13 April,2023
Table of Contents
Abortion has always been a touchy subject in all parts of the world. In a patriarchal society, it’s not surprising that men feel that they’re the best people who get to decide or even comment on what women should or shouldn’t do with their bodies. Unfortunately, the pleas from women’s organizations to legalize abortion have been met with more resistance than acceptance.
Right now, only a handful of states across the United States of America have legalized abortion (Montana, New York, Wisconsin, etc.). Meanwhile, states like Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, and several more have a total ban on abortions (even for extreme cases like rape and incest).
Well, think about it like this. The states and even countries that have legalized abortion prioritize women’s choices. Meanwhile, the states or countries banning abortion prioritize the unborn fetus. Do you see why this debate seems endless? The problem with this entire situation is that neither side is entirely in the wrong. To some, ignoring women’s autonomy and forcing them to bear children that they do not want is as horrendous as killing unborn children.
Forcing women against their will to bear children will not only cause irreversible mental strain to them but also force them to undergo a life-threatening situation (yes, bearing a child can be extremely risky). Legalizing abortion is definitely the better option, where women can safely make decisions about their bodies without any outside influence.
Wouldn’t you say this topic has what it takes to make an excellent argumentative essay? There are so many angles to explore, moral questions to ask, and legal aspects to dive into! It’s no wonder that abortion is one of the most popular topics to opt for when dealing with argumentative essays.
Argumentative essays usually deal with controversial topics. You can pretty much put a checkmark beside that criterion. After all, what’s more controversial than abortion?
In such essays, you present a stance on such a controversial topic and then use evidence and logical reasoning to convince the reader that your stance is the better one. You can only do justice to such essays when you –
As you can see, the main idea behind such essays is to convince the reader with logic. Unlike persuasive essays that often rely on emotions to connect to the reader, argumentative papers never stray from logic. Emotions take a back seat. That’s why researching is so important to present a clear argument whenever you’re writing an argumentative essay on abortion.
You can’t convince readers of your stance when you don’t have enough data to back up your claims. For example, you can say, “Pregnancy-related deaths are bound to increase due to abortion bans,” but what do you have to prove this claim? Has anyone else made such a statement? Are there studies that you can cite to prove this statement?
When you don’t provide evidence to strengthen your claim, you lose your readers’ trust. Present reliable data (like this research study from the University of Colorado Boulder), and you win their trust. It’s as simple as that. Now that you’ve got a better understanding of what you should prioritize in such essays let’s take a closer look at the structure you have to follow.
Like most essays, argumentative papers also follow the same structure –
What points do you include in each segment when writing on a topic about the legalization of abortion?
Well, you can connect with top academic scholars on MyAssignmentHelp and get detailed guidance regarding this. In order to help you understand how our scholars present their ideas, here’s a closer look into the arguments and counterarguments that we would usually focus on when writing an essay highlighting the reasons behind the legalization of abortion.
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Do abortions not happen in countries or states where they are not legalized? They do. That’s where the problem lies. Imagine this –
Instance 1: You are allowed to review your class notes while an exam is going on.
Instance 2: You are not allowed to review any notes during the exam.
In the first case, there’s no need for you to cheat since you have permission to review your notes during the exam. Now, what happens when you’ve not prepared well for a test, and you’re not even allowed to review your notes? In the worst-case scenario, you’ll have to resort to cheating. Perhaps you might copy your class notes and sneak them into the exam.
In both cases, you’re reviewing your notes. However, in the first case, you don’t have to worry about getting caught. You can focus completely on the exam because it’s okay to check your notes. On the other hand, in the second scenario, you can’t focus on your exam because you’d be too busy checking your notes secretly and trying not to get caught.
Do you see why having legal permission to do something makes things so much easier?
Countries that have legalized abortions understand that putting a legal barrier on something so sensitive will only backfire in the long run. If you review the primary reasons why these places believe that abortion should be legal, then you’ll encounter the following points –
Legalizing abortion is a matter of recognizing women’s rights to choose what to do with their own bodies. The Human Rights Watch is constantly urging countries to decriminalize abortions because this issue is a matter of human rights. According to this organization –
Bodily autonomy is a fundamental right, and curbing women’s rights to choose to abort a child goes directly against this right. So, countries and states that have yet to legalize abortion are preventing a vast section of their citizens from exercising their fundamental rights.
14.5% of maternal mortality happens due to unsafe abortions. Think of what it means when a state or country criminalizes abortions.
Hospitals, nursing homes, or any other medical facility will not provide the means to abort a fetus.
Does that mean abortions will stop completely?
Absolutely not!
Women suffering from unwanted pregnancies have no choice but to reach out to unskilled practitioners, most of whom will be offering their services in unsafe settings. Besides, such procedures are bound to be expensive, and the stigma and objections from healthcare professionals contribute to the unsafe conditions.
However, by legalizing abortions, trained healthcare professionals will be able to assess patients and offer them the best solution. Getting an abortion in a safe and hygienic environment, under the guidance of trained professionals, can improve the chances of survival.
