Globally, abortion remains a highly controversial issue that has sparked legal conflicts across society, raising questions on whether it should be criminalized or decriminalized. According to medical practitioners, abortion is a medical process that consciously leads to the termination of a pregnancy before the fetus is born. (Singh, 2018). Based on this definition, the critics of abortion argue that it is an unethical practice to do since it involves the murder of an innocent living fetus. This has made some nations term it illegal or formulate legislations that make it overly regulated with the objection that it poses legal, ethical, and religious concerns to society. However, others have based their arguments on human rights by arguing that women have a right to safe and legal abortion. The U.S. is one of the countries where Women’s rights to abortion are highly contested. The argument on the legality of abortion is based on the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Roe V. Wade case, which guaranteed women’s rights to abortion within the first twelve weeks of the first trimester. However, when its merits and demerits are weighed, it becomes evident that it harms women, society, and the innocent fetus more than reasonable. Thus, abortion is not a good thing to do. This essay will detail an argument on why abortion is not a good practice within society.
Abortion is an unethical practice because it can result in childbearing complications in the future. Although the supporters of abortion argue that it is a highly safe procedure, studies have revealed that complications do occur. For instance, studies have associated abortion with many childbearing problems, such as secondary infertility, pregnancy complications affecting fetal health, and low birth weight. Secondary infertility is one of the most publicized possible complications of induced abortion. Most studies have found that most women who have undergone induced abortion by dilation and curettage have an increased prevalence of being infertile compared to women who have not been subjected to abortion (Sajadi-Ernazarova and Martinez, 2022). Induced pregnancy makes women vulnerable to infertility by exposing women to pelvic inflammatory disease that affects childbearing. Besides secondary infertility, studies have also associated significant complications such as uterine perforation and damage to adjacent organs such as bladder and cervical lacerations. The incidences of visits to emergency departments based on abortion-related complications are approximately 40% in the U.S.U.S. (Soleimani, 2020). Some of the infections that are associated with abortion are a result of failure to follow the universal precautions before abortion procedures. Also, incomplete evacuation of the products of conception can lead to blood clotting in the uterus, which can lead to overdistention and atony, causing an infection that affects the ability of a woman to conceive a pregnancy. Thus, based on the argument that abortion can lead to childbearing problems, it is evident that abortion is an unethical practice.
Abortion is also considered unethical since it can lead to increased maternal mortality. Although abortion in certain circumstances may entail ending a pregnancy to save the mother’s life, it can equally place the mother at an increased risk of death. Due to fear of stigmatization, most women intending to terminate their pregnancies may prefer doing it in secrecy, exposing them to unsafe abortion practices. According to the World Health Organization, approximately every eight minutes, a woman dies due to complications arising from unsafe abortion practices (Singh, 2018). Some of the abortion-related complications which have been associated with increased maternal mortality are haemorrhage and Sepsis. Besides the death risk, studies have shown that women who have undergone induced abortion pay dearly for pos-abortion complications financially and to their health(Soleimani, 2020). When a mother dies due to abortion, society and family members are left with the burden of incurring the attached costs, such as the cost of caring for the children. Further, the healthcare practitioners who have been terminating the pregnancy may suffer mental torture. Based on the nursing code ethics provisions, healthcare professionals, especially nurses, are mandated to make decisions or help patients make decisions that support optimal care. Failure to which may amount to ethical violations, which can attract legal consequences. The fear of facing these consequences may affect the performance of these professionals, which can even make them quit the profession.
The practice of abortion can also become a burden to the healthcare systems of a country. The burden of unsafe abortion lies on women and the public health systems. According to Soleimani et al. (2020), abortion-related procedures can lead to major economic consequences due to prolonged hospital admissions for patients. Studies have estimated the annual cost incurred during the care of women that have undergone unsafe abortions or have developed post-abortion health-related complications at 333 million dollars in Latin America and 159 million dollars in Africa. Further, the studies have approximated the cost of care in the U.S.U.S. to be 134 million dollars. This indicates that abortion results in an increased economic burden that may amount to the deviation of resources meant for other projects to care for such patients. Also, the financial and logistic impact of abortion economic impact can overwhelm the healthcare system, preventing other patients from receiving appropriate care services. Therefore, abortion should not be condoned within our society.
