A lot of people are against abortion either due to religious reasons or due to the fact they see it as murder no matter how early on in the pregnancy they are when they terminate.

I understand those who believe abortion is wrong, however, there are certain factors where I believe women should be allowed the opportunity to abort. I think if someone has got pregnant and isn’t in the right state financially, mentally or physically to have said baby they shouldn’t be forced into it. Especially if the father isn’t willing to help or support in any way. We already have an overpopulation issue and there is no point giving birth to a baby who won’t be in a great situation.

There is also the case of those, unfortunately, getting pregnant due to being raped. I feel they shouldn’t have to give birth to the baby. Imagine how much resentment and hatred that the mother will feel towards that child? A reminder of what happened to her would be with her constantly, for the rest of her life. That is not a good situation for anyone involved.

Those who are against abortion often suggest to give the baby up for adoption. However, that argument doesn’t always work.

The mother still has to go through nine months of carrying the baby which can affect them physically, emotionally and mentally. There are real medical risks and consequences when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth. I’m not saying there are no risks with abortion but let’s not just assume you can use pregnancy, childbirth and adoption as an alternative for the other.

If you were able to give birth to a baby into the loving arms of another set of parents then fine, but that’s not always the case.

You are also sentencing the baby to a life of never knowing where they came from or why. Forever wanting to find who or where their birth mother is and why they were given up. There are already 400,000 children in the foster care system and many of them get to the age of 18 on their own with virtually nothing. 20% of teens end up leaving foster care and being homeless.

Children put in foster care also have a statistically higher chance of suffering from depression, addiction and suicide, let alone any other mental health issues. Putting a child into foster care means they are starting life at a disadvantage.

Mothers have been shown to regret giving their child up for adoption. They go through life constantly thinking about their child out there unaware of their situation. Whereas those who abort have this sense of great relief where they can focus on their own life again.

We will never be able to end abortions, however, the real problem is making sure everyone has access to safe and legal abortion. Otherwise, women start to put themselves in dangerous situations. We should be taking care of the children we already have without pushing mothers to give birth to more when they aren’t in the situation to do so.

Most pro-life advocates are most interested in the childbirth and controlling women than the actual quality of life for everyone involved.

Gracie Victoria Hemphill x