Should Abortions Be Made Illegal In The U.K Essay Example Essay Example

Should Abortions Be Made Illegal In The U.K Essay Example Paper Should Abortions Be Made Illegal In The U.K Essay Introduction I am sure you need no reminding at how controversial the topic of abortion is, there have been endless debates for decades on the subject and to be elected president of the United States, you must have a view on abortion. It really is a very important issue in modern day society.The abortion law was passed in 1967, brought about by an MP, David Steel. Which is still the law governing abortions in England, Scotland and Wales. The primary objective of the law was to eliminate illegal, backstreet clinics which were open to women who wished to have an abortion. However, procedures in these took place under filthy conditions since they did not have to abide any rules or regulations regarding hygiene. This unfortunately led to the deaths of many women. However, the law succeeded, nearly all of these clinics were shut down but which has led to a surge in the number of abortions taking place.Nowadays abortion is permitted if some conditions are met, such as, whether the pregnancy will pose a risk to the life of the mother or whether there is a strong chance that the child may suffer from serious mental or physical abnormalities. However it is very difficult to define for example, serious abnormalities, a reason why the topic of abortion produces a wide variety of attitudes. Nevertheless, it is still rather easy for women to obtain an abortion in the U.K and many â€Å"pro-life† campaigners want the law on abortion to be made much stricter. On the other hand supporters of abortion believe that the law does not go far enough and that abortion should be made more readily available.Although abortion is easily available within Great Britain, it is not obtainable in Northern Ireland unless serious complications may arise. Supporters of abortion feel that the situation is inadequate since it is out of step with the rest of the U.K. Yet many women from Northern Ireland travel over to Britain in order to receive an abortion, some even say this discriminates those who can not afford to travel. I do agree that the situation in Northern Ireland penalises women living here and although I am not eagerly in favour of abortion I feel that more women in Northern Ireland should be given the chance to terminate their pregnancy without travelling to mainland Britain.Other people’s views on abortion vary dramatically with endless debates sparked over a single question, is abortion morally wrong? Some people think that abortion is morally wrong, but that having an abortion may be the best alternative, although others would argue that abortions are not morally wrong and that the choice should be given to the women. Such a view would be considered as being â€Å"pro-choice.† Many of whom do not support the concept of abortion but admit that it is required in modern day society. I personally agree that abortions are a vital part in society today, however I do feel that more should be done by authorities to reduce the number of abortions currently taki ng place.At present it is rather difficult for an individual, unfamiliar with the concept on abortion to take a strong opinion on the matter, since most of the arguments for and against often contradict each other. The abortion figures are startling, last year over 195,000 terminations took place in England and Wales, a substantial 3.2 percent increase from the previous year and since the 1967 Abortion Act, over 6 million abortions have taken place. It is of little surprise that most of these cases were in women under the age of 21. A reason that â€Å"pro-life† supporters would argue against abortion, saying that nowadays abortion is treated as being an easy way out with little thinking over the matter. Yet it also shows how common abortions actually are in the U.K, a reason why many are insisting that they should be banned.At present there are even some extreme groups in the U.S that try to force people into taking the opinion that abortion is morally wrong through the use shocking pictures and illegal signs. There have been numerous documentaries following such demonstrators and how they attempt to change people’s views using this method. However, in my opinion I feel that people should be allowed to take their own view on a subject and should definitely not be forced in taking a particular side, yet demonstrators insist that abortion is killing and should be addressed by provocative means.Such extremists would take the view that life begins at the point of conception, therefore placing abortion as killing. However, there are a variety of views which can be taken. For example, it could begin at the point of conception right up to the time when the baby is born. Those in favour of abortion would often view the birth as the point when life begins and therefore would not see abortion as murder.Another concern that some individuals take is the fact of how abortions carried out in Britain are costing the National Health Service a substantial sum of money, of which in this economic crisis the nation can simply not afford. Since the total sum accumulated in 2009 was in excess of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½20 million, and those would argue that abortions should either be prohibited altogether or a fee should be introduced for each procedure. However an action such as introducing a charge could cause tremendous uproar, as in theory it would be discriminating