Sydney Chervinko

English 1102
Essay #3
Professor Hughes
02 May 2015
Both Sides of Abortion
Since 1973, when it was legalized in the United States, abortion has been the topic
of discussion among men and women across the country. 42 years of debates and
arguments whether it should be legal or not, stirs up a lot of different opinions. Some
topics of discussion include- why women get abortions, the cost, if the mother is mentally
and financially ready to have a child, adoption, and trauma that may happen. Discovering
a compromise to satisfy both sides will end most of these debates.
When abortion was illegal, the ability of a woman to obtain an abortion, let alone
one that was safe, depended upon her economic situation, her race, and where she lived
(History of Abortion in the U.S. 2014). Before abortion was legal, it was difficult to get
an abortion especially if you were not financially stable. This led to dangerous selfabortions for women who were unable to get one, which is why so many women are now
pro-choice. Pro-choice means that you support abortion and women should have a
decision on what they do with their bodies, since it is their own body and health. If you
are not pro-choice, you are most likely pro-life. Pro-life means you disagree with
abortion and think everybody deserves a life, even if it is a 2 weeks old fetus. Pro-life and
pro-choice come from the government parties, which are democrats and republicans. If
you are a democrat, you are supporting pro-choice. While republicans support pro-life.
The reasoning behind abortion varies from not being financially ready for a child,
to having a bad relationship with the father and anything in between. There were a
number of responses women gave to the question as to what was "the most important
reason" they had their abortions: they were "not ready for another child/timing is wrong,"

Sydney Chervinko
English 1102
Essay #3
Professor Hughes
02 May 2015
cited by 25%; they "can't afford a baby now," cited by 23%; feelings that they had
"completed my childbearing/have other people depending on me/children are grown,"
cited by 19%; and "having relationship problems/don't want to be a single mother" was
cited by 8% (O'Bannon). Referring back to those percentages, the main reason as to why
women got an abortion was because the timing in their life wasnt right. The second
reason is they cannot afford to raise a child right now. For example, if a high school girl
got pregnant her junior year, she would most likely think about an abortion because of the
timing in her life. Not to mention her age, because most pregnant 16 year olds arent
socially accepted. Since you have to put your childs life completely before your own, a
junior in high school may not be able to do that because she is still in school and the child
may set her back. Which often leads to being held back in school and putting a hold on
her life. Another example would be a girl who got pregnant and can barely pay her bills
each month. It may seem impossible to even think about supporting a child if she is
having a hard time supporting herself. Having the decision to get an abortion may seem
relieving to the pregnant girls in those situations. Other women may be perfectly okay
with putting another life before their own at a young age, and afford it with the help of
her parents. Understanding that this is a life youre carrying can change a womans mind
on getting an abortion as well. The situation may be difficult but it all depends whether
that girl is pro-choice or pro-life.
The choice that a woman makes about abortion can alter her present and future
life in many different ways. From an article on The Huffington Post, the author says, I
had never even considered that my mother- my no-nonsense, steel-willed mom could

Sydney Chervinko
English 1102
Essay #3
Professor Hughes
02 May 2015
have been in this position. I couldn't conceive of her so young, so emotionally vulnerable,
making a decision that would permanently and significantly alter the course of her life.
Nor could I imagine her alternate life if she hadn't had the abortion- a life that didn't
involve me. (I Owe My Life to My Mother's Abortion, 2015). After reading the article, it
is clear to me that the mother was not ready for a child and needed time to figure out her
own life and future. The author is saying that her life would have been different if her
mother didnt have an abortion because she would have another sibling and mother would
have another child. Also, if the mother kept the baby, maybe her life would not be so put
together and the author would not have the same life as she does now. Abortion changes
lives and families during the present and future. Needless to say, a woman that got an
abortion can either feel relived or depressed afterwards. The aftermath is an important
factor to the decision of getting an abortion or not. That decision carries on with a woman
for the rest of her life and she can never un-do the choice she decided to do.
Everybody is different and everybody has a mind of their own. For the women
that get abortions, each one of them go through the procedure and aftermath of the
abortion differently. Some women may become depressed and have to see a therapist,
while others may feel no grief at all. In an article called The Heart of Healing, a woman
named Victoria shares her story about her trauma after her abortion. The emotional
effects started soon after, I became bulimic. I became severely depressed, angry. I became
promiscuous. A short-lived marriage produced one miscarriage and two girls. But what
was interesting, when I had my first daughter in 1980, I could not connect with her. I

