Fighting For The Same Thing? Life.

       Abortion is a very controversial topic. There are many different views and regulations when it comes to having the right to choose. Some believe you should be able to have the choice with what you want to do with your body while others believe the fetus is considered alive at conception and believe abortion should not be allowed. I believe a woman should have the choice whether to obtain an abortion or not. I do believe that abortion is avoidable in many situations and life should be cherished however, you have the right to your own body and no one should be able to tell you what you can and cannot do with it. For many women, having a child at a point in their life could put them or the child in different sorts of danger. Different state governments have put certain regulations on abortion and it has caused unclarity for everyone. 
       Women should be able to have abortion as a choice to terminate a pregnancy. In the 5th and 14th amendment it covers due process which is the right to life and liberty. When I hear the word liberty I immediately think of freedom. Freedom is used in many different ways but always means the same thing, it gives people the right to do what they want. I do not believe the government should be allowed to tell women they cannot get an abortion because it is already a hard enough choice for a woman to make. No one wants to get an abortion, it's usually the last option a person has.
       For some women having a child could put them or the child in great danger. The danger could range anywhere from the child not having a bright and healthy future to death at birth along with the mother. There are many dangers and factors to consider when it comes to abortion. When I spoke with Father Cray I learned about what he considers an appropriate abortion which I had never considered before. He said that if the abortion is a side affect of helping keep the mother safe than it is tragic but okay. For example, if  woman has a tumor in her uterus, they will need to remove it. As a side affect it will kill the baby but save the mother.           This is where morality comes in, does the child have more rights than the mother? No because everyone has equal rights. Then that brings the next question, when is a fetus alive? When a child is actually born you have to make sure the child is nourished. For many impoverished areas and families, this is a difficult and almost impossible task. If someone cannot support a child and care for it, they shouldn't have to bring it into this world. Another danger is abusive family and spouse relationships. For many people, the abuse is in secrete so other people can not easily detect their hurt. If a woman became pregnant in an abusive relationship she could be abused more often, it could hurt the baby, and it could even tie her down in the relationship more. Women should not be forced to have a child once she has become pregnant because it could put her and/or the baby in great danger.
       Government should not be allowed to put regulations on abortion if there is not a very clear and distinct point in where the line is drawn. In other words, we need to get rid of the gray areas. The government is constantly adding regulations to the right to choose. One of the more recent laws set in a few states around the country is a law where a woman has to listen to the heartbeat of her child(if it can be found and heard) within hours of obtaining an abortion. I believe this is very wrong and inhumane. It is hard enough for a woman to make this decision of killing a life inside her without hearing it and understanding that it's alive. This should not be allowed because the government is clearly trying to push the woman in a certain direction and that is not right. Even the most pro-life representative I know, Father Cray stated, "You cannot legislate everything," about the new law developing in certain states. What needs to happen is a complete redo of all of the regulations and laws on abortion because there are too many gray areas to make deciding and legislating unfair and difficult.
       There are many factors that come in when looking into abortion and it is a touchy topic for some people. I believe women should have the right to choose to have an abortion or not because in many abortion circumstances, women are not able to carry a fetus for nine months because of personal reasons. The government should not have a say in what you do with your body unless it is harming someone else. The reason I do not consider abortion to be someone else is because it is a part of you for nine months, for most of the time, it would not be able to survive on it's own. Abortion is a very powerful thing and it cannot be taken back once it is done and it considers much thought. While researching I had discovered that I had somewhat changed my point of view on this topic, I personally would never get an abortion for many reasons however, I still do believe a woman should have the right to choose to get an abortion or not, no matter what.

Stakeholders

The pro-life side is pretty self explanatory, they believe all life is important, therefore they are against abortion. The pro-life is usually people from strong religious backgrounds such as Catholics. There are also other non-religious foundations such as Care Net. Care Net is a foundation that supports women and gives them many options so they can avoid abortion in all ways possible. (Care Net Website) They not only give them physical help, they also give them emotional help. Care Net is referred to as a non-judgmental help center for women in need of help with their pregnancies.


