Banning Abortion Essay Example

The illegalization of abortion brings a new wave of chaos, as many women will now be forced to travel outside of their home state. This new law will undoubtedly cause major issues with, for example, illegal abortions, ectopic pregnancies, women in poverty, and also having to pay travel fees because it is banned in your state. The overruling of abortion is a huge step back for women, even for those who do not agree with it. The main reason for this is that women fought extremely hard for the right to have an abortion and, in 1973, were finally allowed to get one.

With this in mind, abortions have been going on for decades, even when it wasn’t legal, so why would people think making it illegal would stop them? While reading an analysis of the health benefits of legal abortion, I came across something that would surprise some people. A panel of experts provided a "best estimate" of between the numbers of 200,000 and 1,200,000 illegally induced abortions occurring annually in the U.S. This estimate was done in 1955. This is 18 years before abortions became legal. This shows that even if they are illegal, abortions will still happen. It comes down to the matter of them just not being safe and having repercussions for the woman's health. 

Secondly, there are many women who have had to deal with an ectopic pregnancy. Firstly, let me explain what an ectopic pregnancy is. An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants itself outside the main cavity of the uterus, where it will start to grow. However, in most cases, fertilized eggs are supposed to attach to the lining of the uterus. If the ectopic pregnancy occurs mostly in the fallopian tube, it will cause the fallopian tube to break and cause internal bleeding, infection, and even death. The procedure to get this done is an abortion, so consequently a woman wouldn’t be able to get this done due to the fact that abortions are illegal in her state. There are even examples of this. 22-year-old Olga Reyes died because of ectopic pregnancy and doctors were too afraid to treat her since it is illegal. A simple abortion could’ve helped her live, but because of the ban, she died a tragic death.

Ultimately, I want to bring up issues that include having to pay for travel just to get an abortion. Many issues arise from this, and it needs to be talked about. With the illegalization of abortion across more than a dozen states, many women will have to travel outside of their home state to get an abortion. The women with money can obviously go get an abortion; this isn’t something that will greatly affect them. This instead affects people that fall under the poverty line, and they can’t get the assistance they need. They will have to carry the pregnancy to term or terminate it in another way, which could be very dangerous. Now let's think about this. A woman gives birth to her first child. She is already poor and doesn’t have enough money to take care of the baby. How will she provide for this child? Yes, she does have the choice to put it up for adoption, but by doing that, you’re packing more kids into a system that abuses them and leaves them with a lot of issues. 

Ultimately, many issues arise from the banning of abortions, and making them unaccessible is inherently dangerous. With there being no exceptions, even if you might die because you have complications. Which really shows the difference in importance when it comes to a fetus and an actual living person. For other women, it would be best to live in a state that has it legalized, but of course, it’s not that easy and some are in certain states for their jobs.