Revised annotation 4

Annotation 4             Why can’t I take abortion?

      January 22 has been seen as a depressing day by anti-abortion people in U.S, because taking abortion had been legalized in the country since 1973. It must surprise you, for we all know most of people in United States believe in Christianity. In the Bible, it sees unborn babies as children, (From Exodus 21-22: “If men, while fighting, do damage to a woman with child, causing the loss of the child…”), and any murder is not allowed. (From Exodus 20-13: “Do not put anyone to death without cause.”) However, the country also asks freedom and fairness, how to deal with it if women want to take abortion? Which one does the law have to protect, the unborn babies or women’ dominion of body?  

      In 1970, there was a poor girl named Jane Roe in Texas. Because she had not enough money, she wanted to take abortion, but the laws in the state forbade taking abortion. As a result, she brought a suit to prevent the prosecutor from enforcing the state’s antiabortion laws. The controversial points were whether women’s right of taking abortion should belong to privacy, whether unborn babies should be protected by the constitution, and whether the antiabortion laws in Texas violate the constitution.

      Because of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the Court announced that the antiabortion laws were violations to the constitution.

In the amendment, it said: “The Due Process Clause prohibits state and local government officials from depriving persons of life, liberty, or property without legislative authorization.” And the unborn babies are not included the “persons.” The opinion of the court, Blackmun, even noted that “the state imposed a great burden “upon the pregnant woman by denying this choice,” subjecting women to potential medical harms, as well as financial and emotional harms.” He believed that there would be many of women like Roe shouldering the burden after giving a birth. In 1990s, most of states tended to legalize taking abortion.

      Why taking abortion is not like removing a tumor? Because people tend to give the assumption to unborn babies, and that see them as humans. This assumption restricts women to take abortion and that also makes women stressful. Just like in the case, during the suit, Roe had no choice but to give birth and still had to give it up for adoption. People care about babies’ rights, but ignore pregnant women’ rights and force them to deliver unwanted babies. All in all, the society should give women the dominion of body, ceasing imposing restriction on them, and respect their decision.

Source: Paul Finkelman & Melvin I. Urofsky. Roe v. Wade. Retrieved (Dec 15, 2013), from http://science.jburroughs.org/mbahe/BioEthics/Articles/Summary_Roe_v_Wade.pdf