SHOULD ABORTION BE ILLEGAL IN THE UK?

WRITTEN BY ALEXA H Completed the Extended Project Qualification

In this dissertation I will be exploring a controversial argument that can significantly affect millions in the future. I will venture through the two sides of the ongoing argument: Should abortion be illegal in the UK? Recently this question has come up in many ways in the news and after recent laws being made in other countries it made me think what would happen if this happened in the UK and how lifechanging one decision can be for a person. In order to make an innovative composition I have researched several websites, documentaries and created surveys to make sure my references are accurate. My sub-questions are the initial base of what I would like to outline and produce in this essay which look into the amount of women use this method of contraception; whether some women are using it for the right reasons; what the impact of women ’ s mental and physical health it would have if it were made illegal and I will be looking at cases from countries that has put this law into place such as parts of America, and the effects that has had already. Personally, I have chosen this topic because as a young girl if the right thing is not done in this type of situation to prioritise the wellbeing and health of women it can have an impact on me and future generations while also being relevant to the world’s politics now. I chose to complete an EPQ to broaden my knowledge in a question that has always intrigued me but to also use the skills I am learning now such as essay writing and making deadlines to my advantage for when I will have to use these skills more frequently.

How many women use abortion every year and why or why not?

times While to more extreme extents some also argue that “abortion sidesteps oppression of women, ” (“Arguments against abortion” BBC - Ethics - Abortion: Arguments against abortion) it damages women ’ s long term mental, emotional and physical health. times. While to more extreme extents some also argue that “abortion sidesteps

“Abortion, the expulsion of a fetus from the uterus before it has reached the stage of viability in human beings, usually about the 20th week of gestation” (“abortion” Abortion | Definition, Procedure, Laws, & Facts | Britannica) Since 2011 abortion rates in the UK went from just under 190,000 to 210,000 in 2021 As you can see from the graph above, a rapid spike in the graph starts in 2016 and is still increasing “The age standardised abortion rate for residents is 18 6 per 1,000 women, the highest rate since the Abortion Act was introduced ” (“abortion statistics, England and Wales: 2021” Abortion statistics, England and Wales: 2021GOV UK (www gov uk) )

Having the option of an abortion has saved the lives of many women and this choice gives a safety net to those who may not be in the right financial state or mental state to have a baby and be able to give it the correct attention and care it needs to survive More importantly, it also gives hope to the lives of victims of sexual assault and women who know that having a baby can lead to significant medical issues and even be life threatening for her or her baby Technology now can also see whether the baby will be born with a disability and some mothers do not wish to bear a child that would have to live with restricting medical issues

On the other hand, many women choose to terminate a pregnancy not as a final resort and abuse the use of this treatment by having a mindset that it is a form of contraception that can be used multiple tAspen Baker, an American woman that grew up during the political wars on abortion, produced a TedTalk informing us that she grew up as a Christian and everyone in her family and community was pro-life These views were projected onto her as a kid and she said, “As a kid, the idea of abortion made me so sad that I knew if I ever got pregnant, I could never have one ” (“ a better way to talk about abortion” Aspen Baker: A better way to talk about abortion | TED Talk ) However, a few months after graduating college she fell pregnant in a new relationship and was torn with the decision of whether to have an abortion This was until her friend openly told Aspen about her abortion experience but by being open and not ashamed from her experience it led Aspen to feeling alright about her decision to have an abortion “Before Polly, no one had ever told me that she’d had an abortion” (“ a better way to talk about abortion”

Aspen Baker: A better way to talk about abortion | TED Talk ) This quote directly indicates to the type of society we live in where most women would be too embarrassed or ashamed to admit to anyone be that close friends or family that she’d had an abortion, however if more women were open and honest about it the embarrassment would slowly disappear Her story also reflects how much your family and community can influence such a personal decision by their beliefs and faith to almost the point where an individual may go against what they would want to do just to not disappoint their family Religion is another leading argument towards the illegalization of abortion due to many religions “ opposes abortion rights, with few or no exceptions” (“Where major religious groups stand on abortion” Where major religious groups stand on abortion | Pew Research Center ) and may describe it as murder such as the church of Jesus Christ, the roman catholic church and Hinduism

What would be the impacts if abortion was made illegal across the world?

