23 May Are There “Good” and “Bad” Abortions?
When talking about the issue of abortion, people’s opinions exist on a very wide spectrum. On one extreme is the idea that women, under any circumstances, should never have an abortion. On the opposite end of that position is the belief that women should be free to terminate a pregnancy, for any reason they want to. People throughout this spectrum often end up debating the concept of “good” and “bad” reasons to have an abortion.
In other words, some people distinguish between what a “good” and “bad” abortion is.
In the article, “There’s no such thing as a ‘good’ abortion,” Rebecca Reid of Metro.co.uk explores this misconception based on a statement a friend told her. She says that a friend who found herself pregnant in her early twenties once said, “I feel like I shouldn’t get an abortion. It’s not like I’m that poor. Or single.”
She raises an important concern. Even among those who are open to ending a pregnancy, some are critical of a person’s motive when undergoing the procedure. It’s as if the freedom to choose is only a right available to those who qualify to certain prerequisites.
As Reid discusses in the article, some people believe that, “Good abortions are for people who have been raped. They are for people whose lives would be endangered by carrying on with the pregnancy. For people who are very young or very poor or being abused. And the rest of us? We have ‘bad’ abortions. Selfish ones.”
Having an abortion, when one has the means to provide for a child and a partner to raise one with, is considered “bad.” Having an abortion because one finds out that the child will have a disability and the parents don’t feel equipped to handle the situation is considered bad. Having an abortion because one feels that one has too many kids is considered bad.
When making value judgments between good and bad abortions, people often overlook the woman’s choice: her autonomy over her body.
It doesn’t matter whether or not you think another person’s abortion is “good” or “bad.” It’s her body and she should be able to decide, free from stigma and from your judgment, whether or not ending a pregnancy is good or bad for her.
As Reid says, “It’s a choice. Just like the choice to smoke, or skydive, or wear religious insignia: you don’t have to like it, you just have to respect that it’s not your decision.”
The notion of good and bad abortions is unhealthy, for it reinforces the idea that the procedure should only be available under desperate and dangerous circumstances, where the woman has already lost control over her body and her own life.
Carrying on or ending a pregnancy should always be a personal choice.
As Reid says, “If you agree with a woman’s right to choose, you cannot start moving the bar around based on whose reasons you do and do not respect.”
The obstacles reproductive health advocates encounter on the issue of ending a pregnancy is quite similar to obstacles encountered by the LGBT community in their fight for marriage equality. Both gay marriage and abortion advocates have to deal with religious people who insist on imposing their beliefs on other people. The LGBT community often have to remind critics of a very simple fact, “If you don’t agree with gay marriage, you don’t have to marry a gay person.”
At the end of the day, the fight for abortions is a fight for choice. One should have the freedom to be able to make choices based on one’s own beliefs, one’s own needs, and one’s own preferences.
There is no good reason for anyone to create roadblocks to prevent abortion. Because, at the end of the day, if you don’t agree with abortion, you don’t have to have one.
For more resources on abortion please visit: EnGendeRights’ Policy Briefs and Fact Sheets
Sources:
Reid, R. (2017, March 21). “There’s no such thing as a ‘good’ abortion.” Retrieved on: March 28, 2017.