Also, studies have found that practising abortion can lead to psychological problems such as depression, nightmares, low self-esteem, and guilt. Depression and worrying about being unable to conceive again are the significant psychological consequences that most women who terminate their pregnancies face. According to a study that assessed the psychological impacts of women that have undergone an abortion, losing the ability to conceive again has emerged as a significant concern. The stigma attached to infertility has led to psychological suffering for these women. As a result, most have suffered low self-esteem, which has equally impacted their social life. A study by Reardon (2018) revealed that women often experience sadness, grief, and feeling of loss after they terminate their pregnancies. Sorrow and grief can make mothers who have aborted develop depression, which affects their physical and mental health. Persistent depression can lead to suicidal thoughts and even cause the women to indulge in drug and substance abuse. Unmanageable drug and substance abuse levels can rob these women of their relationships and work life, leading to chronic illnesses. Based on this evidence, there is no doubt that abortion is not a good thing to do.
The supporters of abortion may argue that women have a right to safe and legal abortion based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Roe v. Wade case. Thus, terming abortion an unethical practice within society is simply mocking human rights, threatening women’s right to life and health (Berer and Hoggart, 2019). Also, some may argue that abortion helps eliminate unwanted pregnancies that would have amounted to burdens pregnant women cannot bear. Although their arguments may seem to be lawfully justified, they seem to violate societal norms. Generally, human beings are brought up in a societal setting with the highest respect and value for human life. Based on the conservative argument, terminating a living fetus would disrespect human life. The conservatives view the fetus as a living being from its conception and thus is subject to the right to life from this time. Even though the supporters of abortion regard the fetus as not being human, our society views it as something unique that should not be casually discarded. Therefore, based on societal beliefs, abortion is an unethical practice. Further, human beings have a natural right to life; consequently, the fetus is subject to that right. Thus, terminating it is morally wrong and would disrespect the sanctity of human life. Instead of justifying abortion to eliminate burdens attached to unwanted pregnancies, the involved parties should choose abstinence to prevent such pregnancies. Also, they can avoid unprotected vaginal sex, especially during the most fertile days for women, or resolve to use contraceptives (Singh, 2018). Using contraceptives can prevent unwanted pregnancies and equally solve the dilemma of abortion. Concerning the argument on the right to women’s health and life, abortion should only be permissible if the risk of death is high. This can be appropriate under uncontrollable circumstances beyond the healthcare providers’ capabilities. However, this privilege should be limited to health reasons.
Abortion is not a good practice in society as it creates more harm than good for women. Although it is a legal practice within America following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade case, its practice has been demonstrated to be unethical in society. Women who practice abortion have been associated with childbearing complications such as secondary infertility, which is the inability to conceive a pregnancy. This limits women’s chances to live happily within society and with their spouses. Also, abortion has been associated with increased maternal mortality rates. Although abortion can help save the pregnant woman’s life, it can equally expose the woman to an increased risk of death. Some post-abortion complications such as haemorrhage and Sepsis expose women who have terminated their pregnancies to worsened health conditions and eventually death. The essay has also discussed the economic consequences of abortion on the healthcare systems and women’s families. The post-abortion care costs seem to affect the functioning of the healthcare systems. Further, the paper also acknowledged the psychological consequences associated with abortion. Also, the essay has taken note of the opposing viewpoints to the author’s stand. Overall, abortion is not a good practice within society. The fetus is a living human that also deserves a right to live.
References
Sajadi-Ernazarova, K. R., & Martinez, C. L. (2019, July 31). Abortion Complications. Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430793/
Soleimani Movahed, M., Husseini Barghazan, S., Askari, F., & Arab Zozani, M. (2020). The Economic Burden of Abortion and Its Complication Treatment Cares: A Systematic Review. Journal of Family & Reproductive Health. https://doi.org/10.18502/jfrh.v14i2.4354
Reardon, D. C. (2018). The abortion and mental health controversy: A comprehensive literature review of common ground agreements, disagreements, actionable recommendations, and research opportunities. SAGE Open Medicine, 6, 205031211880762. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050312118807624
Berer, M., & Hoggart, L. (2019). Progress toward Decriminalization of Abortion and Universal Access to Safe Abortions. Health and Human Rights, 21(2), 79–83. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6927373/
Singh, S. (2018, December 14). Abortion Worldwide 2017: Uneven Progress and Unequal Access. Guttmacher Institute. https://www.guttmacher.org/report/abortion-worldwide-2017
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