Talking about abortion isn’t something you want to do. Aborting unborn children is a very unpleasant idea. Unplanned pregnancies are not uncommon in women, and neither government nor group of men have the right to decide for them what to do.
The men make women pregnant. But it is the woman alone who bears the child. Women who were unmarried and became pregnant were humiliated, jailed, and even killed for it over the centuries. Unmarried women who became pregnant were shameful for their families and their child was called a “bastard”. This woman would not be married to a man and her family would be cut off. These women couldn’t make a living and lived shamefully on the streets. Socially, the child who was a poor one was often denied education or property. The cause of the baby’s birth was the father.
A woman is not willing to be shamed and embarrassed by society. Unmarried women can put their lives, family, and social standing at risk if they give birth. This woman can still try to have an abortion, even though it is illegal. Some women drink poison. Some people fall down the stairs. Some attempt to hurt their stomachs enough that they’ll abort. These women paid for illegal abortions in the 1970s, long before the United States legalized abortion. After these unprofessional, dangerous abortions, thousands died or were infected. If abortion is made legal, this will continue to happen.
The news is on TV and the newspaper is available to read. There are many children who are neglected, hungry and abused all around the globe. These children become miserable and later go on to be criminals and fill up so many prison cells. While the government can prevent abortions, it cannot prevent unwanted, unloved children from being hurt and growing up to cause harm to others. While it is possible for unwanted children to become born in unsafe situations, it will not make the child wantable, loved, or cared after.
Many mothers are not able or willing to take care of their children. Many young women struggle with alcohol and drugs. Some get involved in criminal activity. Some are unemployed or have little money. Others are too focused on their own lives to think about the baby. They have children, but don’t want to take care of them. The children end-up in foster homes, government homes, jails. This is very expensive for society. The cost of a year in jail is higher than the annual tuition at a university. They quickly discover that nobody wants or cares for them.
Last but not least, abortion must still be available for victims and women at risk, as well as for pregnant women with severely disabled children. It is not in the best interests of anyone to force a child to be born. The child of rape is something that every woman will experience again and again. Is it possible for her to truly love the child, or is that a terrible thing? What good is forcing a sick or fragile woman to give birth and leaving behind a child without a mother? What good is forcing a child with severe disabilities, perhaps unconscious, to die during childbirth? Why should a family be forced to spend their entire time caring for a child with no hope of improvement or happiness?
Imagine men getting pregnant. It would not be a debate to criminalize abortion if men were forced into having unwanted children. If half of all pregnancies/births and children were borne by men, criminalizing abortion would not be controversial. Both men and women must accept responsibility for their actions. Anyone who engages in sex without contraception must be prepared to face the consequences. However, unwanted pregnancies shouldn’t happen. Abortions are less harmful than unloved, unwanted children. It is not the right of men or the government to force women to have unwanted, unloved babies.
