A topic that is widely debated in the United States is if abortion should be legal. For many years it has remained undecided if it should be a woman’s choice to get an abortion or not. A major part of the abortion debate is the landmark court case, Roe v. Wade which was decided in 1973. Due to this court case, abortion in the first trimester was legalized. When arguing that abortion should be legal, there are many different reasons that can be used such as, legal abortions are much safer instead of “back alley” abortions, along with at what point a developing fetus starts to feel pain. Also, there are certain groups of individuals that are more likely to get an abortion. Lastly, all abortion procedures do not cause any long term health issues.

            A major reason why abortions should be legal is because it is much safer with different types of procedures than illegal abortions. Also, if a woman desperately wanted to end her pregnancy, she would find a different way that could potentially put her life in danger if abortion was illegal. It is said that a woman’s risk of dying from having an abortion is around 0.6 in 100,000 abortions when the risk of dying from giving birth to a baby is about 8.8 in 100,000 which is around 14 times higher (“Should Abortion Be Legal?”). This shows that a woman is more in danger when she gives birth than receiving a safe abortion. Also, it has been said that, “In the early 1900s, an estimated 800,000 illegal abortions occurred annually, resulting in 8,000 to 17,000 women's deaths each year in the United States” (Troianello). This goes to show that since abortion was illegal in this time period, many more deaths occurred because it was not done safely. Since a woman felt the need to get an abortion, she would have to risk her life in order to do so. Also with abortion being legal, “First trimester legal abortions are 8 to 10 times safer than giving birth, and it is much safer than illegal abortions” (Troianello). Since abortions have been legalized in some parts of the world, there are many different ways to terminate a pregnancy that are much safer. Women all around the world do not need to risk their lives if they can undergo a safe procedure to get an abortion. The American Medical Association has said that, “The abortion-related death rate among U.S. women has fallen sharply since 1973, the year abortion became legal.”  And since abortion has been legal the National Organization for Women has stated, “This study is confirming everything we have been saying . . . that since Roe vs. Wade we have been saving women's lives” (The Associated Press). If abortion was legal in every part of the world, even more women’s lives would be saved.

            Many “pro-life” people argue that having an abortion is killing an unborn baby; meanwhile a fetus is considered a baby when it takes its first breath after birth. In other words, “pro-life” supporters believe that, “abortion is immoral because personhood begins at conception not birth, and, therefore, abortion kills innocent human beings” ("Should Abortion be Legal? New Website…”). Pro-life supporters also believe that the fetus can feel pain during the abortion procedure (“Should Abortion Be Legal?”). On the other hand, a developing fetus cannot feel anything before 13 weeks due to the fact that there is no “linking to the brain” (Highfield).  Since a fetus cannot feel anything before a certain point in a pregnancy, that makes them drastically different from a living and breathing human being. Before six months of gestation, the fetus does not yet have a central nervous system so it is not capable of any sensations or thoughts (Documenting Development…). Normally, a developed human being would be capable of thoughts and sensations so this sets unborn fetuses apart from fully developed human beings. Lastly, “a person’s age is calculated from the birth date, not conception, and fetuses are not counted in the US Census” (“Should Abortion Be Legal?”). This goes to prove that a fetus is not an independent and “self-determining being” until it is born. Also, the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution does not include the unborn. Since a fetus is not considered a person until after birth, having an abortion is not the same thing as killing a baby. Having an abortion is the termination of a pregnancy, not a baby (“Should Abortion Be Legal?”).

            When looking at who is most likely to get an abortion, it is clear to see that it is most common among adolescents and low-income people. Since abortion has become extremely safe, it is easier for women to go through with the procedure. In the year 2000, there were over one million women who had an abortion. Also, in 2010, unmarried women accounted for 85% of all abortions in that year and women that were between the ages of 20-24 were around 33% of the abortions. While looking at the statistics, there are many reasons that women feel the need to get an abortion (“U.S. Abortion Statistics”). Some say that having a baby would interfere with their work, other responsibilities, they cannot afford to have a child and some even say that they do not want to be a single parent (“U.S. Abortion Statistics”). Pro-life people argue that if a woman became pregnant, they should accept the responsibility and have the child. But if having an abortion was illegal everywhere, women would be stuck having an unwanted child in their life and that could lead to the child being neglected or abused.

            Lastly, many people argue that when a woman has an abortion, it could cause psychological damage or other long term health risks. Today, there are many abortion procedures that are found to be very safe and they do not affect the woman’s health. Some say that having abortion can lead to fertility issues in the future and mental health problems.  Research was done by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to see if abortions affect fertility. It was found that women who had at least two abortions had the same future fertility as women who carried at least two natural pregnancies. Also, a study was done by the American Psychological Association and there was no correlation between abortions and mental health problems (“Should Abortion Be Legal?”).

            After looking at the different reasons why abortion should be legal, it is easy to see that many more women’s lives have been saved with legal abortions. If a woman would risk her life to get an abortion anyway, it should be legal so she could do it through a safe procedure. Also, many young women receive abortions every year. Similarly, having an abortion does not mean the same thing as killing a baby. A fetus cannot feel pain or any sensations before a certain point in the pregnancy and a fetus is not considered an independent human until birth. Lastly, abortions do not cause any long term health risks such as infertility and mental health problems. Legal abortions would help keep women safe and having an abortion early in the pregnancy is much safer than giving birth.