“1 in 3 women has an abortion” (“1 in 3 women has an abortion, and 95% don't regret it – so why are we so afraid to talk about it?” 1 in 3 women has an abortion, and 95% don't regret it – so why are we so afraid to talk about it? | The Independent | The Independent ) sometime in their lifetime When safely done abortion is one of the safest procedures in medicine but unsafe abortion is a major cause of maternal death “Every 11 minutes, a woman somewhere in the world dies from complications related to unsafe abortion ”( “Arguments for and against abortion”

Arguments for and against abortionDebating Europe) If abortion were to be made illegal in the UK, some women in desperate cases would resort to getting an unsafe abortion as the illegalisation of abortion would not reduce the amount of terminations that would take place which can result in death like all medical procedures if not done the right way and by professionals Therefore, the rate of maternal death would quickly become a huge factor towards the death of many women as “47,000 women die every year as a result of the complications of unsafe abortions where it’s illegal ” (“1 in 3 women has an abortion, and 95% don't regret it – so why are we so afraid to talk about it?” 1 in 3 women has an abortion, and 95% don't regret it – so why are we so afraid to talk about it? | The Independent | The Independent )

The world population is estimated to be around 9 billion by 2050. Without abortion this number would heighten rapidly harming human civilization because it would lead to malnutrition, starvation, poverty, lack of medical and educational service, underdevelopment and conflict over resources “With around 73 million induced abortions” (“Abortion” Abortion (who int) ) still being performed worldwide every year, the world population would be unimaginably high without it.

Abortion also helps vastly in making sure women avoid psychosocial and financial burdens in the future Bearing a child comes with major responsibilities such as health, education, food and shelter which requires a stable financial approach A mother would also need to be prepared for changes in the world so not just surviving off of the bare minimum because for example right now the cost-of-living crisis is leaving many families with severe financial burden due to the substantial increase in cost of everything Without abortion children living in poverty would be at the highest it has ever been and that can also have physical and mental impacts on the child as well as the mother

Why is abortion even being considered being illegal?

Life begins at conception; therefore, many people believe that makes abortion murder because it takes place after the life has begun Many against abortion also have the mindset that “legal abortion promotes a culture in which life is disposable” (Pro and Con: Abortion | Britannica “ pro and con: abortion”) If more undeveloped countries had increased access to birth control, health insurance, and education on sex because if they are not receiving this the problem of women having unnecessary abortions can’t be helped If more countries deliver these requirements abortion should be avoidable in most cases and not needed to be considered being illegal

A main part of the idea of making abortion illegal is the misuse of this type of contraception Many women after the legalization of abortion were using it as their only form of contraception, like a drastic sort of insurance policy Research was produced during 2020 showing that “42% of women undergoing abortions had had one or more previous abortions The proportion has increased steadily from 34% in 2010.” (“abortion statistics, England and Wales: 2021” Abortion statistics, England and Wales: 2021 - GOV UK (www gov uk) ) This study has shown that many women are either careless about their use of contraception because in the back of their mind they know they always have a last resort, or they were just not educated enough about it when they were younger

Abortion should only be used if there is a specific medical or mental reasoning that can be justified to a specialist and agreed

Abortions are a lot safer and successful in the first trimester of a pregnancy because complications may arise if performed in a later stage because the baby is quickly developing This means the women must be aware of her unplanned pregnancy in the early stages and quickly make the decision on whether to have an abortion This time limit to make such an important decision could influence making a regretful choice because you never know if you will get pregnant later in life when you are in the right place to start a family. Therefore, if abortion were to be illegal women would be rid of the stress of a life-changing decision

If a woman gave birth to an unwanted baby, she could let the women who can’t conceive have the opportunity to start a family Recently the number of children seeking adoption has declined because so many women have chosen to abort their unwanted pregnancies however the parents seeking to adopt has increased This is preventing the opportunity of parenthood from the parents who couldn’t bear their baby while millions of babies are being terminated daily

What effects have countries that have made abortion illegal had on women?

