In 1973, the Supreme Court decision 
Roe v. Wade made it legal for a 
woman to have an abortion after consulting with her 
physician.
Thirty years later, Roe v. Wade is still the cause of 
much controversy. Now with Bush as our president, this 
major Supreme Court decision is in danger of being 
overturned.
If abortion were made illegal, all abortions would be 
against the law no matter the situation. There are 
many reasons why women get abortions: they’re 
economically disadvantaged, they’re too young, or 
they’re just not ready to be a mom. Having an abortion 
is the impregnated woman’s decision; she chooses what 
she does with her body.
The fact that some women get abortions is disgusting 
in the eyes of pro-life supporters. Pro-life believers 
often ridicule women who abort, because they claim 
it’s the mother’s responsibility that she became 
pregnant, and she should deal with it. Pro-life 
supporters also claim if a woman is responsible enough 
to have sex, she should be responsible enough to take 
care of the outcome, the child.
Women do get pregnant, but it does not mean they are 
not being responsible. In reality, fifty-four percent 
of women who received an abortion in California used 
some sort of contraceptive. No contraceptive is one 
hundred percent effective. Accidents happen, and it 
does not reflect how responsible a woman is. She 
shouldn’t have her life changed due to a failing 
contraceptive.
What about women who were raped? Women in that 
situation were just living their typical life, and 
were not being irresponsible. A rapist’s actions don’t 
have the right to change a woman’s life forever. Even 
if a raped woman decided to put the child up for 
adoption, she would still be pregnant for nine months. 
According to my mother, being pregnant and having a 
child is difficult and painful. A raped woman should 
not have to limit her daily actions, and experience 
pain during delivery due to a rapist. The woman should 
decide if she wants to have a child, not the rapist.
An abortion is often seen as a murder. Pro-life 
advocates claim that to have an abortion is to kill a 
human. The dictionary defines human as a person, or
characteristics of human beings. Most abortions occur 
only in the first trimester into the pregnancy, when 
the so-called human is a fetus. A fetus does not follow
the definition of a human. It does not think, feel, 
look, or do anything like a human. Eventually the 
fetus will turn into a child, but when an abortion is 
performed it’s closer to a parasite than a human.
Women deserve to have a say about what happens inside 
their bodies, especially if it’s as life changing as a 
baby. Women who do abort have their own personal 
reasons as to why they do it, and should not be judged 
as bad people.
In California, fifty-seven percent of women having 
abortions are in their twenties. These women obviously 
feel they are not ready to have a child, and why 
should they? A child is a gift, not a burden, and 
should only be loved.
When abortions were illegal, desperate women would 
perform their own operations. The operations would 
often end in extreme blood loss, and sometimes death. 
Now abortions are one of the safest surgical 
procedures for women in America.
Abortion should remain legal. People who are pro-life 
can certainly make the decision to not have an 
abortion. If abortion was illegal, people who are pro-
choice and want an abortion would have to take the 
matter in their own hands. This is America, where you 
have the right to do what you want with your body.
Overturning Roe v. Wade would be like a malignant 
tumor that would eventually spread and kill freedom. 
The government doesn’t have the right to enter our 
home without a warrant; what makes them think they can 
make laws about our most personal business?