One of the biggest pro-choice foundations is Planned Parenthood. They believe and promote womens health, safe sex education, and the right to choose. (Planned Parenthood Website) They are also a foundation that is very supporting and helpful for women who are struggling and need help getting through their pregnancy or terminating it. Many people have skewed perceptions on Plan Parenthood and their willingness to preform abortions. Only 3% of the services from Planned Parenthood are abortions. They are not promoting abortions, they are giving women the right to choose.

My Interview

My interview further informed me about the pro-life view point and it really helped my understanding of it a lot. I interviewed my pastor, Father Cray, who gave me view points from his personal thoughts and from the Catholic churchs perspective. As we first started the interview, Father Cray stated about abortion, "it's as clear as mud." What surprised me the most about my interview was how he responded to one of the questions I asked. I questioned, "There is a new law in a few states which consists of making a woman listen to her childs heart beat just hours before obtaining a planned abortion, do you think this is fair?" he responded, "You cannot legislate everything,"  and continued on explaining how it is not legally right and could lead to more distress and depression for the woman, as if it isn't already hard enough. Another thing that I had never really considered was the birth control issue. I asked if any type of birth control is allowed as long as a couple is married. He explained to me that all types of contraception was a physical barrier and was blocking nature. He then brought up the point of the pill. It is used for regulating menstrual cycles and as a side affect it alters nature and  does not allow conception. He said that many Catholic churches believe that the birth control pill should be allowed because it is only altering nature, not blocking it. His interview helped me understand more about the importance of life and why abortion should be the last option.


My interview was overall very easy for me to do. I prepared the questions the day of the interview, (last minute, I know) but everything went smoothly. I think one of the reasons it was easy for me to talk to Father Cray and set up an interview date and time in person is because I know him personally. The hardest part was deciding which questions he had already answered while answering other questions I had already asked because I was trying to not be repetitive. What I enjoyed most about doing the interview was taking everything into my own hands and being able to talk personally with someone who has very much knowledge about my specific topic.

Panel Day Reflection

Panel day wasn't as helpful for me as I expected. I was hoping to get more straight forward answers with brief explanation. Both Kerin Stackpole (pro-life) and Maria McGarth (pro-choice) worked around the answer as if they were trying to be polite and respectful. After panel day when I met with the other people in my group they also felt that many answers were avoided or too lenient. They contradicted themselves multiple times and went against their beliefs for example; when someone asked the question, If your daughter came to you and wanted an abortion, what would your reaction be? They both readily agreed that they would stand behind her no matter what. This is going against Kerins beliefs and she didn't explain why it would be different with their own daughter.

Interviews

I plan to interview my priest, Father Cray about my topic. I felt that I needed more information from the pro-life point of view because I am having a more difficult time understanding the reasoning behind most pro-life representatives.

Court Cases

One of the most famous court cases is Roe v. Wade. "Roe" was a single pregnant woman who lived in Texas and was seeking an abortion. In Texas abortions were illegal so she was not able to get one unless she brought them to court, which she did. In the end the court determined that her right to choose was protected mainly by the 14th amendment or mainly by due process. She won and was able to obtain an abortion and also won the right to choose for many other woman and states. There are many other cases that then began to branch off of the Roe v. Wade case and they all had for the most part, very similar outcomes.

Current Interpretation

In the US, abortion laws vary depending on the state. No one can be denied an abortion unless it is past a certain trimester in certain states. In some states, parental notice and/or consent is needed to obtain an abortion if you're under the age of 18. In most states you can obtain an abortion at almost any point in the pregnancy. Some states require something called informed consent which means the doctor or person who will be preforming the abortion inform the woman about how far along the baby is just to make sure they are emotionally ready to give up a fetus. A helpful chart that shows all of this can be found on the following website(Abortion Requirements).