Argumentative essays revised

Name:
Professor’s name:
Course number:
Date:
Anti-Abortion Laws Will Do More Harm Than Good
Abortion is the process where the foetus is removed from the womb before it can survive on its own – normally before 20 weeks. A miscarriage is a type of abortion where the foetus or embryo is spontaneously expelled from the womb unintentionally. This paper will discuss induced abortion, which is the type purposely done either medically or through surgery. The first law that legalized abortion was passed in 1973. The Supreme Court, in Roe v. Wade case, ruled that the right of a woman to obtain an abortion must be considered against the interests of the state. Since then, about 53 million legal abortions have been done in the United States, with a peak in 1990. Since 2007, states have passed more than 250 new laws that strongly restrict a woman’s right to obtain an abortion. This means that the country is slowly crawling back to the era when the health of a woman was overlooked by state regulations. Abortion must remain legal without unnecessary state restrictions.
The passage of laws that are hostile towards abortion will increase the number of deaths due to unsafe abortions CITATION Had09 p 124 l 2057 (Haddad and Nour 124). Abortion is described as unsafe when it is performed by a person who lacks the necessary skills and in an environment without the required medical standards. According to the WHO, of the 40 million abortions obtained annually, 20 million are usually unsafe. Unsafe abortions are responsible for 68,000 deaths of women every year, and five million others suffer long-term complications CITATION Had09 p 122 l 2057 (Haddad and Nour 122).

With the majority of states moving towards making abortion illegal by introducing many restrictive laws, unsafe abortions will increase and with it maternal mortality. The numbers of abortion clinics have continued to decline with increasing restrictions. For instance, more than half of the clinics in Texas have closed since 2010, forcing women to travel to other places for abortions. With desperation creeping in, we could see women visiting unsanitary clinics run by unlicensed individuals who are after making money from a procedure that is becoming inaccessible.
Not all pregnancies are planned for. Others occur when women are subjected to incest or rape. Such incidences are traumatising, and the women who go through them should not have their right to obtain an abortion restricted. The rate of pregnancies related to rape is 5%, and the number of pregnancies each year due to rape is 32,101. Slightly above 30% of the victims learn of their pregnancy in the second trimester and about 50% opt for abortion. In some states, for example, Washington, lawmakers have attempted to ban abortion after 20 weeks. Clauses that require victims of rape to report to the authorities before they can obtain an abortion have been inserted in such bills. Such laws could mean that rape victims who discover that they are pregnant late into the second trimester cannot opt for abortion.
Making abortion legal does not necessarily apply to all cases. If a woman wants to secure an abortion because of problems with her partner, then she can be given other options through counselling before she arrives at her decision. During counselling, the woman is taught the negative effects of abortion, and available options like giving up her baby for adoption. The negative effects of abortion include bleeding, infection and infertility. She is also taught on the methods of contraception available to prevent any unwanted pregnancies in the future CITATION Had09 p 125 l 2057 (Haddad and Nour 125).
The issue of abortion continues to draw a lot of controversies all over the country. However, the right of women to obtain it should not be prohibited. Since 2007, the country has seen an increase in the number of laws that restrict abortion. The WHO points out that unsafe abortion thrives in an environment where abortion is illegal. Unsafe abortion causes a significant number of deaths of women every year. Anti-abortion laws could force rape victims to keep their pregnancies against their will. The right of women to access abortion must, therefore, be protected by rejecting any law that restricts such rights.

Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY Haddad, Lisa B. and Nawal M. Nour. “Unsafe Abortion: Unnecessary Maternal Mortality.” Reviews in Obstetics and Gynecology 2.2 (2009): 122-126. Print.