As we have talked about in class, abortions have been a controversial topic even before modern day. One offshoot of the Women's Liberation Movement of the sixties was the issue of abortion. Cases like Roe v. Wade allowed women to have more freedom and choices, but women still had to fight for their rights to control their bodies with things such as abortions and birth control pills. Some people believed that, with these new opportunities to control themselves and plan their families, women would have too much power and would disrupt the way of life that was already establish, where the husband was the breadwinner and the wife was the homemaker. Abortion was also antagonized for being immoral, as people argued that abortions killed babies and were not women's choice to do. This graphic imagery was associated with the Women's Liberation Movement (even though the Women's Liberation Movement wasn't about that idea) and painted it as an immoral, zealous campaign.
However, the Women's Liberation Movement aside, abortions were still pursued even when stigmatized. Those who needed one found ways to have it, even if it meant doing it in very unsafe, unsanitary, and in a lot of cases fatal methods. Abortions still happened even when the law forbade it; people will find a way to get what they need despite what society says. This brings up the question that we still argue about it today: If people get abortions, do we crack down on it more or legalize and regulate it? It's interesting to see how, almost fifty years later, we are still arguing about abortion. Will there ever be an agreement, or will we continue to fight against each other for centuries to come?
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/23/health/abortion-history-in-united-states/
http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/health-info/u-s-abortion-history/
Cool post! I like how you outlined both sides of the debate so we can understand what each side thinks. To add on to the discussion of abortion during this general time period, I remember we watched a clip in class of Phyllis Schlafly inciting antagonism for the ERA by linking the amendment to abortion. Phyllis chose her words carefully, for she knew that she would gain support from the great numbers of people who were against abortion.
ReplyDeleteTo see the exact quote I am talking about:
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/p/phyllissch384674.html
Nice post! I like how you not only outlined the history of the pro and anti abortion movements but you address important questions that have been prevalent in the debate since it started in order to illustrate the continuity of the debate and how far we are from a resolution. This issue is still so relevant today even though Roe vs Wade happened 1973. The health risks to the mother receiving the abortion that have increased as access to abortions has decreased is similar to how the increasing lack of sexual education and preaching "abstinence" has led to an increase of STIs and health risks to teenagers engaging in unsafe sex. I wonder if topics such as abortion and sexual education were looked at in a secular manor by society if there would be more safety for everyone involved. For more information on health risks from unsafe abortions - http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/qa-consequences-unsafe-abortion
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