to abortion promotes gender equality since it gives women the right of being autonomous and making decisions about their lives and bodies (Wayne, 2016).
The right to abortion is important for individual women to attain their full potential while making abortion illegal puts the life of women at risk by compelling them to make use of illegal channels of abortion. The right to abortion has to make part of a portfolio of pregnancy rights enabling women to make free choice of whether to keep the pregnancy or terminate it considering the prevailing circumstances like their health, their ability to establish and grow a family; and medical condition surrounding the unborn child (Jelinska & Yanow, 2018). People who support pro-reproductive rights usually oppose laws banning abortion and laws that make abortion to be out of reach such as regulations that shut down health care facilities performing abortion or forcing patients who to go through hoops in order to access the healthcare service. Pro-reproductive people support accessibility to sex education, birth control, care at Planned Parenthood centers as well as other forms of reproductive and sexual health care (Jelinska & Yanow, 2018).
A woman has the legal right to an elective aborting such that he has the right to terminate her pregnancy and this forms part of a wider worldwide abortion-rights movement. The movement is made up of various organizations that have no centralized decision-making body (Wayne, 2016). Pro-choice proponents argue that whether or not a pregnant woman wants to continue with a pregnancy has to be exclusively her personal choice since it concerns her personal health, her body and her destiny or future. Access to safe abortion mitigates exposure of women to risks that are linked with illegal abortions (Suarez, 2017). Abortion-rights supporters frame their argument with regard to reproductive freedom, individual liberty, as well as reproductive rights. Individual liberty comprised of many political movements during the 19th and 20th centuries while reproductive rights and reproductive freedom concerns transforming perspectives regarding sexual freedom as well as bodily integrity. Pro-choice perspective supports the individual liberty and women liberty to make important decision about their lives (Cioffi et al., 2020).
Conclusion
The support for abortion gives women the liberty and autonomy to make important decision about their health and future. An advocate for gender equality cannot purport to be anti-abortion. Rights Movements in the 19th and 20th centuries advocated for individual liberty. Gender equality cannot be fully achieved when women have to right to make important decisions about their bodies, health, life and future. Women have a right to choose the destiny of their lives when they get pregnant and access the option of whether to keep the pregnancy or terminate it in a safe environment. Women have the liberty of making the final decisions about their lives and whether to bring forth the child in a safe environment.
