Pro- Choice can also mean Pro Counseling
Abortion is a topic that everyone loves to share their
option on, whether you are pro-life or pro-choice we all have an opinion on
this matter.
Since
1973
woman have had a constitutionally protected right to choose abortion. Since
then there have been many debates on whether abortion should be legal but
that’s not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about Massachusetts
and their laws on abortion. As of now abortion is completely legal and I agree
that everyone should have that choice, but I believe that as a state we need to
offer more resources on learning about abortion.
In 35
states it is required for a woman to receive counseling
before having an abortion and 27 of these states require a wait period before
allowing the abortion to take place, but Massachusetts is not one of those
states. I believe that state mandated counseling should be required before allowing
an abortion to take place but there should not be a mandatory wait period.
Requiring counseling is not to make the woman feel
like she has to abort the pregnancy but it is to just give her knowledge and
support in her decision. When first finding out about a pregnancy many thoughts
can run through a woman’s mind and required counseling before an abortion is a
safe way to talk through their options and feelings in a safe environment.
The counseling required should be either over the
phone or in person, it should not be required for a woman to go to a counselor
in person because this requires them to make two separate trips if they decide
to terminate the pregnancy. During the counseling session the woman must be
informed that this session is not to force them to have an abortion or force
them to not have one, they are just there to give the woman her options. It
must be a non
biased session where the counselor gives accurate answers, not sharing their
opinions but helping the woman find her best option.
Unlike other state laws there should not be a
mandatory wait period because it can have little
impact . Giving a woman information on abortion is a good way for her to
think about her options, but for example if she goes into the counseling
session knowing her decision of terminating the pregnancy then forcing her to
wait 24 hours is just forcing her to take more time off to do what she wants,
and forcing her to wait longer then she already has to. This new law should not
be making this decision more difficult for woman but to help them out.
These are great points; I would be totally on board for MA to instate required counseling because I believe even in the 21st century with the advent of the internet there is still a great deal of misinformation regarding viable pregnancy options.
ReplyDeleteThis hits home for me because my sister was 17 when she gave birth to my nephew...it was an unexpected pregnancy to say the least. I am thankful my mother was so understanding and was able to discuss different options with her. Not everyone is blessed to have a scenario quite like that, so in my book a knowledgeable counselor who presents all the facts in a straightforward manner would only help mothers facing unwanted pregnancy.
This is a great idea in theory. But I fear it will fall short in practice, because Diogenes was more likely to find an honest man than you will find someone who can satisfy all parties concerned that they will provide accurate answers without bias.
ReplyDeleteTo put it another way -- who will chose the counselors? Who will decide what answers they should provide?
You provide a very good argument and a solution to abortion in the United States. But I believe that to make this argument stronger, you could have added more evidence on to why abortion is such a controversial issue in the United States. I am a pro-choice supporter and believe every women should have the right to abort a pregnancy under certain circumstances. But some people don't understand both sides of the story. If you provide more background information about pro-life supporters you can justify your claim even more.
ReplyDelete