Abortion

After viewing both websites, I think that the NARAL website has a better argument than the National Right to Life (NRL) side. I liked the NARAL website because it discussed the issues surrounding abortion in a problem/solution way. They listed the possible (and probable) problems with certain aspects of abortion, such as healthy pregnancies, sex education, birth control, etc., and followed them with a list of solutions. While this is a civilized manner in presenting their information and discrediting the other side, it also realistically looks at this controversial debate. The NRL website does trigger strong emotions, especially after seeing some pictures, they never say what a supporter could DO about it. Their biggest focus is about changing people's minds and morals, not about preventing the problem in the first place. The NARAL website is an advocate of sex education so that more people will be more safe. If sex is what is causing all of these problems, why not eliminate the problems that come out of it? It's a simple, attainable solution. Also, I was looking at the fact sheet on the NRL's website and I came across some grammatical errors. Some of the information was extremely hard to believe and like nothing I had ever heard of before. This made me question whether their information was reliable. The only source that was listed was themselves, the NRL. There is a small section on their website that gives alternatives to abortion. They suggest counseling, pregnancy tests, and help with the baby's finances. While these are reasonable alternatives for some people, they are not applicable to everyone who wants an abortion. Everyone has a different financial and personal situation. Many people will simply not want to try to be talked out of an abortion.

I believe that parents should have a right to know if their daughter is receiving an abortion is she is a minor. Because it is a medical procedure and there are risks, parents should be notified of what is going on. I do not, however, believe that the daughter needs parental consent to get an abortion. The family may talk it over all they want, but in the end, this is the girl's body. She is the only person who should be allowed to say what is going to be done to her body.

I believe that the notification process should be the same with the father. After all, he is the baby's other half and should be notified of the woman's decision. If the mother and father disagree on what to do with the baby, I think that they should be required to go to counseling until they are in agreement. If they cannot reach an agreement after a while (because the pregnancy cannot be put on hold,) it should be the woman's decision. Like I stated before, she should be the only one who decides what happens to her body.

I agreed with most of the Illinois Abortion Laws, even the anti-choice laws. Although, I do not agree that the spouse's consent is required (explained in the paragraph above) or that more oppressive restrictions should be placed on abortion providers that aren't applied to other medical procedures. I think that it is okay to only allow abortion specialists to perform abortions to ensure safety, but I think that limiting the places that women can receive an abortion is just another way of making it less accessible.