Why Abortion Shouldn’t Be Banned or Restricted

When talking about abortion, the sides are very split. Whether people think that it should be illegal or people that think that it should be legal, I think that women deserve to have the choice whether they want to keep their future child or not.  On September 1st, 2021, Texas enforced a new law that limited people’s time to get an abortion to 6 weeks (or when an unborn fetus’ heartbeat is detected) of pregnancy.  After being 6 weeks pregnant (or if the fetus’ heartbeat is detected), if an abortion procedure is done, the physician that performed the procedure can be sued through civil actions, which, in turn, could potentially damage the clinic that enacts the procedure financially.  I do not believe that abortions should be restricted in this way in the United States (U.S.)

The first reason why I don’t believe that abortions should be limited like this is because of the reasons why women usually get abortions in the first place.  According to BMC, some of the main reasons why women get abortions are due to a drastic change in their life, not being able to financially support a baby, or that they either wouldn’t want to be a single mom or that they are in a difficult relationship.  “The top three reason categories cited in both studies were: 1) ‘Having a baby would dramatically change my life’ (74% in 2004 and 78% in 1987), 2) ‘I can’t afford a baby now’ (73% in 2004 and 69% in 1987), and 3) ‘I don’t want to be a single mother or am having relationship problems.’”  If someone were to be pregnant and was in a difficult situation, it could affect the potential mother very negatively if they were to give birth, especially if more and more states made their abortion prohibitions similar to Texas.

My second reason why other states shouldn’t limit abortions in the same way Texas did, is because 6 weeks for someone to get an abortion while pregnant is near impossible.  This is because when a woman usually finds out that they are pregnant, it is usually after 4 to 5 weeks of being pregnant.  This would mean that they would only have 1 or 2 more weeks to plan and have an abortion.  In an interview with Insider, Meghan, an HR professional in California, gave her experience with pregnancy and why she doesn’t believe 6 weeks is nearly enough time, saying, “‘When I finally saw that pink line, it was so faint that I was taking three tests a day to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.’  After calling her OB-GYN, she was denied an appointment before she was eight or nine weeks along — the point at which her pregnancy was officially confirmed through ultrasound.”  By the time Meghan confirmed her pregnancy, she was already 9 weeks into birth, meaning that if she wanted or needed an abortion, she could not legally do it.  This is why I think that Texas should increase the time frame for the time someone can get an abortion during their pregnancy.

One of my last reasons why I believe that abortions should not be prohibited in the same way as Texas is because the number of abortions in the U.S. has dropped already, and it isn’t because of state restrictions. As of 2017, the birth to abortion ratio (per 1,000 women aged 15-44) is 13.5.  The main reason why abortions have dropped in the U.S. is because of the dropping pregnancy and birth rates.  This drop in pregnancies and births could be from contraceptive use, a decline in sexual activity, or, in rare cases, infertility.  According to Guttmacher Institute, they say, “Since 2011, contraception has become more accessible, as most private health insurance plans are now required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to cover contraceptives without out-of-pocket costs.”  Guttmacher Institute has also said that findings from one survey have said that there has been a long-term increase in the number of people in the United States that have reported not having sex in the past year. “Findings from one national survey suggest a long-term increase in the number of people in the United States—mostly younger men—reporting not having sex in the past year.”  The article also mentions the possibility that infertility could be a reason why the number of pregnancies and births have decreased, but says, “However, it is highly unlikely that there would have been a big enough spike in infertility to meaningfully impact pregnancy and abortion rates in the 2011–2017 timeframe.” Even though it may seem that abortion could be the leading cause of the population decline, what may be causing it instead is the decrease of pregnancies and births in the US.

I believe that women should have the decision to choose whether they want to give birth or to have an abortion, and I also believe that 6 weeks is not enough time for someone to get an abortion.  With the fact that births and pregnancies in the US are decreasing, and that abortions are not a main cause, I think that instead of focusing on banning abortions or restricting them, we should instead focus on other factors that may be why the number of pregnancies and births are decreasing.