Abortion's Tug of War

1491 Words3 Pages

In the last couple of decades, people have been constantly arguing if abortion is right or wrong. Whether a woman has the right to end her pregnancy or not has been debated a great deal lately. But what about men in this situation should they also have the same right to end a pregnancy or does that right belong to women. The woman is the one who carries the baby and has to struggle through the pregnancy. On the other hand, the man will have to sacrifice heaps in order to raise the child as much as the woman will. In the short story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway this debate is shown first hand. The American feels trapped, he knows it’s the woman’s decision and tries to desperately talk her into an abortion. A majority of men feel the same way the American does; therefore, men should also have a say when a woman contemplates getting an abortion.
Abortion, the termination of a pregnancy, has been around since the dawn of men and has appeared in almost every culture. When the procedure is done right, it is one of the safest medical procedures there is. Throughout history though, numerous unsafe practices have been used for abortion. There is evidence that points to abortions being around since Ancient Egypt. The Ebers Papyrus, an Egypt medical tablet, shows signs of abortions as early as 1500 BC. The Roman Empire and Ancient Greece have also shown evidence of abortions during their time. But none of these ancient civilizations have had the same safe abortions we have today.
Most countries have developed their own rules and regulations when it comes to abortions. For example, in the United Kingdom abortion has been legal since 1967. The Abortion Act of 1967 made it legal for a woman to get an abortion with a doctor’...

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...his matter and not leave it to the woman. A man should also be held accountable when choosing an abortion. He should not dictate whether to go through an abortion or not but simply have a say in the matter. The woman and the men should both equally have a choice when choosing an abortion.

Works Cited

Bachiochi, Erika. "Share." How Abortion Hurts Women. Catholic News Agency, 6 June 2005. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.

Hemingway, Ernest. "Hills Like White Elephants." 1927. Comp. Jan Zlotnik. Schmidt and Lynne Crockett. Portable Legacies: Function Poetry Drama Nonfiction. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2013. 525-28. Print.

Simon, Michael. "How Abortion Affects American Men." Home. The Life Resources Charitable Trust, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.

Voiland, Adam. "A Sociologist's Take on How Abortions Affect Men." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 12 Sept. 2008. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.

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