Unsafe abortions are concerning for public health. You look up the risks that women have to put up with in places where abortion is illegal, and you’ll find a list that keeps getting worse the more you read it. From infertility, sepsis, and uterine perforation to even death – that’s what most women have to deal with when opting for unsafe abortions.
The chances of complications arising are quite high. In order to address these complications, the demand for unaccounted blood products, specialists, and other medical resources will be on the rise, which can completely throw the entire public health system into disarray. So, the easiest solution to address all these concerns is to legalize abortions.
Consider these the top 3 reasons why abortion should be legal. Does that mean there are other reasons as well? Of course, there are! However, focusing on the arguments that strengthen your thesis isn’t the only priority. You need to present a well-rounded argument, and for that, you must also present the counterarguments against the notion.
So, why not take a look at the major arguments against legalizing abortions?
If you’re pro-choice, then you’ll have to take a leaf out of a pro-lifer’s book to understand why the arguments against legalizing abortions are still going strong. Remember, in any argumentative essay, you have to approach the counterarguments objectively. Even if you don’t agree with the points, you cannot let your personal biases cloud your judgment.
That’s the only reason why, despite advocating for legalizing abortions, you should include the following counterarguments in your essay –
Pro-lifers consider aborting a fetus the same as murder since they believe that life begins the moment conception happens. In other words, legalizing abortion would be legalizing murder. You can see why this is one of the strongest arguments to date.
The sanctity of life loses its meaning when abortion becomes easily accessible. Human life is seen as something sacred. It is a miracle to be born, and a world that legalizes abortion takes away the significance of being born. Pro-lifers compare this to the throwaway culture, where one throws away anything that holds no value to them. In other words, a human life becomes so trivial that it can easily be discarded in a world where abortion is legalized.
Pro-lifers argue that there’s no need to legalize abortions when increasing access to birth control pills and spreading sexual education can combat unwanted pregnancies. That’s why legalizing abortions should be the last resort and not a priority. Abortions were the norm in earlier days when people did not have knowledge of family planning or the financial means to support another life. However, with easy access to contraceptives, awareness programs, safe sexual education promotions, and better health insurance, abortion won’t be a necessity any longer.
Now that you’ve explored the arguments and counterarguments, have you noticed something? Take a closer look at all the points you’ve read.
If you look at the points highlighted in the arguments, then you’ll see that most of them can be backed by numerical data. Meanwhile, most of the counterarguments are built on ethical considerations.
Is it ethical to kill an unborn child?
That’s the main question that needs answering. For pro-lifers, this is their greatest argument. By equating abortion with the murder of an unborn child, they are able to get others to question the morality and ethics of abortion.
Now, it’s time to counter the counterarguments.
Let’s take one of the points discussed above and check how you can use logic to bring the ball back into your court. As mentioned before, pro-lifers consider abortion morally wrong. They believe that the unborn fetus is a human being, and thus, aborting it is murder.
However, you can argue that the fetus is part of the pregnant person’s body. It is not an individual entity since it cannot survive on its own. It does not have any fundamental rights, nor is it bound by any of the laws that human beings are subjected to. After all, if a pregnant person dies due to complications, the unborn fetus doesn’t get termed a murderer. So, it’s a stretch to accuse a person of being a killer just because they are aborting a fetus.
Besides, a research article clearly states the following –
That’s because the cellular elements that make up the embryo at 4 weeks do not undergo any major transformation during the following 4 months. At most, the complex elements only get bigger. Even if you don’t stick to semantics, there’s no denying that there are major differences between a fetus and a newborn baby. So, you can’t use this argument to counter those who feel that life begins at conception.
Until now, you’ve probably figured out a few things about writing an essay on abortion. For starters, you need not worry about the structure because even argumentative papers follow the standard essay structure. However, when it comes to the main content of the body paragraphs, there are chances that you might mess up if you’re not careful enough.
On that note, let’s check out a few writing tips that our experts have to share with you!
If your research skills need polishing, then it’s best you get right on to it because you need to be at your best to conduct in-depth research on this topic. There are hundreds and thousands of research materials on the legality of abortions. Every day, new discussions keep popping up. You’ve got news channels reporting on the latest debates, women’s rights organizations vying for pro-choice outcomes, and arguments happening over social media.
So, you’re not going to fall short of resources that you can explore.
Now, the only thing you have to focus on is making sure that the resources you choose are credible. What do those include?
The more you dig into the topic, the more perspectives you’ll be able to uncover. The more perspectives you uncover, the stronger your arguments will be. So, spare a considerable amount of time digging into all kinds of resources that you can find to find ammunition to strengthen your arguments and tackle the counterarguments.
Is it best to focus on statistical data in argumentative essays? Yes.
Do you have to be aware of the emotional weight of a topic before writing an argumentative essay on a controversial topic? Also, yes.
