Our country is undergoing some major changes in our human rights, but is it for the better or worse? Many states are taking drastic steps in limiting abortion rights, some restricting it to the point where even rape victims have no choice but to give birth to their attackers’ baby. According to CBS News, “Beginning August 28, doctors in Arkansas will be prohibited from offering patients dilation and evacuation abortions.” Doing so could result in up to six years in prison for the doctor or a fine of up to $10,000, maybe even both according to the law! In Alabama, other controversial abortion laws are being set in place. According to Time “the law would permit abortions only if the mother’s life is at risk or if the fetus cannot survive, but not in cases of rape or incest.” It is frustrating that the majority of the people making the decision on what women can and cannot do with their bodies are a bunch of older, white men.

Many people oppose abortion as it is “ending a life” and call themselves “pro-life.” Most of the people who categorize themselves as “pro-life” are also fighting to get rid of Planned Parenthood as they believe it is nothing other than an abortion factory. This is a complete lie. Planned Parenthood provides STD and HIV treatment, birth control, screening for reproductive cancer, vaccines, and so much more. More than 700 people a year die of complications related to pregnancy each year in the United States, and two-thirds of those deaths are preventable. It’s quite difficult and wrong to call yourself “pro-life” when you are working to punish, imprison or execute people who are accessing safe abortion care. When safe abortion is no longer an option, people resort to dangerous methods such as clothing hangers to get rid of the baby. How is it fair to children who are born but left in orphanages when their parents don’t care for them?

The United States is known to be a free country, but certain laws are pushing that statement farther and farther away from the truth. The supreme court has declared abortion to be a fundamental right guaranteed by the U.S constitution. Will we deprive the women in this country of a basic human right? The Bill of Rights also grants the freedom of religion, one of the biggest arguments against abortion is that it defies the word of god. Not all the women in the states pray to the same, if any, god. It is not lawfully or morally right to force one’s religious beliefs on another. We should allow abortion as it is morally right but there are other reasons to support keeping abortion legal. Our world is already overpopulated as it is, and humans are destroying the world to make space for our leisurely activities. Philosopher Peter Singer, MA, Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, defended abortion as a way to curb overpopulation. In 30 years the population is estimated to be 9.3 billion which would be like adding another India or China to the world and this is with the 55.9 million abortions happening yearly worldwide. I do not think we need to emphasize how bad human overpopulation would be to this world. Our world.

Banning abortion is not humane, it takes away a fundamental right from more than 166 million people in the U.S. and harms our planet in the long run. Let a woman choose what is right for her own body, give her the freedom to live on her terms.