Loma 1 Maria Loma Kristen Foster CO150.

401 November 22, 2013 Academic Argument for Abortion When someone brings up the topic of abortion, its like a battle ground. It may start out very calmly but sooner or later it gets aggressive. There will always be three groups: those against it, those for it, and the ones who are neutral or undecided. They would argue how its murder or how its better for everyone in the situation, but does anyone consider the fact of how much abortion is or how safe it actually is? Or for that matter, how many abortion clinics there is? Women across America dont have the resources to get an abortion. They either dont have the money or they are nowhere near an abortion clinic. In that case, many would decide to cause a miscarriage or get an illegal procedure. Women should not be denied the right to have an abortion. In fact, they should have access to safer and fair price clinics. Women should have the right to get an abortion. By denying them the right to get an abortion it will lead to an unwanted child. Amy Richards, one of the many woman who decided to get an abortion, the only guilt she would ever have is having an unwanted child. (Baumgardner, 103) Diana, an unwanted child, describes her situation and points out that her father never wanted her. Every chance he had to remind her, he would and every single time the words hurt more and more. (Huet de Guerville, 111) Diana states that she was convinced that she [her mother] had made a mistake by dragging me into a world where I didnt belong. In this situation the father didnt want the child, but the same situation can happen and the mother would be the one who does not want the child. How can we live in world where a child does not

Loma 2 feel like they belong and is constantly reminded? Or in a world where the mother cannot afford to bring in a child? Florence Rice, a single mother in the 1930s, made only $12.41 a week and found out that she was pregnant once again. (Baumgardner, 76) She knew she could not do it on her own with already one kid, so she decided to get an abortion. Also, one may say that they are against abortion, but once they have to choose between abortion and giving birth, they might change their minds. Robin Ringleka, a woman brave enough to tell her story, was always against abortion. She even attended pro-life march in Memphis. (Baumgardner, 120) Years later, she found out she was pregnant and called an adoption agency. (122) After being denied by the agency, she knew she could not do it on her own and had no other option but to get an abortion. (123) Gillian Aldrich had a similar situation. When she was younger, she found out that her mother had an abortion and Gillian was furious. That moment is when she decided to be pro-life. (98) The moment she got pregnant she didnt know what to do. Gillian states that having the baby would destroy the relationship she had by him staying in the job he hates to get through. No one wants to be miserable in a relationship no matter the situation. So she decided to get an abortion and years later had a child. (100) Just because a woman has an abortion, it does not mean that she never wants children. After searching abortion clinics on Google maps, most are along the coast, not so much in the middle of the country. Which means that if a woman needs an abortion and are nowhere near one, they will have to take a road trip. When a woman cannot afford to go to take a road trip and get an abortion, they decided to cause a miscarriage. Marlene Gerber Fried, the co-chair of the National Network of Abortion Funds, states that they receive many desperate stories. For example, a 14 year old asked her boyfriend to kick her and push her down the stairs. Also, a 17 year old drank rubbing alcohol to cause a miscarriage. (Fried, 77) To stop women from hurting

Loma 3 themselves, we should build more abortion clinics within a 20 mile radius of every city and town. As for the states along the coast who already have enough clinics, they should focus on making abortion affordable. Making abortion affordable would lead to more legal procedures and less illegal procedures. An illegal procedure can cost $250 or less. (Wilberg, par. 6) The legal procedure can range somewhere from $300-$1,700 while the abortion pill is somewhere from $300 to $800. (plannedparenthoood.com) Only 14% of all abortions are paid with public funds from the state. (abort73.com) The fact that an illegal procedure is cheaper, women will go with the one they can afford. The issue with this is that 5,000 women died annually from an illegal abortion. (The Abortion) Making legal abortion affordable will save someones child, sister, girlfriend, or best friends life. By expanding the location of abortion clinics and making them affordable, we should also make them safer. Every single illegal abortion is unsafe, (prochoice.org) but a legal abortion can also be unsafe. Since 1973, 400 women have died from a legal abortion. (OBannon) In 2008 alone, 12 women died from complications of a legal procedure. (abort73.com) One way to prevent women from dying is to allow them to get an abortion in the first trimester. If a woman has a late term abortion, 1 out of 50 will suffer serious consequences such as death. Another way to solve this problem is to have more doctors who are willing to perform an abortion. In a survey taken in 2011, only 14% out of 97% physicians were willing to do the procedure while in 2008 it was 22%. (Ertelt, par 2) Another way to make a clinic safer, is to make the patient feel safe and have someone to talk before and after the procedure if needed. About 67% received no counseling by the clinic and 84% felt like they didnt receive proper counseling before the procedure. (Saunders) Going