“Laws regarding abortion are diverse” (“ world population review” Countries

Where Abortion Is Illegal 2023 (worldpopulationreview.com) ) and depend heavily on how developed a country is and its political systems “As of 2021, there are twenty-four countries in which abortion is illegal in any and all circumstances However, most countries have adopted a more nuanced approach” (“ world population review” Countries

Where Abortion Is Illegal 2023 (worldpopulationreview com) ) as abortion is legal in cases where the pregnancy is “the result of rape, incest, or a foetus has a noticeable development impairment ” (“ world population review”

Countries Where Abortion Is Illegal 2023 (worldpopulationreview com) ) In few countries gender-based abortion is legal, this particularly occurs in Asia where male children tend to be valued more that female children This affects the mother bearing the child because she may not even have the choice to give birth to the daughter she is bearing and may be forced to abort Another factor adding to the equation is the mother’s health as of right now “in 37 countries, abortion is illegal unless it saves the mother’s life ” (“world population review”

Countries Where Abortion Is Illegal 2023 (worldpopulationreview com)

America is one of the main areas that have many states with extreme rules on abortion “Most abortions are now banned in 13 states following the supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade”

(“Tracking the states where abortion is now banned” Tracking the States Where Abortion Is Now Banned in the U S - The New York Times (nytimes com)) with no exceptions for rape or incest In other states abortion is banned at a gestational limit such as Georgia which bans abortion at about six weeks of pregnancy which is before many women know they are pregnant therefore if a women was a victim of rape or incest but didn’t know they had got pregnant from it and couldn’t have an abortion due to the gestational limit this can have a severe toll on their mental health as they have to live with their trauma forever

“According to data from the world health organization (WHO), the legality of abortion across the world actually has little to no effect on abortion rates throughout the world ” (“world population review” Countries Where Abortion Is Illegal 2023 (worldpopulationreview com) ) Illegal abortion is another large effect of making abortion illegal as it is responsible that “in developed regions, it is estimated that 30 women die for every 100,000 unsafe abortions In developing regions, the number sides to 220 deaths per 100,000 unsafe abortions ” (“Abortion” Abortion (who int)) while also consuming a large proportion of health resources in many developing countries, particularly in Africa and Latin America As the graph above shows some parts of these areas are red meaning that abortion is completely prohibited so that is why illegal abortion deaths are mostly in these more undeveloped countries The legal situation of abortion in a country does not influence the abortion rate, but illegality is associated with a much greater risk of complications and death This puts women in unsafe conditions especially when either by having the baby or aborting it illegally puts their health severely at risk

The effects that are occurring now due to these unjust decisions are that women are slowly getting their rights that generations before them fought for, taken away making their country seem like a backwards society once more This means the constant battle for rights has once again resumed and in America protests for abortion rights are now taking place very frequently and won’t stop until something is done about it

To conclude, the statistics and information I have analysed prove that each individual has a different opinion on how abortion should be done or not at all, meaning that at the moment there is no leading answer to my question However, most of the evidence has provided me with a deeper knowledge of why some women choose to have an abortion and some reasons such as rape, incest or severe medical issues lead me to believe that abortion in some cases is necessary and having them rights taken away because some women abuse the privilege of this medical treatment is unfair Having these rights also means that there will be less maternal deaths and women who find out that their child may have a disability have the choice whether they want to devote their life to looking after this child Although after finding out about the soaring numbers of women using abortion as a mean of contraception, the laws may benefit from having a cap on the number of abortions a women can have and look into the reasons for it, justified by a specialist