Bao Ying Guan
ID: mu9893
English 3001
Fall 2013
OE Final

Have you ever considered the choices you have had to make when faced with a difficult situation? We hope to make the right choice the first time because we could end up making a mistake that will greatly affect your life. Abortion is a very controversial choice because it involves another person’s life. Some people consider that abortion should not even be allowed because they think abortion is a form of murder, which is a criminal act. Other people think that abortion gives women freedom to make decision for their own lives when they are in an unwanted pregnancy. Although the moral conflicts of abortion exist, abortion should be allowed with limits when considering woman’s reproductive freedom, potential health problems and the possible outcomes for rape or sexual abuse. Abortion offers a chance for pregnant teenagers to correct unintended pregnancies therefore allowing them to focus on their futures in which they are better prepared to care for themselves and a child. Most teenagers that have an unwanted pregnancy before the age twenty are due to the lack of sexual knowledge, and some of them are too young to make the right decision when they are in a relationship. A friend of mine got pregnant when she was sixteen years old and with only two years until graduate from high school. I remember her feeling embarrassed, helpless and confused. She had thought about keeping the child and dropping out from school, then she realized it would not be a wise decision after discussing with her parents, so she decided to have an abortion. She made this decision because she realized that not only she was too young to have a child, but she did not even have the ability to take care of herself at that time. Without graduating from high school, she would not be able to get a job. By having an abortion, she was able to put her life back on track by correcting the mistake she made. Being able to provide a good environment and condition for child is one of many responsibilities of the parents. In my friend’s case, having an abortion was a wise choice she made based off of her situation. After she went back to a normal life like us after the abortion, she has a happy and harmonious and two adorable children now. Pregnancies can also bring some unexpected health risks to mother or the child. Besides the hidden diseases, a mothers’ health can be threatened by some emergency situation during their pregnancies. Some diseases will not harm the mother but the child. For example: the Down Syndrome. Having an abortion could avoid the birth of unhealthy child, which is beneficial for both the mother and the child. According to a report from Mayo clinic, health risk increase during the pregnancy especially for the women over 35 years old. Some women are found that they do not have a suitable physique for carrying a child and might have a difficult labor, while some might even lost their lives. Therefore, considering of the child’s future and the mother’s health, abortion should be the best way to save both of them. Furthermore, abortion can protect the mother while she is facing an emergency situation during her pregnancy. More recently, an Indian woman named Savita Halappanava has shocked the pro-life supporters. According to the report from Huffpost World, Savita Halappanva, a 17 weeks pregnant woman died from blood poisoning after she was denied having an abortion after misdiagnosed. In Savita’s case, abortion was the only and best way to save her life but may have been denied due to abortion laws of Ireland’s government, which allows pregnant women to have abortion when they are in life-threatening circumstance. Although abortion should be legalized for situations when the woman's life is at risk from continuing the pregnancy from a 1922 Supreme Court ruling. The Irish hospital refused to provide the abortion procedure. The 31-year-old woman lost her life and the right to