Nadja's article "My body, my choice" makes some powerful arguments favoring abortions, and more importantly safe abortions. She argues that as a woman, she should have full control over her body and what happens to it. That unsafe abortions should never be an option for women as she may be placing her own life in danger such as the case of a 15 year old girl in 2009.
Personally I agree with Nadja's stance in the sense that I agree with safe, legal abortions. However I do not believe I am truly pro-choice. Nadja makes the argument pro-choice is not synonymous with pro-abortion just as pro-life does not necessarily mean pro-birth. As a Catholic I believe I am pro-life. I wholeheartedly support abortions in cases of rape and when the mother's life is in danger. I do believe adoption is an option, however I do not completely rule out abortion as an option as well. I know orphanages are packed and many foster homes are nowhere close to being ideal environments for raising even a single child; my main concern is not necessarily the ability for a woman to do what she wants with her body but the welfare of the mother and of the child. If the mother's health is in danger, I support abortion. If the mother would not be able to care for the child, I support abortion. Many people fighting to make 100% of abortions illegal would not spare even a single penny to support the child.
Abortions, however, are not the solution I would propose to combat unwanted or teenage pregnancies. I would much rather have my tax dollars spent on free birth control. I believe taking this proactive measure would be much safer and cost-effective than abortions. Having access to free birth control would be largely beneficial to our society, not only would we see a decrease in the number of illegal abortions and the deaths associated with them but we would also see a higher quality of life. This would be due to a decrease in the amount of unwanted children ending up in orphanages or abusive (or equally non-ideal) foster homes.
In conclusion I support safe, legal abortions in many cases but I also support birth control as the primary tool for preventing unwanted pregnancies. I do not believe that abortion should be an issue of women's rights but about the health and well-being of the mother and especially the child. If a mother knows she will be unable to care for the child or provide them with a decent life, then she should have the option of abortion along with adoption.
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