Over the past few weeks, one abortion ban was passed or signed after another in the US. It has become quite a topic in this country. Given the lightening fast news cycle here in which everything seems to be swept under the rug and deleted from our short memory in a span of 24-48 hours, the continued dialogue on the issue shows it carries significant importance to a lot of people. As it should.
Some consider abortion ban justified because when there is a heartbeat detected or a fetus is formed in some fashion, a life exists. And it’s a crime to kill a life in a woman’s womb. I don’t agree with any of the abortion bans for a couple of reasons.
First, giving birth to a child is a massive massive commitment. I don’t have kids, but I have seen what my parents as well as others have sacrificed for their kids. Their lives are changed forever. Career is disrupted. A lot of resources are required. If a child is born when the parents aren’t ready, it’s likely all three lives will be worse than they are before the birth of the child. In some cases, it can mean death to either the mother or the child if it has to live in poverty after birth. If we are talking about valuing lives and humanity, the argument is half glass full.
Secondly and more importantly, it’s a matter of principles. It takes a man and a woman to conceive a child, but so far the majority of lawmakers who pushed for abortion bans are men. Women don’t have an equal voice on the matter in which they tend to sacrifice more than their partners. It’s not right. Do you want to be forced to do something by somebody else who will never have to experience that?
Furthermore, America is the land of the free and home of the brave. Individual freedom is sacred in this country and I believe, it should be in anywhere else too. Outlawing abortion means stripping women of their freedom to choose what they want to do with their bodies. It strips women of the sacred right that is often touted as the signature foundation of this country. In the case of rapes, abortion bans mean stripping women of the ability to erase horrible experiences from their life and have a better one. I don’t think it’s justified. I don’t think it’s right for men to have all the freedom to ourselves while restricting the same right for women.
Minh Quang Duong 