those who may be in great financial difficulty, who would be left unable to shift the bill. Nevertheless I feel that this is an extremely weak argument to use against abortion, since it would cost the state much more money to fund each child born rather than each procedure. I also feel that it is deeply insensitive to argue on matters of life and death on the bases of economical implications.On the other hand a ban in abortion would most likely lead to a surge in population and many would ask whether the U.K could face such a change. Currently the population stands at just under 65 million and one would ask if abortion was to be made illegal would a population increase be likely. There is a range in opinions however the majority of experts agree that there is increased chance of a rise in population. Mixed with the current rate of immigration, such an increase would be very unsustainable and could severe consequences.Although anti-abortionists would disagree that a ban in abortions would have much of an effect on overall population. However it is hard to believe such a statement when viewing current statistics of the growth in the U.K. It would be a massive understatement to say it would be easy to the government to place a ban.Although it is part of their everyday job, even doctors still do not agree with the overall concept of abortions, with some who even want a ban altogether. Still, 75 percent of doctors believe that women should have the choice on whether to have an abortion or not. However, nearly all medical professionals of those surveyed agreed that the time limit to have an abortion should be halved, from the current 24 weeks to 12 weeks. Although late abortions account for only 1 percent of the overall total, nevertheless carrying out a late abortion can be extremely unpleasant. Since it is pictures of such procedures that anti-abortionists use as deterrents for others.I also coincide with the widespread opinion that the cap on late abortions should be reduced to 12 weeks. Late abortions are not only much more distressing for the patient but can also affect the doctors who carry them out. Some doctors have even been mentally scared, which really does show exactly how unpleasant they are.Regarding abortion for medical reasons for instance; where the mother’s life is in jeopardy, I feel the decision should be up to the mother, family, or doctor. It’s true, the mother and the unborn baby are still two separate individuals but under these difficult circumstances it should be a personal decision for those directly involved. This is the most widely accepted reason in society to have an abortion since many would prefer the mother not to be put through danger, than for the child to grow up with possibly no mother. This situation differs so fundamentally from abortion on demand, which is to have an abortion for convenience, as opposed to choosing which life will be saved. A very difficult situation where the woman has become pregnant is in serious cases such as rape. In such a scenario I believe that the decision should be dependant entirely on the woman. Since it will be her responsibility to raise the child if she chooses to have it.Although these are very hard decisions for those involved, many anti-abortionists insist that it is an easy decision not to have an abortion as the baby can be offered for adoption. However I disagree, I feel that it would be much harder for a woman to put her child up for adoption and possibly try to forget than to have an early abortion. A ban in abortion would lead to a ri se in children being put up for adoption, and in my opinion it will leave a lot more women possibly feeling guilty. Yet there is no doubt that having an abortion will have some sort of an impact on the person involved.Although not much of an issue in the U.K in Africa around 35,000 women die each year due to unsafe and illegal clinics, since abortion is not legal in Africa. This figure is over 40 percent of the global total which is extremely alarming. Critics warn that if abortion is banned in the U.K many similar clinics will open illegally and pose a threat to women willing to take the chance, which would simply not be acceptable.I also feel that many women would choose not to have an abortion if there is better financial and social support for mothers. These include simple things such as more flexible working hours and inexpensive, readily available childcare. However such a move would also have consequences, a lot of money would be spent by government and at present such a chan ge may not be possible.In conclusion, I feel that although abortion is a very sensitive issue in society I also feel it is also very beneficial as a whole. Though, currently the rules are much too relaxed since many women see it as an easy way out of a difficult situation, when in fact it may be the completely wrong decision. At present I feel that the number carried of abortions carried out is much too high and that the time limit should be reduced to 12 weeks. Yet in my opinion I feel that the choice should be solely down to the woman, she will be the one that needs to care for the child and nobody else should have a say whether that is right or wrong. Furthermore, if abortion is made illegal in Britain it will not succeed in preventing it from occurring. The doors of numerous illegal clinics will open, like before the abortion law was passed, which may well result in preventable deaths and even the spread of disease. Should Abortions Be Made Illegal In The U.K Essay Thank you for reading this Sample!