Presently, one of the most complex and emotional dilemmas facing modern society is that of abortion. The complexity of this dilemma has caused controversy throughout the nation. It has raised many fundamental questions such as who has the right to make the decision to abort a child, the female or the male? It has also raised many moral questions, questions that differ among society. Societies’ view on abortion has been greatly influenced by factors beyond ones control. Dealing mainly with circumstances that a woman has little or no control over.
These circumstances are unfortunate and often lead to ones decision to have an abortion. The reasons as to why a woman may have an abortion varies from individual to individual. A woman may have an abortion with or without the consent of her partner. Ones religious beliefs may play a minor role in influencing the decision. The Roman Catholic Church feels strongly about abortion and prohibits it entirely. A woman between the ages of 16-25 may choose to have an abortion because of the lack of contraceptives and carelessness.
Whereas, a woman between the ages of 35-45 may have an abortion due to medical, social, or economic reasons. By definition, abortion is the termination of a pregnancy before the fetus is visible or capable of living outside the womb. It is also defined as the termination of a pregnancy before twenty-eight weeks. In modern society, abortion has become the number one birth control pill. Women who become pregnant often consider abortion as their first option. If they are not ready to take the responsibility of raising a child, they choose to have an abortion.
Today, women believe that if one becomes pregnant, an abortion is the answer. This is how abortion has become known as an effective birth control pill. In 1986, in Ontario alone, there were 172,286 planned abortions. 147,619 were performed on resident women, the remaining 24,667 were carried out on non-resident women. A great percentage of these abortions were carried out because of the lack of contraceptives and carelessness. The abortions were performed to rid the women of unwanted pregnancies. (Charlish 5) The circumstances surrounding the unwanted pregnancy plays a key factor in the decision of having an abortion.
If a woman becomes pregnant as a result of rape or incest, she will most probably have the child aborted. The woman will not want a constant reminder of how the child was conceived. This reminder is too painful. In such cases, the woman often takes into consideration the child’s feelings. The child will eventually learn of its conception and may blame itself for his/her mother’s grief. In the case of incest, a woman will take into account that the child will be born with a birth defect or severe disability caused by the mating of a blood relative.
Seventy-six per cent of all women who have abortions do so because they feel that the child will change the woman’s life considerably and they are not ready for such a change. This often applies to a single woman. If this woman is still in school, having the baby will result in dropping out of school and not finishing her education. Having the child will also result in a loss of a social life. The woman could no longer enjoy her independence, but must assume the responsibility of a child who is dependent on her for love and security.
Sixty-eight per cent of women decide to have an abortion because they are unable to afford the expenses of having a child. “These women are often found living below the poverty line. They cannot afford to support themselves, let alone support a newborn. ” (Judges 131) These women are not the only ones with the inability to afford a child. Many women with careers cannot afford to pay for the expenses needed to raise a child. Thirty-one per cent of women are not ready for the responsibility of parenthood. They may not be mature or old enough to accept the responsibility of caring for a newborn.
Thirty-one per cent of all women may choose to have an abortion because they do not want others to know that they are pregnant and that they are sexually active. This reason most often applies to teenagers who know that this news would be upsetting their parents or to those teens who are afraid that they will be judged by others. This particular group believes that abortion would solve all their problems. Women between the ages of 35-45 most often have abortions only when they feel that the fetus, her family or the woman herself is at risk.
If a woman has a disease, such as A. I. D. S, she will abort the child because the disease could be transmitted to the fetus and prove harmful to the child. If a doctor has grounds to believe that a woman may become mentally ill because of the pregnancy, he/she can recommend an abortion. Many woman take into consideration that a newborn child may be harmful to an existing child in the family who requires a lot of attention because of a handicap or disability. The newborn child will acquire plenty of attention, and the parents will therefore be unable to focus all of their attention on the disabled child.
