WRITE ABOUT YOUR STAND ON THE ISSUE OF ABORTION.

SEARCH FOR JOURNALS OR

ARTICLES TO SUPPORT YOUR STATEMENT.

Before, I believed that abortion is illegal. I believed that it is a kind of murder that
violates the law of human beings, and it defies the word of God that will lead us to be sinful.
Those are my beliefs before I realized and learned the truth behind the controversial issue
about abortion and its legalization—about violating the rights of women to have control over
their own bodies. Whereas, whenever abortion is mentioned, the subject of rape-related
pregnancy or pregnancy as a result of violence is largely unexplored and disregarded.

According to studies, the national rape-related pregnancy rate is 5.0% per rape among
victims of reproductive age, which is aged 12 to 45, and among adult women, approximately
32,101 pregnancies result from rape each year. This shows that many women get pregnant
against their will because of being sexually assaulted and do not have a choice but to continue
it since the law does not allow abortion. On the other hand, many studies stated the different
effects of sexual violence on women, results in them struggling with PTSD, anxiety, and
depression, which shows that many women are not mentally stable in handling pregnancy. That
is the reason why if we think about the emotional and physical trauma that they have
experienced, we, people, do not have the right to control them when they chose to continue or
not their pregnancy. They should not be forced into motherhood, especially if they are not
ready to handle it and if they believe that this world cannot handle another child who will die
because of poverty, poor healthcare, and her mother's inability to meet his needs. We should
not force them to support the unwanted child since that would limit her moral right to
freedom. That is why I can say that I am pro-choice, which means that I am respecting and
willing to fight for women’s right to choose what is right for them. I believe that stopping a
woman from making her own decisions about her body and pregnancy undermines her self-
sufficiency, morality, and overall humanity. I believe that giving women the right to choose
abortion is not unethical, not illegal, and do not violate the law of human beings.

Furthermore, even though I am saying that I do not oppose those who choose abortion,
does not imply that I am advocating for the right to kill unborn child. As a future healthcare
worker, I think that abortion is not always permitted that is why, I support legalizing abortion so
that suitable laws and guidelines may be established as to who is qualified for this medical
treatment and so that women can choose what they want for themselves without fear of legal
or social consequences.

Moreover, if I relate this to my future job, which is being a nurse, I can say that my stand
would still be the same. I would continue to stand “pro-choice” because if my patient wanted to
abort her child, I would perform my duty as a nurse and explain the implications to her. Since
abortion is illegal in the Philippines, I would inform her of the possible consequences of her
decision and how it could affect her health. However, I would also support her since, as a nurse,
I think that we should respect the patient's right to choose what is best for them. And even if it
contradicts your ethical and moral beliefs, we should constantly consider the bioethical
principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice in our work.
References:

CL;, H. M. M. R. H. S. K. D. G. B. (n.d.). Rape-related pregnancy: Estimates and descriptive

characteristics from a national sample of women. American journal of obstetrics and
gynecology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8765248/#:~:text=Results%3A%20The
%20national%20rape%2Drelated,result%20from%20rape%20each%20year.

Greenwood, J. (2001, October 1). The new ethics of abortion. Journal of Medical Ethics.
https://jme.bmj.com/content/27/suppl_2/ii2.
Melinda. (2021, July 15). Recovering from rape and sexual trauma. HelpGuide.org.
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/recovering-from-rape-and-sexual-
trauma.htm.