Last week the Kansas state Senate passed a bill that would effectively limit abortions, and the Florida House passed two bills which would discourage women from seeking out and receiving abortions. Although the Kansas bill will likely be vetoed by the pro-choice governor, the Florida bills are widely expected to pass. The very idea, however, of restricting a woman's right to receive an abortion via Legislature is wrong. Women should be allowed to legally receive an abortion whenever they wish, and for the government to deny them this right goes against the ideals of freedom this country was founded on.
Both the Kansas and Florida Legislature are loosely veiled attempts to discourage abortion as a whole. One of the Florida bills tries to redefine the time when life"" in a baby's fetus begins in state law, while the other would require doctors to administer ultrasound exams on women requesting an abortion in the first trimester. Furthermore, the patients would have to cover the costs of the ultrasound, thereby creating another expensive barrier for women trying to obtain an abortion.
The Kansas bill also requires doctors to administer an ultrasound and show it to the woman receiving the abortion as well as creating stricter requirements for late-term abortions. Rather than instilling guilt in the woman seeking an abortion, the government needs to stop trying to control people and allow women the freedom to choose what goes on within their bodies. It is, after all, a woman's right to choose.
The main criticism of abortion is that it is essentially an act of murder. Of course, this is assuming that one believes life begins at conception, as soon as the zygote is formed. However, the zygote, as well as the embryo and fetus, is completely dependent on the mother and totally lacks the function to think, breath, move or feel. It is simply a cell, and even as an embryo nothing more than a grouping of cells reliant on the mother to breathe for it, to eat for it and even remove waste from its body.
Therefore, the fetus should not be considered human until it actually has all of the developed organs that humans require, which does not occur until about the seventh month of pregnancy, when the lungs are functioning and the brain is able to control at least some of the body's functions.
What critics of abortion need to realize is that abortion is really the best option for many people. Obviously, abortion should be allowed in cases of rape, when the maternal life is in jeopardy, or when the fetus has some sort of physical defect that would severely detract from their quality of life if they are brought to maturation. Even some opponents of abortion agree with that.
However, this right should extend to people who are either not fit or ready to handle the arduous task of raising a child. Is it really fair to a child to be forced to live in a home, beaten and abused, or neglected and uncared for? Of course, placing a child up for adoption is also an alternative for parents, but it can be extremely hard, especially in more under-developed areas, to find suitable parents willing and capable to take on a child.
I understand that abortion is an extremely touchy subject for many, as it goes against the moral codes of several religions. I'll even admit to having trouble swallowing the idea of partial-birth abortions on a moral basis. However, women deserve to have control over what goes on in their own bodies. Surely every woman who has had an abortion understands the difficult choices abortion entials, and consequences that go along with those choices, religious and otherwise. Allowing the government to ban abortions would do practically nothing to change the mindset of many women - forcing them only to endure painful and dangerous underground abortion methods.
Thus, it would make sense to allow the practice of abortion to remain a legal option for pregnant women. Since they understand the consequences of their actions, and because making the practice illegal would only drive it underground, the government should not be restricting and undermining abortion. Demonizing abortion should not be tolerated, especially in the government.
Ryan Dashek is a sophomore majoring in biology. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
