Exploring Women's Rights: Abortion and Reproductive Freedom

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Women for centuries have conformed themselves to the viewpoints and stereotypical outlooks society has on them. Their subservient nature to the male species has been detrimental to both their health as well as their independent rights. An ongoing issue women have been facing is the right to a safe and legal abortion. There is an underlining issue when a woman cannot choose what is best for herself as a human being when faced with such a difficult decision to undergo such a traumatic procedure. The pro-choice movement pushes for the legal rights of women to decide their fate, to prevent any further risks of undergoing illegal abortions, and their reproductive freedom.
For most women the opportunity to have a legal abortion provides them with …show more content…

At twenty six years old Rachel Gasston had been accepted into Oxford as she discovered that she was pregnant by her boyfriend who she had an unstable relationship with three months in. “I remember immediately thinking, "I 'm not doing this." I was absolutely sure. That was weird, because I had actually been quite anti-abortion before,” she said. Having a previous experience with a woman who underwent the procedure, she believed that having an abortion was not right, but when faced with the difficult situation her viewpoints on the matter shifted immediately. “I knew one woman who had had an abortion and I had been quite disapproving,” Gasston replied. “As soon as I knew that I was pregnant, though, my only thought was that this had to be over as soon as possible.” Rachel had previously lived in South Africa before she became pregnant, and in South Africa it is illegal to have an abortion. Rachel said,“I am from South Africa and there it is illegal to have an abortion. Even now, when I think about it, all these years later, I am overcome with relief and gratitude that I live in a country where it is my decision - not the state 's - whether I have children or not.” Rachel, if not given the opportunity to make the decision legally, would have taken matters into her own hands. “If I hadn 't had the option of a legal termination, I would have tried to do it myself, and, if that hadn 't worked and hadn 't killed me, I 'm fairly certain I would have killed myself.” Whether abortion is illegal or not women would still view abortion as an option when faced with an unwanted pregnancy. If not done legally by professionals in a safe and clean environment, women seeking to terminate their pregnancies would find a way to do it themselves, possibly causing them to end their own lives. Rachel’s choice was supported legally in a safe environment and keeping abortions

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