People should have the right to an abortion. The 14th amendment with the Due Process Clause, implies the right to privacy. It is supposed to protect personal decisions, including reproductive autonomy. A woman’s decision to terminate a pregnancy falls within this right to privacy; not being able to would violate thier medical privacy. The Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment mandates that no state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction equal protection of the laws. Having restrictions on abortion would disproportionately affect women and interfere with their equal standing in society by limiting their ability to make decisions about their own bodies and futures. No one is trying to ban men’s right to a vasectomy–which kills the lives of potential babies as does abortion–so it is not equal to ban a women’s right. The First Amendment with the Establishment Clause–Separation of Church and State–ensures that government does not impose religious views on individuals. Many anti-abortion laws and protestes are connected with religious beliefs, which should not be allowed. Besides religious views/beliefs there is no real global reason on why abortion should be banned. It is a women’s right. Yes, there is a certain point when abortion should not be allowed unless medical reasoning (late 2nd and 3rd trimester) but that can just be made as a simple restriction by health professionals. There are many cases were abortion is necessary: rape, incest, danger to the mother, danger to the fetus, fetal conditions where it won’t even survive, the mother not being able to provide for the baby, accidental pregnancy despite protection, teen pregnancy from naivety, ect. No matter the reason it should be a choice the women can make. No one is trying to get pregnant just to have an abortion, it is often a decision that can be devastating and difficult to make. It should be there for a woman to make. Abortion affects no one else but the woman and possibly the father. So why should it matter if woman are allowed to get abortion, it is there life not yours.
There is no such thing as a right to life by way of another person’s body. Even in death we have to give consent before our organs can be used to save a life. Compelling somone to donate blood, organs, or tissue is illegal. Abortion is no different.
The argument against abortion itself is unconstitutional as is requiring organ or blood donation to save lives. If there is an argument to be made, there may be one on the procedures used but not to force a woman to host another human for 10 months in theor body. Abortion bans give women less bodily autonomy than a corpse.
I made a conscious decision to choose life for my three children, who were conceived outside of marriage with three different men. Yet, I firmly support a pro-choice political stance. As a devout Christian, I believe that if God takes issue with a woman’s choice, it remains between her and God.
My upbringing was marked by significant challenges; I experienced molestation from the age of 1 1/2 to 18, alongside physical and mental abuse. After the birth of my third child, I began confronting the traumas of my past. I raised three incredible children on my own, without any external assistance. Only one of the father’s was in the picture. Up until my daughter was 16 he paid $50 to the welfare system to reimburse my short time using assistance. When she was 16 he paid $200 a month and you would have thought I had swindled him.
When my youngest turned three, I pursued a dream of attending beauty school, obtained my license, and supported my family independently from that point on.
It’s ironic that those who claim to be “pro-life” and should have been my supporters were instead quick to judge, attaching a metaphorical scarlet letter to my chest, suggesting I must face the repercussions of my choices alone. Where was the support for my children then?
It saddens me to see abortion misused, but I staunchly believe it remains a woman’s right to choose. Additionally, once a fetus is viable, abortions should be permissible only if there’s significant physical risk to the mother or child. Mental health issues should not qualify under this consideration, as there are many willing individuals eager to adopt newborns.
This proposal is not politically feasible right now because of the GOP trifecta.
However, I have created a comprehensive federal exception law that covers almost all the scenarios you listed as “necessary” for abortion. (It also includes many pro-life concessions, as well as enforcement against doctors who commit malpractice who delay necessary treatment for pregnant women/mothers.)
My proposal has a pro-life slant, because I am pro-life, but either way, it’s designed to address the biggest concerns people have about abortion and pro-life laws, without banning it or interfering with states’ set gestational limits/“states rights.”
FYI - the very first paragraph summarizes the main idea of it, and the actual content of my proposal comes after a few disclaimer paragraphs and my MAHA letter.
RIGHT TO MATERNAL/FETAL HEALTHCARE & EDUCATION to stabilize the abortion issue
Who is forcing women to get pregnant?