Abortion – Poem by Gwendolyn Brooks, “the Mother”Essay Preview: Abortion – Poem by Gwendolyn Brooks, “the Mother”Report this essayIn the title of the poem by Gwendolyn Brooks, “The Mother,” is ironic, for this mother is a woman who has lost her children because of very difficult and painful decisions–decisions that she believes were for the best. Abortion is defined as the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy. Abortion is a valid reproductive choice. It should be an equally accepted option, like childbirth or adoption.
Since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, abortions have become one of the safest medical procedures in the country. Prior to Roe v. Wade, illegal abortions were unsafe. Between 1880s and 1973, many thousands of women died or suffered serious medical problems after attempting to self induce their abortions or go to untrained practitioners, who would perform abortions in unsanitary conditions. By keeping abortions legal, the lives and safety of women facing unplanned pregnancies are protected. 97% of women that obtain surgical abortion before 13 weeks report no complications; 2.5% have minor complications that can be handled at the medical office or abortion facility; and less than 0.5% have more serious complications that require some additional surgical procedure and/or hospitalization. If abortions were not legal or if there were not clinics, what would happen to the mother? Would she try to do the abortion illegally? Would she have done the abortion herself?
In 1977, the Supreme Court ruled that allowing for a person to have an abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy was constitutional.
When you make changes to abortion law, not only do you override certain state laws, but you decide which laws are too restrictive. A woman’s right to health does not have to be compromised by the choice of her doctor or other individual decision makers. Abortion is often medically necessary since women’s health can be compromised if a woman has an abortion. The United States Supreme Court has not held that abortion is medically necessary for a woman to give birth or give birth. The Supreme Court found the state’s “statutory” restrictions on medical facilities to be unconstitutional. It further found: “There is, however, no basis for believing that the United States Supreme Court’s decision would have a substantially similar effect on women’s health if any of its precedents had been applied.” The two previous Supreme Court decisions on abortion, which held that a person’s right to health has a “reasonable probability” of being compromised, also held the individual state’s limits and regulations too broad.
In an unusual ruling, the Supreme Court reversed the court of appeals’ decision based on the State of New York v. Casey ruling and the decision of the Supreme Courts’ two other decisions before this district court. Under this decision, the court found that the California State Legislature can no longer require physicians to refuse a woman’s abortion. The California Legislature is required by state law to provide medical treatment. Although the federal constitution is no longer in force, abortion is legal in 28 states and the District of Columbia.
In 1978, after a long standing debate, and during which the Court of Appeals in New York City held that a woman’s right to education was seriously compromised when a doctor or carers took the action of terminating a pregnancy, the Court said it was important to consider some of the implications of this state-by-state decision.
The United States Supreme Court found in 1984 that a medical procedure is necessary for a woman’s right to life due to its constitutional nature. It found that a woman was required to accept a doctor’s opinion of her child’s well-being after a medical procedure but could not get a decision to discharge such a child. Although the United States Supreme Court upheld the California State Legislature’s decision to give its blessing to that policy, the court still held that in the state of New York this rule would not apply when the child was born in a state that required medical treatment. In 1981, the Supreme Court said this restriction “would not apply to abortions.” The Supreme Court said: “This decision is of little significance. Its purpose is to protect a woman’s autonomy and freedom. But a state cannot make such an abdication of women’s natural autonomy or fundamental freedoms, and for that reason I would not conclude that a doctor may refuse a woman’s abortion. Nor can the state deny the doctor the right to refuse a woman’s abortion if the health of the child were threatened or otherwise endangered by the refusal.” However, many states and many abortion clinics are now subject to strict federal laws and restrictions. For example, only four states, including those under state-imposed federal jurisdiction, allow abortion despite having some regulations. In 1999, Florida repealed the state ban on abortions. Florida has not yet repealed the state’s abortion ban, but it has passed one in the past in which abortion has remained a legal practice in some states. In September, a special court threw out a California abortion regulation that had been upheld by the state but was appealed by the state of Texas. In July of this year, the Court of Appeals in St. Louis ruled that abortion was permissible if the life of the mother has been endangered or if the mother has consented to the termination of the pregnancy. Texas has not approved new health regulations in recent years, so many families are not
Is adoption really much of an option? 423,773 children were in foster care on September 30, 2009. Also, 114,556 children were waiting to be adopted on September 30, 2009.(AFCARS) Waiting children are identified as children who have a goal of adoption and/or whose parental rights have been terminated. Children 16 years old and older whose parents parental rights have been terminated and who have a goal of emancipation have been excluded from the estimate. Also on September 30, 2009, only 57, 466 children were adopted with public agency involvement. (AFCARS) So with these statistics in mind, ask these questions. Where would the child be? Would the child be with a loving, stable family who adopted him or her or would the child be with an unstable, cruel family? Brooks said “You will never neglect or beat them.” Would the child be in-and-out of foster care throughout his or her life? If there was something medically wrong with the child, his or her chances of being adopted would become extremely low. The foster care systems is flawed because there are too many children with not enough people willing to adopt. Also, the adoption systems can cost a great deal of money.
Over population can also be another factor. The United States is the third most populous country in the world following China and India. The U.S. population, currently more than 265 million, is growing by about 2.5 million people each year, making the United States one of the worlds fastest-growing industrialized nations.(1) In 1994, there were about