Argumentative Essay Example. Abortion Should Be Illegal

First, abortion should be illegal regardless of the situation because banning abortions only increases the number of unsafe abortions. Abortion rates are four times higher in counties where abortion is illegal than in countries where abortion is legal. The fact of the matter is the only way to decrease abortions is to teach comprehensive reproductive healthcare. When abortion becomes illegal, the proportion of unintended pregnancies ending in abortion increases by 39 percent over a 30-year period. The data is clear that abortion bans are ineffective and dangerous.

Additionally, rape is not taken into account, so a woman can be forced to carry a baby as the product of these situations. The abortion ban stops women from getting abortions after six weeks into pregnancy before most women even know they’re pregnant. In the case of rape, many women first think it’s not Plan B or any other day after the pill. They were violated and, in some cases, hospitalized. In no way, stopping a pregnancy was their biggest issue at the time. So six weeks can quickly pass and then they will be forced to carry their rapist’s baby. That baby would go on to not have a father, or even worse, the father would get custody and possibly be abused physically or sexually. Pregnancy should be allowed at any time, regardless of any situation.

Finally, abortion should be illegal regardless of the situation. Women should have control of their bodies. Just as you would never force someone to give up their kidney just because it could save someone’s life, women should not be expected to carry an unwanted baby. Many women can not financially support themselves through pregnancy. There are nine months in which a woman is pregnant. During most of those months, she is unable to work, and then after she has given birth, she still can’t work due to the strains on her body. And how will she pay for the hospital bill and painkiller costs if she isn't working? The simple truth is that, for many, it’s impossible. Then who will take care of the child? In the best situation, child support will be paid. But child support is not enough money for the mother to stay home away from work to watch the child. If the baby is put into foster care, they will be joining the roughly 400,000 other children. In the foster care system, the abuse and mistreatment of children are not uncommon, so the child won’t even be receiving a higher quality of life.

Thus, while abortions stop unborn babies from dying, abortion should be illegal regardless of the situation.  In many situations, young women are unfit to carry or raise a child, so abortion is the best option. There should never be a law restricting the reproductive health of women. At the end of the day, reproductive health care should be treated as basic health care and should not be restricted.