These women also take abortion into consideration when severe physical or mental handicap is detected in the fetus. Many women feel that they cannot cope with a child who has a disability. They may fear that their relationship would not take the strain of having a handicapped child in the family and that it would be unfair on existing children. Most women requesting an abortion fall into two main categories. These two categories are teenagers and women over forty. In the case of older women, requests for late abortions are often the consequence of worrying whether or not the child will be normal.
In the case of teenagers, it is very often because they are afraid of seeking help. (Charlish 21) Teens are more likely than any other group of women to delay asking for help because they are frightened and guilty or because they deny being pregnant. They may not know who to ask. Teenagers do not tell their parents and they are afraid that if they seek the advice of a doctor, he/she will inform their parents. There are various reasons for the high rate of pregnancy in teens. Teenagers may lack easy access to contraceptives and therefore have sexual intercourse without any means of protection.
They may lack knowledge about contraceptives and instead of seeking advice, ignore the issue completely. Teenagers often rely on the withdrawal method, disregarding the fact that a male often pre-ejaculates without acknowledging it. They often refuse to believe that they will become pregnant. They fail to remember that as long as a woman is menstruating, one can become pregnant. Lastly, teenagers often become pregnant because they desire a child without considering the time and devotion that is needed. Women under the age of twenty are at their peak of fertility.
This age group therefore account for more than half of those having abortions when the fetus is capable movement and sensation. Out of 1000 girls who fall under this age group, approximately 200 get pregnant. Only 40 are married at the time of conception, of the remaining 160, 90 go ahead and have the baby, 70 have abortions. Out of the 90 girls that have the baby, 37 bow to the pressure to get married, and 53 look after the baby themselves. (Charlish 21) Legally, if a teenager is mature enough to make a decision, she does not need parental consent.
If one parent (being the mother) agrees that her daughter should have an abortion and the father disagrees, the father cannot tell his daughter to have an abortion. He has no legal right to do so. The fact that a father has no legal right to help his daughter decide whether or not she should have an abortion has caused a great deal of controversy concerning the males rights in deciding whether or not his wife/girlfriend should be allowed to abort his child without his consent. This led to a review of the legal system and a decision that a man has no legal rights over the fetus.
He cannot prevent his partner from seeking an abortion. The question of a man’s influence in the decision of abortion was dealt with in the case of Barbara Dodd, a twenty-two year old woman who had to go to court to win the right to have an abortion. Dodd had her abortion after the Ontario Supreme Court threw out an injunction against it obtained by her lover, Gregory Murphy. A man can neither stop an abortion from occurring nor can he induce a woman to have an abortion if she does not wish to. The Constitution ensures that the man is not given the power to decide to have the woman destroy the fetus or carry it to term.
It is believed that “any man’s right to control the destiny of his sperm genetic material necessarily ends when his sperm fertilizes an ovum. ” (Tribe 224) The majority of society, both male and female disagree with such a statement and men are continuing to fight for their legal rights in the decision of abortion. The Roman Catholic Church plays a key role in its view of abortion. The Catholic Church opposes abortion completely. The Church also opposes pre-marital sex and the use of contraceptives.
It is believed that man-kind can not play the role of the creator by using contraceptives to prevent pro-creation and by having abortions to put an end to reproduction. It is believed that human life begins at the moment of conception. The Roman Catholic Church believes that the fetus develops the sense of hearing upon conception. It has human-like qualities and is dependent on its mother for basic survival. The Roman Catholic Church therefore believes that to abort a delicate, fragile being that cannot survive without the interference of its mother is murder.
Today, abortion is known as a ten minute procedure to rid one of the burden of an unwanted child. Many have failed to realize that the child is an innocent being, with human-like sensations. Rather, abortion has become recognized as a birth control pill. Although many women choose to have an abortion because of circumstances they cannot control, many women have an abortion because they are not ready to accept the responsibility of raising a child. Deciding who has the legal right to make a decision pertaining to the child will take many years of conflict to resolve.