As the fight for Abortion continues, many people are left to wonder where their stance on the subject stands. Abortion is the purposeful termination of pregnancy within a human which is most likely performed within the first 28 weeks of pregnancy, terminating the embryo or fetus. As the 21st century continues, so does the fight for abortion and the fight for women to legally be allowed access to safe abortions. Due to the continuous battle to keep Roe V. Wade in place, those who remain pro-choice are consistently at war while trying to convince pro-lifers to allow women to have the right to choose what they want to do with their body.
Citizens who support a woman's right to have an abortion are known to be pro-choice due to their outspoken opinion on the fact that women should have the capability to do whatever they want with their bodies. Those who are pro-choice continuously try to work hard so women don’t have to suffer the consequences of unwanted pregnancy and the possible repercussions of going through one such as health complications, as well as, mental damage and trauma, specifically depression and anxiety. Pro-choice citizens believe that women should have the ability to choose whether they are ready or not and whether or not they feel comfortable having a child at the given time. Pro-choice supporters beliefs are based on personal beliefs and possible experiences. They believe that people make mistakes and that women shouldn’t have to live with the repercussions of a mistake, especially if they aren’t ready, either mentally, financially, or they just aren’t in a good place.
“Women have the right to abort if they feel the need to. We have to think about if they’re mentally/physically prepared,” Emely Olivia, an eleventh grader at Dunellen High School, said when asked about women’s rights concerning abortion.
Those who believe that women should not be able to have an abortion under any circumstance are known to be pro-life due to their desire for a woman to carry out the pregnancy. Those who are pro-life constantly work against those who are pro-choice because they want a woman to have the child they carry, regardless of the timing because they believe if there is a heartbeat, the fetus should not be terminated because it is taking away a life. Although a large portion of those who are pro-life are religious, a majority of them aren’t and believe that a pregnant woman should deal with the consequences of her actions. Those who are religious don’t believe in terminating a fetus because they view it as murder because they view abortion as taking a life away before the fetus even had the capability to live. Pro-life supporters feel as if women should come face to face with the consequences of their actions, which in this case getting pregnant, and live with them instead of terminating a fetus that could spring to be a human being.
When asked about their stance regarding abortion, Chris Hernandez, a twelfth grader at Dunellen High School responded as to why he is pro-life, “I’m pro-life, you feel me? Like I’m not just gonna get rid of the baby because a mistake happened. You know, everything happens for a reason, you know? Whether it’s a good one or a bad one and um, I say that to everybody.”
In 1973, Roe V. Wade was a landmark decision issued by the US Supreme Court on the issue of legalizing abortions and access to abortions. Due to Roe V Wade, many women were guaranteed a constitutional right to access safe, legal abortions without the consequences of death or harm. Abortion is something that has occurred for thousands of years and it was studied vigorously by society- it had been legal in the US from the time the earliest settlers had arrived. Abortions were so popular that they had been openly advertised and they were common when the Constitution was first adopted. Abortion was made illegal in some states due to the fear that the population of immigrant children would outnumber actual Americans. Abortion also went against a high proportion or religious views, specifically Catholics who viewed abortion as murder.