We Are Born To Fight

We Were Born to Fight

As history indicates, women have been walking on a rough road to fight for their right, freedom, and equality. Back in the early twentieth century, women had to battle for the right to vote when the time only white men had the privilege to vote and which was not listed as one of the original constitutional rights. Then, they had to gain the right to use birth control to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy when access to safe and legal abortion was not available. Later, the United States Supreme Court finally legalized abortion in 1973 as titled Roe V. Wade. Now, people have finally come to realize the fact that abortion is still not a choice of women as regarding their free will and right because most of them still do not have access to safe abortion even though abortion is legal since many of the women have lost their lives to infection due to unsafe abortion. Abortion is a very complicated issue regarding women.

Abortion should be a choice of women of their free will and a reflecton of today’s social problems such as the inequality between both sexes, the over-power of government especially in the United States, and classism. Eventually, such social problems motivate advocators of abortion to launch movements like the National Abortion Rights Action League and changes are needed from the government and us to stop these social problems. Also, people often rephrase the term abortion politically to evaluate women. Thus, everybody should understand the term abortion then begin to discuss the social problems relate to it.

The word abortion is supposed to be a medical term but now a political meaning has also been imposed to it. Writer Amy Richards states in her essay, “What is Abortion?”, which is found in editor Krista Jacob’s book, Abortion Under Attack: Women On The Challenges Facing Choice, “The procedures encompassed by this vague term actually range from medication to surgery…and [abortion] doesn’t begin to address the specificity of varying procedures” (27). Abortion is supposed a simple term to represent the procedures to terminate a pregnancy but not stating any specific procedure. Sadly, people who oppose abortion use it as “shorthand for the murder of unborn babies, symbolically, to condemn people who support women’s access to these choices…These women are assumed to be selfish, ignorant baby killers” (Richards 28). Antagonists define abortion as a weapon to attack women. In contrast, supporters of abortion use it “as a symbol of equality of emancipation…[and] Advocates tend to push abortion as symbolic of other issues, such as access to sex education, access to quality health care, etc” (28). Supporters extent the meaning of abortion to protect women’s rights and bodies. Most importantly, abortion is a women’s choice as a right to women and a provocative issue that reflects women’s social status in today’s society relates to different social problems and the definitions are simply guidelines to under it. First of all, we should begin to look at abortion as a choice of women.

Abortion is a choice to women because it is a necessity for personal reasons regarding their circumstances and women are the ones who endure the pain. Thus, it should be a decision respect by everybody. Richards insists, “the truth is that the choice is so personal and the circumstances so unique that no one really knows what a given women would do вЂ" and so it’s pointless to speculate” (Richards 27). Women who determine to get abortion have their hardships and reasons that are difficult to explain to outsiders who have never experienced them. Therefore, people who do not understand these women should not judge them because they are not the ones who experience the pain. Abortion is a hurtful decision, mentally and physically, to women who bear the fetal, especially when there is no alternative solution available to the problems women face. One of the most convincing reasons for women to choose abortion is when pregnancies are unexpected. Writer Marger Berer agrees in his academic journal, “Making Abortion a Woman’s Right Worldwide,” “Ultimately, women have abortion for only one reason because they cannot cope with particular pregnancy at a particular time…. They may regret the reasons, but this does not alter the fact that abortion is the correct decision for them and necessary in the circumstances of their lives.” (3). Abortion should be available to women when they need it because it is a woman’s decision. Women who have abortion might eventually regret their decision since unexpected pregnancies are a matter of time but abortion was necessary at that particular time period. Thus, no body is qualified to blame the women for having abortion since abortion is a personal choice made by themselves. Abortion is not only a matter of women’s choice but also a reflection of how social problems affect the social status of women in the society. Inequality between both sexes should be the one we begin with since it happens century ago like getting the right to vote in the twentieth century.

People always see men as the head of the family with a powerful image since they work and financially support the whole family. In contrast, women are seen as followers of men since century ago women had to stay at home to bear babies and did not have the opportunities to work for the family. Thus, abortion seems unreasonable for women to have in the society because bearing children is their only duty. This bad image makes women who choose abortion selfish and evil. People also blame women who have abortion for not doing their job and try to prohibit abortion. Writer Lucia Rayas agrees in her journal, “Criminalizing Abortion: A Crime Against Women,”:

a stringent set of values that equate women with mother вЂ" a saintly, devoted mother whose sexuality is forever linked to reproduction. Women…are seen as evil, and those who do not opt for motherhood are selfish and unworthy. Several centuries later these basic tenets still prevail. They are reflected in most of our legislation and are protected by a patriarchal state. Women are men’s property and the bearers of their future heirs (22).

Women’s job is to reproduce for men and they are supposed to be respected mothers who bring life. If they choose abortion over motherhood, people see women as unworthy human being in the society. Also, Women are seen like the slaves of men. This behavior in today’s