Abortion by Marielle Urge

Women and girls in the United States struggle with many issues, from misogyny to sexual assault to domestic abuse and so much more. But now that the U.S. Supreme Court might possibly overturn the case “Roe v. Wade,” the threat to the right to abortion is the single biggest challenge facing women and girls in my country. When it comes to legislating women’s reproductive healthcare, it genuinely terrifies me how one human being can believe they have jurisdiction over the body of another human being. What’s equally terrifying is that the government abdicates responsibility for its life once a child is born. And while the father should remain accountable, it’s often the mother who is entirely in charge of her offspring. She’s probably the one who will have to find a way to feed them, bathe them, and earn money to take care of their every need. For a variety of reasons, I understand why women, including teenage girls, undergo the process of abortion. 

Being forced into parenthood when you aren’t ready can be a dangerous game for the parent and kid. Financial hardship is no joke; resources are scarce in our capitalist society, and few people can provide as much as they want to. There’s a direct correlation between poverty and shortened life expectancy. Adding a piece of research, “Women often earn less than their male counterparts. This gender pay gap persists and compounds over time. Overall, women earn an average of 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. The gap is even larger for Black and Latina women (62 cents and 54 cents).” Though adoption and foster care are offered up as viable alternatives to abortion, the reality is these are often not safe and nurturing environments for children to thrive. 

There’s a vicious cycle of sexual assault in foster care that leads to more unwanted pregnancies. Researchers at John Hopkins University found that “Children in foster care are four times more likely to be sexually abused than other children.” It’s sickening even to ponder how a place that’s supposed to be a home can turn out to be a horrid environment for a child. Knowing the risk, many mothers undergo extreme emotional hardship in relinquishing their babies to such a system. 

Then there’s the matter of relative babies having babies. I’ve also noticed an increasing number of younger women experiencing sexual assault, about “325,566 victims of rape and sexual assault (age 12 or older) in the US every year”. Even worse, rape can lead to resulting unplanned pregnancy. There’s no way a twelve or thirteen-year-old can say, “I’m ready to be a parent.” Their brains haven’t even fully formed yet! If the pregnancy resulted from rape, that girl would want to erase every bit of the trauma she has endured. I wish no woman, girl, non-binary person, or man with a uterus would have to feel the ache and remember the result of their wounding. 

A person should be able to choose what to do with her own body and decide how to move forward after a terrible life event. It’s crazy to think that women are still being controlled today. Even if abortion were to be overturned, that doesn’t stop abortion. It just makes it less safe to perform. At least for now, I do retain one inalienable right – the right to free speech. 

So here I am, raising my voice in the form of this essay. My mother often tells me, “If you never try, you’ll never know.” I intend to use my education to amplify the issues facing women, girls, non-binary folx, and men with uteruses who are afraid to speak up. Abortion is more than what meets the eye. Lack of understanding, education, and compassion when it comes to reproductive health care is the greatest challenge facing women and girls in this country today.

When the time comes, I want a family of my own. I want to see my kids wake up and jump on my bed, telling my husband and me, “wake up, mommy and daddy, it’s time for breakfast!” It’s my dream to witness that overwhelming sense of joy as every morning comes. But I don’t want my kid or children suffering because I don’t have enough to lift my own family. I cannot bear my child asking me, “Mommy, what time are we eating? or why are we in foster care” because I couldn’t afford a place or even a meal, just to ease their hunger.