Pro Choice vs Pro Life

402 Words1 Page

Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life

Abortion is unethical and immoral. These are the thoughts of many Americans in our society. If a woman gets pregnant than she should have to deal with her "problem." However there are many circumstances that arise that could make that a difficult and sometimes impossible decision. Instead of every woman that becomes pregnant having no say in whether they have their child, there should be an age limit set. The legal age of a woman having an abortion should be set at 18. It should be illegal for anyone at the age of 18 or over to have an abortion. I believe, for many reasons, it should be the legal right of a woman under the age of 18, a minor, to have an abortion. Minor's account for fewer than one in 10 abortions performed (PPFA , 1999). Furthermore, it should be her right to do so without parental consent.

More and more teenagers are getting pregnant, and they are doing so at younger and younger ages, 17, 16, and 15... The average age a young girl starts her first menstruation cycle is at an all time low of about 12 or 13, (Potts, 1990, as cited in PPFA, 1998-2002) and because four out of five young people have sex as a teenager, (AGI, 1999a, as cited in PPFA, 1998-2002) a greater number of girls are at the risk of becoming pregnant. Eighty-one percent of women aged 20-24 had sexual intercourse before the age of 20 (1, as cited in Gale Group, 2002). 97 out of every 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 find themselves pregnant each year. Out of these 97 teenagers 78 percent are unintended (AGI, 1999a, as cited in PPFA, 1998-2002).

Ideally, a teenager that becomes pregnant should make her mother and/or father aware of her pregnancy. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world. There are some circumstances in which a young girl cannot make her parents aware of her situation. It does not help with the government trying to get involved in the personal lives of teenagers and their families. Congress cannot make families communicate, and it is downright dangerous to try and make them. Most teenagers who do not inform their parents of their pregnancy are victims of physical or sexual abuse within the family, and they feel afraid.

The House of Representatives approved, once again, the Child Custody Protection Act (CCPA).

Open Document