There are many debates regarding medical abortion or abortion in general all over the world. Many stand with it and many are still against it. With this debate, a common question that’s being raised again and again is whether “Women should be the sole decision maker for reproductive choices or men should have a say as well?”

Many argue that men should also be included in the decision making process, while some argue that it should be solely a women’s decision.

Let’s look at some of the arguments that take place during the discussion on this topic.

One of the major arguments for including men in decision making is the topic of shared responsibility. If a woman gives birth to a child, the father of the child eventually has to share the responsibilities, till the child is of age. The argument placed is that men should have an equal right in the decision making process on whether to terminate a child or not. They say men and women were both responsible for the pregnancy, so how could women be the only ones making the decision?

Abortion Legal or Illegal

Is abortion legal or illegal, the question asked by many. People still seem confused regarding the abortion procedures. The answer to this is, yes, abortion is legal, there are just some cases where abortion is considered to be illegal.

Studies show that about 30 states have banned abortion, with no exceptions, while 16 states gave exceptions to cases (threat to woman’s health, incest, or rape), and there are also who have completely allowed medical abortion for women, New York included.

Christina San Fillipo wrote a thesis in 2020, in which she mentioned abortion being legal in the United States in the early 1800s. However, with the rise in cases of maternal deaths due to the drugs used for terminating a child, the states started to pass a ban on the drugs used for termination in the late 1800s. Now almost 100 years later, it is again legalized.

Women can now easily go for abortion or buy abortion pill packs online for medical abortions.

Reasons Why Women May Get an Abortion

Here we will state the main reasons why women should be the sole decision maker. Though women are not the only contributor to the pregnancy, she\'s the only one who’s gonna endure it physically. Her body will undergo many changes, her health can be affected due to the changes in the body. We have combined a few reasons that should be the gateway for women to be the only ones making decisions for reproductive choices.

Physical Changes to Body

With pregnancy, a woman tends to change and undergo many changes. This should solely give women the right to make the decision. Women know better about their body than others, it’s their body, and they will be in pain, so it’s only right to make them the sole decision makers.

Physical Health and Well-Being

Women’s physical health matters the most. Some states have legalized the process of abortion if it is a threat to women’s health, while some still don’t have exceptions for these situations. Pregnancy transforms a woman\'s body both emotionally and physically. Postpartum Depression is real, around 2 in 10 women can experience postpartum depression or go through PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and that’s alarming.

Financial Stability

Not all women are financially stable. According to data released for the United States in 2019-2021, around 78.5% of pregnant women are aged about 21-29, 75.2% about 30-39, and 15.5% are aged around 15-19 (mostly minors). Most of these women have no source of financial income, and some are both financially and emotionally unstable.

Episiotomies

An episiotomy is a process used during giving birth, where they cut the area between your vagina and anus, it enlarges your vagina and makes the delivery smoother. It could have serious repercussions like postpartum pain, vaginal infection, vaginal swelling, and problems during sexual intercourse.

Reasons Why Women May Not Be Able to Get an Abortion

Certain situations might block the chances of women getting an abortion. Some of them are:

Financial Stability

It becomes difficult for women with no financial stability to get an abortion. The charges of getting an abortion in some states are very high, many can’t afford it. The average cost of abortion in the US is around $1000 or more. A much safer and affordable option is to buy abortion pill pack online which will cost you less compared to the surgery.

Zoning Laws

These are where abortion providers are not allowed in some areas, so government entities can prohibit them from residing in these areas by using zoning laws. This makes it difficult for the women who want to go for an abortion, as they will have to travel to far places or even overseas to get an abortion. Women who face such difficulties can opt to buy abortion pill packs online sitting at their homes.