The topic of #abortion for women has been a controversial one, with different sides arguing why their view is correct and should be considered. The legalization of abortion in the United States happened in January 1973, when the United States Supreme Court decided the Roe V. Wade case. The Supreme Court ruled that restrictive state abortion laws were unconstitutional, thereby legalizing abortion throughout the country. The legalization of abortion has played a positive role in the health of women in America, reducing the complication, morbidity, and mortality rates associated with illegal abortions before 1973.
Why the court decided that Roe v. Wade needed to be overturned is beyond me, and has set us back 50 years in the advancement of women's rights nationwide. Thankfully, several states have codified Roe v. Wade into law, but there are still many state that have take the other extreeme, to make all types of abortion illegal, regardless of circumstance or health risk.
The health benefits of abortion cannot be overemphasized; women with unwanted pregnancies either from rape, incest, or an unwanted partner can safely have the pregnancy removed without being forced to give birth to an unwanted child. A woman forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy from a violent partner is prone to suffer from domestic violence. Terminating the unwanted pregnancy would have severed the connection between the woman and her abuser, saving her from that torment.
Furthermore, the legalization of abortion has reduced the rate of morbidity and mortality associated with illegal abortions. Legalization caused a decline in the number of women who engaged in illegal abortions and more women were able to receive abortions legally and safely. With the legalization of abortion, abortion procedures became safer. Proper research was carried out to determine the safest procedures for abortions and physicians were trained on different methods for abortion. All this helped make abortions safer for women. Medical studies have shown that major complications from abortion are rare, occurring in less than one-fourth of one percent of procedures. Now, the risk associated with abortion is less than the risk associated with having your wisdom teeth removed.
More so, abortion has been a great protector of women's health in the nation; restricting women's access to abortion would have negative impacts on the health of women who are not ready to have a baby. Studies have shown that carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term is more dangerous to a woman's health than abortion due to the mental and emotional distress the woman faces.
Nevertheless, the right of a woman to legal abortion is sacrosanct under the law and should not be denied by any form of restriction. Abortion has done a whole lot of good to the reproductive and mental health of women in the United States.