Loma 4 through a medical procedure like an abortion can take a lot from you, both physically and mentally. Before Gillian had her abortion, she had many questions but no one answered them, instead they decided to knock her out with anesthesia and continue with the abortion. (Baumgardner, 99) Robin began to cry as soon as the doctor walked in the room, this made him mad. She had no choice to hold back the tears and go with the procedure. Luckily for her, there was an assistant who hold her hand and was very reassuring. (123) By having counselors talk to before the procedure will make it easier on the person. Also, it might change their opinion and they wont go through with the procedure. Antiabortionist will argue to seek other alternatives instead of having an abortion, such as adoption. When a woman finds out they are pregnant and they dont want the child, they seek for help. This help is most likely close relatives or friends. About 64% of women fell pressured by others to get an abortion and 79% are not informed about alternatives by the abortion clinic. (Saunders) If the woman does know about the alternatives, they will seek for their help but a few will not receive it. Robin got denied by an adoption agency because she would have had a biracial child. (Baumgardner, 122) Also, most prefer not to put their kid in adoption due to the fact that they confuse it with foster care. (Brown, par. 7) Many adults enter the foster care system to get money from the government. (Par,7) When the soon to be parent put their child up for adoption, they want to make sure their child will go to a family that will give the child everything it would need and love them. Also, antiabortionist will use religion to argue why women should not have an abortion. My friend, a catholic, told me that getting an abortion is killing a child and a sin in her religion. Also, this sin is will never be forgiven, no matter what you do. I responded with the argument that the bible does not mention abortion. Also, in the bible, Genesis 2:7, states that life begins

Loma 5 when you take your first breath. (Freedom, 45) The first time you take a breath is after giving birth. The bible is not against killing babies, in many places, the bible talks about killing babies. For example, like in Hosea 9:14 it states give them miscarrying womb and dry breast. Or in Hosea 13:16 their infants shall be dashed into pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.(47) Many tax paying citizens are afraid that by building more abortion clinics and making them affordable, that they would have to pay more. One solution to this problem is to use the money from the state that is given for abortions. Most states have money for cases of life endangerment, rape and incest or for abortions exceeding federal requirements under Medicaid. (Guttmacher Institute) There are more than 35 health insurance but most or branches off of 18. (insuranceproviders.com) Not all will have money set aside specifically for abortions but a few will. In the end, you may not agree with women having an abortion, but you cannot deny the fact that its still happening all around you. The only difference you can make is to make sure they are safe and get the proper care. No one wants to find how thousands of women die every year due to abortions. Also, by changing abortion clinics and having counselors, the women might change their mind and keep the child after all.

Loma 6 Works cited Abort73.com"Facts About Abortion: U.S. Abortion Statistics." N.p., 21 June 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. Baumgardner, Jennifer. Abortion & Life. New York: Akashic Books, 2008. Print. Brown, Kristi Burton. "Why Do More People Choose Abortion Over Adoption?"LifeNews.com. N.p., 17 May 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Ertelt, Steven. "Fewer Doctors Willing to Do Abortions, New Study Shows." LifeNews.com. N.p., 23 Aug. 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Freedom from Religion Foundation. The Bible Does Not Condemn Abortion. The Abortion Controversy. San Diego: Green Press Inc., 2001. Print. Fried, Marlene Gerber. Abortion is Not Murder. The Abortion Controversy. San Diego: Green Press Inc., 2001. Print. Guttmacher Institute. "State Funding of Abortions Under Medicaid The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation." State Funding of Abortions Under Medicaid. N.p., 1 Sept. 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. Huet de Guerville, Diana. Birth is Not Always Best: Confessions of an Unwanted Child. Aboriton Under Attack Women on The Challenges Facing Choice. Emeryville: Seal Press, 2006. Print. Insuranceproviders.com."How Many Health Insurance Companies Are There in the United States?" Insurance Providers. N.p., 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. Methods of Abortion. plannedparenthood.com. ,n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2013

Loma 7 O'Bannon, Randy. "More Than 400 Women Have Died From Legal Abortions Since 1973." LifeNews.com. N.p., 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. Possible Physical Side Affects.Americanpregnancy.com. N.P. July 2013. Web. Oct. 20, 2013. The Abortion Access Project. "The Impact of Illegal Abortion." A New Edition for a New Era Our Bodies Ourselves. N.p., June 2003. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Saunders, Peter. "Eight Facts Most People Dont Know about Women Having Abortions."LifeSiteNews. N.p., 26 Aug. 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. Wilberg, Jan. "Salon." Saloncom RSS. N.p., 27 Aug. 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2013.