Abortion laws and women’s rights have been topics that have surfaced a lot of controversies recently in our society and nation. This topic and how it is handled in the U.S. has created a big divide in our country between people with opposing opinions. Abortion is when a pregnant woman decides to terminate their pregnancy by removing the embryo or fetus. In the U.S. only, 619,591 legal abortions were reported to the CDC in the year 2018. The majority of women who have abortions are in their mid-twenties, accounting for approximately 57.5% of all abortions.

In 1973, the Supreme Court in the Roe v. Wade case issued its ruling that the illegalization of abortions was a violation of the fourteenth amendment. They suggested that the health of the pregnant woman and the fetus needed protecting, but the weight of both interests changes during the stage’s pregnancy. So, they decided that in the first trimester the decision of abortion would be up to the woman and her physician without state regulation. Once the fetus reaches the point of viability the state may interfere and prohibit the woman from getting an abortion for the sake of the fetus.

Abortion laws and restrictions vary from state to state. In Georgia, abortion is legal but within 20 weeks (about 4 and a half months) post-fertilization. Public fundings and insurance policies cover abortions when in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest. In Texas, they have a 6-week abortion limit, which means if a pregnant woman wants an abortion, they need to get it 6 weeks (about 1 and a half months) post-fertilization. Health insurance in Texas also covers abortions in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest. In contrast, in the state of Hawaii, there are few to no restrictions when it comes to abortion, and it is easily accessible.

In recent years, the topic of abortion and people’s opinions on the issue have created a divide between both parties. This can be seen by the amount of pro-life and pro-choice protests seen around the country. People who are pro-choice would argue that abortion laws in the U.S. are not fair because they believe the state, or the law should not interfere in the issue. While people who are pro-life think that abortion laws in the U.S. are not fair, because abortion should not be permitted at all.

The main argument for people that are pro-life is that abortion is morally wrong or goes against their religion. A sophomore from Cartersville High School stated that “Abortion is not fair, because the baby does not have any fault in what happened in the mother’s life and should have a chance to live.”

The perspective for people that are pro-choice emphasizes that the decision should be solely up to the woman and the state should not interfere. A high school senior from Cartersville stated that “women should have the right to choose what they do with their bodies, the government shouldn’t be able to dictate what women can or can’t do with their bodies.”

When asked why women have abortions, another pro-choice senior at Cartersville High school answered with “They are not financially or emotionally stable, they have been raped, are having a high-risk pregnancy, they are in abusive relationships, or they simply aren’t ready.” While when asked the same question, a junior at Cartersville answered with “Women do not want to face their responsibility and the baby sadly has to pay for that.”

There have been many opinions circulating around abortion and its restrictions. Many people have strong feelings about the issue. These strong feelings about abortion have caused high tension between pro-lifers and people who are pro-choice. The government has a lot of work in its hands as it must find the solution that better suits the country and its people.