Sydney Chervinko
English 1102
Essay #3
Professor Hughes
02 May 2015
could hardly hold her. Her father did most of the care. I couldnt cuddle her. I couldnt
console her. I had trouble breast-feeding. (ONeill 2002). Her experience with abortion
developed a lot of other issues in her life because of how she dealt with the post-abortion
trauma. She needed to see multiple therapists and most could not seem to help her, but
one did. That one therapist who helped her realized that the root of all of her problems
were because she got an abortion. Abortion is the most difficult kind of grief. Its the
one that most likely becomes pathological grief. Pathological grief contributes to
depression. Depression interferes with your immune system. And if your immune system
is compromised, youre more likely to have infections and cancers. (ONeill 2002). With
that being said, therapy and support groups for post-abortion trauma can actually help
women that decide to go through with abortions because the therapists and other women
are right there through it all and know how you feel. Also, the therapist will be
comforting because they are aware of the effects it causes. If therapists can help women
through it and women are aware of the help they can get, it may make it easier for women
to decide whether they want the abortion or not. Weighing out the risks, possibly going
through post-abortion trauma, and deciding if you want to get a therapist are all important
factors when deciding to go through with an abortion or not getting an abortion at all.
Whether it is paying out of pocket or paying emotionally, pro-life and pro-choice
both cost a pretty penny. Whichever decision a woman makes, it will be costly. How
much an abortion will cost a woman depends on how far along she is in her pregnancy.
The National Abortion Federation gives general estimates of what a woman should

Sydney Chervinko
English 1102
Essay #3
Professor Hughes
02 May 2015
expect to pay. Early in her first trimester, an abortion will cost somewhere between $350$500. As she progresses through the pregnancy, the cost will increase. After 20 weeks,
she should expect to pay at least $1,000, if not several thousand dollars. Many women
also have to travel to get an abortion, so they would need to add travel costs into their
totals as well. (Fiano 2013). With the cost of abortion being the maximum of $7,000, it
is similar in cost to give birth in a hospital. According to breastfeeding counselor Angela
White, the cost of an average hospital birth is approximately $8,000 and prenatal care
provided by a physician can cost between $1,500 and $3,000. (Lowen 2015). The costs
of being pro-life and pro choice does not stop after the abortion or giving birth, women
are paying after both decisions in different ways. The woman who gave birth will be
paying an estimate of $200,000 from the time the baby is born until 17 years of age.
Comparing that to the woman who got an abortion, it is very likely that she will be
paying for therapy and possibly other doctor visits, which is most definitely not free. Not
to mention, paying emotionally due to the abortion. Understanding that both choices
come with a cost, can change or make up a womans mind while she is going through this
tough time in her life.

Sydney Chervinko
English 1102
Essay #3
Professor Hughes
02 May 2015
Although it may not be easy, compromising and finding a common
denominator between pro-choice and pro-life will satisfy both sides and end the
arguments. The most effective compromise for both of these incredibly difficult decisions
would be completely avoiding the pregnancy in the first place. Pregnancies can be
avoided a few different ways, which include- practicing abstinence, using protection,
contraceptives, and the day after pill. One reason given for the historical decline
(1991-2005) in teen pregnancies and births is that sexually active female teenagers had
significantly increased their use of contraceptives, particularly condoms. Abstinence
campaigns, aimed at younger teens, were also seen as having a positive effect on
pregnancy prevention. (Soloman 2015). Pregnancy rates have gone down due to
campaigns, protection, and contraceptives. If pregnancy rates are going down, the debates
and arguments between pro-choice and pro-life should as well. Even though every person
will still have an opinion about abortion, it wouldnt have to be a government issue.
Educating women and men about the root of the problem, which is unprotected sex, can
eventually lead to less unplanned pregnancies. Also, less life-changing decisions that
wouldnt need to happen if unplanned pregnancy didnt happen in the first place. The
most efficient way to create this compromise would be if both sides of the government,
whether they are pro-life or pro-choice, came together and started working on the root of
the problem.

Sydney Chervinko
English 1102
Essay #3
Professor Hughes
02 May 2015
Whether a woman is a Democrat or Republican, both decisions are life
changing and difficult to make. Which is why coming to a compromise and avoiding
unplanned pregnancy, especially teens, is important. Pro-life and pro-choice are both
effecting lives, whether it is an unborn childs life or a womans life. Understanding each
choice and everything that comes along with each side can help construct a compromise.