The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of The Prowler.

When some people think of abortion, they think of killing babies or murder.

They don’t think of the advantages of abortion and how so many women benefit from having the right to choose, and how children benefit from having a sustainable home. Right now, abortion is being debated for whether or not it should be illegal. In America, ten states already have restrictions on abortion. Making abortion illegal is a violation of human rights.

Restrictions on abortion take away the rights of women and put their health on the line. USA Today states that “abortions do sometimes save women’s lives.” During pregnancy, a woman can develop heart failure, preeclampsia, and severe infections, leading to a needed abortion. 

Plenty of people are against abortion for many reasons. One reason is “the fetus can feel pain,” which is untrue. Women are getting an abortion in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy when the fetus’s nervous system and brain are not developed yet. Countless neuroscientists have studied the pain of a fetus and announced the fetus starts to feel pain at 27 weeks, which is the third trimester. 

Another argument used against abortion is “the fetus has a right to life.”  If we look at abortion in terms of human rights, there are two sides: the fetus and the woman. Many people who disagree with abortion state the fetus deserves the right to life because it is a potential human being. Potential rights are not the same as actual rights, which is why we should be focusing on the needs of women. Also, the fetus and women should not be looked at as separate individuals, but that is what is happening with anti-choice organizations. This idea endangers women’s rights.

Being pro-choice isn’t supporting murder. The term pro-life makes it seem that way. The term anti-choice would be more accurate because the people who identify with this term don’t support the mother’s choice. Also, people who choose to be pro-life only support the life of babies as they often agree with the death penalty. The only reason they use this term is to make people who support choice feel immoral. 

Abortion is necessary for a lot of people, especially rape victims. Women are being forced to carry the child of a man who raped them.  In Ohio, an eleven-year-old girl was raped and, when a fetal heartbeat law goes into effect, girls like her will not allowed to have an abortion. These women will be reminded of this traumatic incident for the rest of their lives, and it makes it even worse than they are being forced beyond their will to carry a child for nine months. 

Abortion is not an argument for life. It’s an argument to control a woman’s body. There are no laws that tell a man what he can and cannot do with his body. Men do not have to give birth to a child. Therefore they should have no say in whether or not a woman receives an abortion. It’s ridiculous for a man to tell a woman she has to carry the baby of the man who raped her or carry a baby that she has no financial plan for.

I believe this debate of making abortion illegal needs to stay between women without the input of men. It’s unfair that the government is willing to take away the freedom of a woman’s choice since we live in a country based on freedom, and this isn’t happening to men.

Those who disagree with abortion are creating imperfect lives for children since they are unwanted and will be treated that way. An unwanted child might be put into an unsustainable or abusive household.  Abortion also helps women financially and leads to fewer women in poverty. Women need to plan for their child and need to be sure they can provide the necessities that a child requires. Studies show that the legalization of abortion has reduced the number of unwanted children, leading to better living conditions for children.

Considering that abortion helps save many women’s lives, leads to better living conditions for children, and helps women financially, abortion should not be made illegal and needs to be supported. 

Abortion should be legal, as it benefits so many women, and women deserve to keep the right to their bodies and freedom.