A Woman's Right

Posted by Sadie Sprague-Lott in English 1 - Dunn on Friday, May 11, 2012 at 6:49 am

For our English class we are doing a “you and the world” project, for my topic I chose abortion. Now a day’s in the United States abortion is legal but it is still a topic that raises a lot of controversy. Over the years there have been many debates on whether or not a women should or should not be able to make the choice on whether they want an abortion. As a fourteen-year-old girl this issue becomes one that is close to home. Not because I have ever been pregnant nor have I ever had a need for an abortion, but it brings up an issue on a larger scale of civil rights for women. A mere century ago women gained their civil rights in America, what does it mean when the government starts deciding what we can do with our bodies? Have women taken three steps forward just to take four steps back? My blog will focus on what it means to have an abortion in America, and whether or not it should be legal for women to make the decision on their own.

In every state in America it is legal to have an abortion. Whether or not it is accepted, or even accessible is a different story. However this wasn’t true 30 years ago, but it all changed with Roe V. Wade which was a Supreme Court case in 1973 that legalized early term abortions. Abortion was legalized but because of the cost it is still difficult for many to get it, it can cost any where between 350 to 1000 dollars. Only 17 states in America provide funding for poor women who want abortions. For many this still makes it difficult to go through with abortion because they are living in low-income households.

Most women who have abortions get them because it isn’t the right time for them and because of situations that they don’t want to put a young child in. For this reason 52% of women who get abortions are under 25. Being 25 it is difficult to afford it and that’s why organizations like Planned Parenthood are important because most health insurance companies don’t cover abortion or contraception. Over the past years in a study done by the Washington Post an increase in the percent of people who think abortion should be legal has risen. However there still is an issue on the underlying issue of how the government feels about it.

“I do not believe in abortion at will. I do not believe that if a woman just wants to have an abortion she should... I do believe if you have an abortion you are committing murder.” – Nancy Reagen

The issue on whether or not abortion should be legal is a continuos battle. In my next blog I wil look into the facts of what stages can you have an abortion? How would it help the government to have abortion as a choice?

bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xOaTbhEdwe0xETr3g4jNQrdZCpm0hxUXk_bOxbpnhgk/edit

Comments (3)

Zoe Siswick

Nice job, Sadie. I enjoyed your use of graphs and the poster towards the end. You had an effective combination of research and conversation about your personal connection to and interest in the material. Great work!!

Jaime Christmas

I notice how more than half the nation is pro-life yet abortion is still legal throughout the country. I wonder how the view on abortion is going to change over maybe the next 100 years and what people would say if you asked around Philly and what their opinions might be. I also wonder how the responses would be different between teens and adults.What if you do your own survey which you should because you are wonderful.

Arshelle Johnson

I noticed that you approached the topic as a civil rights problem for women, I strongly agree with all of your views. I noticed that you took sides but you didn't really talk badly about the side that feels as though abortions are wrong. I wonder if you can maybe do a poll on people who agree or disagree with the topic. What if you could maybe talk a little more about how the other side of the topic feels, that will add another twist to your blogs.