My young friend Chelcie White just finished her Junior year in high school. She is a young woman with a passion and love for God and also a great passion for life. She has boldly written several papers in her high school career challenging others to question "Choice", its reality and consequences. Great job Chelcie! <3
Roe v. Wade: Let’s Define Freedom of Choice
Choice. The definition of choice is “the right, power, or opportunity to choose; an option.” (Dictionary.com) The word choice is a strong word that is taken for granted most of the time. There are hard choices and there are easy choices in life. Now, let’s define freedom. One definition of freedom is “the power to determine action without restraint.” (Dcitionary.com) To me these two words sum up the 1973 judicial case of Roe v. Wade. “In 1973 a momentous decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, Roe v. Wade, established that a women’s right to personal privacy includes her right whether or not she may have an abortion” (Stevens 1). “It was an appeal from the United States District Court for the northern District of Texas. Number 70-18 argued on December 13, 1971 and decided on January 22. 1973” (Cornell.edu). This case was huge because it made abortions legal up to the first 3 months to any woman in the United States.
Choice. The definition of choice is “the right, power, or opportunity to choose; an option.” (Dictionary.com) The word choice is a strong word that is taken for granted most of the time. There are hard choices and there are easy choices in life. Now, let’s define freedom. One definition of freedom is “the power to determine action without restraint.” (Dcitionary.com) To me these two words sum up the 1973 judicial case of Roe v. Wade. “In 1973 a momentous decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, Roe v. Wade, established that a women’s right to personal privacy includes her right whether or not she may have an abortion” (Stevens 1). “It was an appeal from the United States District Court for the northern District of Texas. Number 70-18 argued on December 13, 1971 and decided on January 22. 1973” (Cornell.edu). This case was huge because it made abortions legal up to the first 3 months to any woman in the United States.
Women didn’t have to get a “back-alley” abortion illegally anymore because Jane Roe (real name, Norma McCorvey) had fought and won her case on January 22nd, 1973, against Henry Wade. Jane Roe already had two other children and “she didn’t want to give birth, she didn’t want the child, and she didn’t want to go through giving it up” (Tompkins 33). “Texas law prohibited abortions except to save the pregnant woman’s life” (oyez.org), but she used her new found freedom of choice to abort her baby.
But what about the baby’s freedom? It didn’t get the choice or freedom to live because of its mother’s choice to abort it. It even states in the 14th amendment that everyone has the right to live, so now that baby that was aborted cannot even use its own right because abortion takes that away from them. Now because of the 1973 Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade, legalized abortions in the name of “choice” ending over 52,000,000 lives with no choice.
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There are many questions about it like why do women consider abortion? Why do women get an abortion? What are their reasons? What are the risks of abortion? How many kinds of abortions are there? Abortion is not safe on any level. It can cause physical and emotional damage to the woman that ends in death of the baby but could also end in death of the mother. Jane Roe’s reasoning, to me, was selfish. She didn’t want to give birth maybe because of the pain, or give the child up for adoption because it would be too hard. She straight up didn’t want her child, so she chose to abort it.
There are many reasons as to why women get an abortion. Some reasons are age, marital status, or economic status. A girl could be in her teens and feels she cannot raise a baby or that she will get in trouble by her parents and could get kicked out of the house. Some women who get abortions are not married or are separated from their spouse. Other women just cannot afford to raise a baby. Other reasons for having or considering an abortion are: “concern that having the baby would change their lives and compromise their (and a child’s) future, birth control failure, to prevent the birth of a child with birth defects or severe medical problems, pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, physical or mental conditions that endanger the women’s health if the pregnancy is continued” (women.webmd.com) These are only a few of the many reasons why women get an abortion.
Because of this case in 1973 more than 52,000,000 lives have been ended. That is more than how many people were killed in the holocaust, or many major wars in American history. Most women have to live the rest of their lives with guilt and depression of killing their child. Even though it seemed like the “best” idea at the time, it will eventually come back to haunt them.
Because of this case in 1973 more than 52,000,000 lives have been ended. That is more than how many people were killed in the holocaust, or many major wars in American history. Most women have to live the rest of their lives with guilt and depression of killing their child. Even though it seemed like the “best” idea at the time, it will eventually come back to haunt them.
I think a better idea for women that are considering abortion is to consider adoption. It’s true it will be hard giving up your child, but the woman will know she is doing a good thing and putting her feelings aside to give her child life. Emotional effects are just half of post abortion. There could also be physical harm as well. After an abortion a woman could experience heavy bleeding, an infection, an incomplete abortion, an allergic reaction to the drugs, tearing of the cervix, scarring of the uterine lining, perforation of the uterus, damage to internal organs, not being able to bare children again, or even death. The list goes on and on. But some women don’t look past the present. They need an abortion to fix the “problem” in their life. Girls don’t want to get in trouble, women cannot afford another child, and so because the baby is an inconvenience to their life, they might as well abort it without thinking about the future.
It’s not the baby’s fault it was conceived, so the parents need to take responsibility for their actions. Abortion is a huge controversy in America today. It is controversial because of religious and moral reasons due to the sanctity of life overrides any reason that a woman could give to justify getting an abortion. In Jeremiah 1:5 it says God knew us before we were born. It says in Jeremiah29:11 that God has a plan for each and every one of us. Why would we want to interfere with His plan? The baby that was aborted today could have made a new scientific discovery or brought even more people to Christ, but because of their mother’s “choice,” they will never get the chance, choice, or freedom to do so.
Works Cited
"Abortion-Reasons Women Choose Abortion." Women's Health Center: Information on Women's Wellness, Nutrition, Fitness, Intimate Questions, and Weight Loss. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://women.webmd.com/tc/abortion-reasons-women-choose-abortion>.
"Choice | Define Choice at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for English Definitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/choice>.
"Freedom | Define Freedom at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for English Definitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/freedom>.
"Roe v. Wade." LII | Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0410_0113_ZS.html>.
"Roe v. Wade, U.S. Supreme Court Case Summary & Oral Argument." The Oyez Project | U.S. Supreme Court Oral Argument Recordings, Case Abstracts and More. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.oyez.org/cases/1970-1979/1971/1971_70_18>.
Stevens, Leonard A.. The case of Roe v. Wade . New York: G.p. Putnam's Sons, 1996. Print.
Tompkins, Nancy. Roe v. Wade and the fight over life and liberty . New York: Franklin Watts, 1996. Print
Works Cited
"Abortion-Reasons Women Choose Abortion." Women's Health Center: Information on Women's Wellness, Nutrition, Fitness, Intimate Questions, and Weight Loss. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://women.webmd.com/tc/abortion-reasons-women-choose-abortion>.
"Choice | Define Choice at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for English Definitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/choice>.
"Freedom | Define Freedom at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for English Definitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/freedom>.
"Roe v. Wade." LII | Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0410_0113_ZS.html>.
"Roe v. Wade, U.S. Supreme Court Case Summary & Oral Argument." The Oyez Project | U.S. Supreme Court Oral Argument Recordings, Case Abstracts and More. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.oyez.org/cases/1970-1979/1971/1971_70_18>.
Stevens, Leonard A.. The case of Roe v. Wade . New York: G.p. Putnam's Sons, 1996. Print.
Tompkins, Nancy. Roe v. Wade and the fight over life and liberty . New York: Franklin Watts, 1996. Print
