Let's Talk Abortions

In my last post, I discussed the different services offered by Planned Parenthood.  These services included STD testing/treatment, contraception, cancer screenings – and abortions.

As mentioned in my previous post, abortions only cover 3% ofthe services offered by Planned Parenthood.  Yet it is the most talked about of all the services provided, and it is the one that receives the most criticism.

What exactly is an abortion? And why is there so much controversy surrounding it?

I am sure you have all heard of the term “abortion” before.  An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy, which does not result in the birth of a child.  There are different methods on how it can be preformed, and different states have different laws on whether or not they are provided.

Abortions were always illegal until 1973, the year of Roe vs Wade.  In 1972,  a woman named Norma McCorvey filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas.  This was known to be  a product of the sexual revolution of the 1960’s and 1970’s, where women started being more free with their sexuality.  She claimed that the illegalization of abortions infringed upon her constitutional rights.  This case was taken to the Supreme Court, and on January 22^nd of 1973, it was decided that women should have the right to a safe and legal abortion. 

It was decided that states were allowed to choose how accessible they wish to make abortions.  While it is still illegal for them to completely ban abortions, individual states are allowed to make their own restrictions.  These restrictions include things such as not being allowed to receive an abortion if you are in your third trimester, or rules that women under 18 must notify their parents before receiving the procedure.

Some states only allow access to abortions if the mother has been raped and/or if the pregnancy puts her life at risk.  More liberal states, such as where I am from New York, have fewer restrictions.

Abortion has been a controversial topic ever since 1973 when it became legalized.  There are some who agree with the practice, and others who do not.

Some people think abortion is immoral.  They view an abortion as the murdering of a child, therefore in their eyes it should be illegal.  These people are known as “Pro-Life”.  Pro-Life people often tend to be of Christian faith, although not all of them are.  They often protest to get rid of abortions for good.

Then there are “Pro-Choice” people.  These people believe women should have the right to a safe and legal abortion, more specifically a safe and healthy one.   Their stance is that if abortions are not provided legally, women are going to attempt to go to extreme and often life-threatening measures in order to terminate their pregnancy. These people seek to make abortions even more accessible.

There are two different methods to perform an abortion.  There is a medical abortion, also known as an abortion pill.  This is an oral medication taken by a pregnant female that causes a miscarriage to occur.  This is the preferred method, but it must done early in the pregnancy.  Once the female is past 10 weeks in her trimester, a different kind of pill is taken.  Instead of causing a miscarriage, this pill causes the womb to contract and the pregnancy to be push out earlier than normal.  This method can be used up to 23 weeks into the pregnancy

The second method is known as a surgical operation.  This, simply put, is a method where the fetus is removed surgically from the mother’s womb.  This method can be performed anytime throughout the pregnancy, although it is usually done if the woman has already entered her second or third trimester.

Abortion has been a controversial topic ever since 1973 when it became legalized.  Some people believe it is the murdering of a human life and should be illegal, while others believe the life of the mother should be put before the life of fetus.  There are different methods in which it can be performed, and people have differing views on the subject.

In my next post I will be discussing funding, more specifically how and where Planned Parenthood receives their funding from.