There’s no doubt that the best weapons to wield in your argumentative essays are cold-hard facts, statistical data, and logical reasoning. No one can argue with you when the numbers are on your side. However, that does not mean that you have to stop approaching such a controversial topic with care.
Abortion is a tricky topic to deal with. Several people have extremely passionate views about this issue, fueled by religious beliefs, morality, ethics, and several other factors. You have to keep in mind that those who are against abortions might be your opposition but not your enemy. It does not harm to approach this topic with sensitivity. Place yourself in their shoes and try to view things from the opposition’s perspective. Acknowledge that this topic has a lot of emotional weight, and approach it without making careless or thoughtless remarks.
For starters, figure out your thesis statement. Then, you can shortlist the points that you want to highlight in the body paragraphs of your essay during the outlining stage. Every point should be logically connected.
For example, let’s consider two rough essay outlines (the thesis statement for both: “Abortions should be legalized because the lack of access to proper healthcare is killing more innocent people.”) –
| Outline A | Outline B |
| Intro Body Paragraphs: An overview of deaths due to unsafe abortions The conditions that force women to opt for unsafe abortions The medical complications that arise How legalizing abortions can reduce the mortality rate Statistics prove that countries with legalized abortions have fewer pregnancy-related deaths. Conclusion | Intro Body Paragraphs: Why is abortion considered a sin?An overview of deaths due to unsafe abortions Statistics prove that countries that have legalized abortions have fewer pregnancy-related deaths. The medical complications that ariseWhat conditions make abortion challenging for health practitioners? Conclusion |
It shouldn’t take you more than a few seconds to realize that the positioning of the points in Outline A makes more logical sense than the way the points have been arranged in Outline B. Besides, all the points in Outline A have a direct relation to the thesis statement, unlike some points in outline B. As a result, it’s difficult to understand the flow of thought in the latter option.
So, if you encounter any problem structuring your arguments, you can gain inspiration from some of our sample papers on MyAssignmentHelp.
The contentious discourse surrounding abortion has been going on for a long time because there are multiple factors to consider, such as the following –
The real challenge is to come up with arguments to support the legalization of abortion while considering all these factors. The counterarguments are always diverse, and your only option is to blend ethics and data together to present your position.
At the same time, you can’t forget that this is a sensitive issue. Different groups of people have different opinions about abortion, and just because you don’t necessarily agree with a particular group doesn’t mean you completely ignore their concerns or opinions. You can’t forego empathy when dealing with such a topic. Put yourself in others’ shoes and try to see where they’re coming from.
What are others so against abortion?
Are there ways to address the concerns instead of banning abortion?
How can you present your stance without offending others?
When you focus on these aspects, you’ll be able to predict the counterarguments and come up with appropriate arguments for everything.
In Conclusion,
The legalization of abortion gives autonomy to women over their own bodies and provides safer medical conditions. However, in order for all countries to legalize abortion, they have to overcome the ethical and moral challenges. Several people believe abortion goes against their religious beliefs. Others consider abortion the same as murder.
Yet, despite the opposition, there’s no doubt that preventing women from getting abortions is a direct violation of their fundamental rights. Furthermore, banning abortions will become detrimental to public health since it will disrupt the balance between the demand and supply of blood products and other medical resources.
Now, the structure that you’ve gone over until now is the best framework to follow when writing an essay on abortion legalization. It addresses all major arguments and counterarguments, so no one can accuse you of being biased. However, if you feel that you need more guidance on structuring, feel free to reach out to our scholars at MyAssignmentHelp. We’ve got the best minds to help you with the following –
Trust us to take the best care of your essay and help you secure the highest grades.
The introduction to an argumentative essay on abortion should include the following –
Your introductory paragraph has to be adjusted depending on the chosen topic. However, the points mentioned below should be constant in any topic surrounding abortion.
Ignoring counterarguments leads to readers questioning the validity of your stance. So, in order to effectively address counterarguments, you should follow these steps –
When dealing with any counterargument, keep a check on your tone so you don’t come off as condescending or dismissive of the opposition’s view.
Some strong evidence-based arguments that you can include are the following –
Here’s how the typical structure of each body paragraph goes –
When presenting your argument, you can’t focus entirely on a single perspective. If you so, then readers will question whether you’ve considered all angles. To present a clear argument, make sure you cover all the segments mentioned before.
Writing an essay on controversial topics is always like walking through a minefield. However, as long as you are aware of the common pitfalls, you can consciously avoid them. The ones you have to worry about the most are –
Hi, I am Mark, a Literature writer by profession. Fueled by a lifelong passion for Literature, story, and creative expression, I went on to get a PhD in creative writing. Over all these years, my passion has helped me manage a publication of my write ups in prominent websites and e-magazines. I have also been working part-time as a writing expert for myassignmenthelp.com for 5+ years now. It’s fun to guide students on academic write ups and bag those top grades like a pro. Apart from my professional life, I am a big-time foodie and travel enthusiast in my personal life. So, when I am not working, I am probably travelling places to try regional delicacies and sharing my experiences with people through my blog.
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