GRSJ224/Current Abortion Debates in American Society

Introduction

Currently, abortion is often seen in terms of either pro-life or pro-choice. This does not accurately reflect all of the nuanced issues that are related to the abortion debate in America today. This issue is more complex than simply these two sides and is linked to a variety of other aspects of society. This page will explore some of the issues related to abortion, issues that include republican views, television and poverty. By looking at abortion in relation to other topics, it is easier to understand the complex and controversial role this procedure plays in American society.

Abortion and Republican views

In the United States, abortion has always been an important and heavily debated topic. This is especially evident during the elections, when each party has the chance to explicitly express their view on abortion and the possible policy changes they would enact. Of the two primary parties, the

Republicans have always been on the anti-abortion side of the debate. The anti-abortion stance fits with their overall traditional, conservative values and emphasis on the importance of the Constitution. In this case, the party refers to the fourteenth Amendment, which contains the right to Due Process and Equal protection . Their stance is that this Amendment applies to the unborn fetus and its rights should be protected like any other American citizen. They oppose the decision made during the famous Roe V. Wade case that supported a women’s right to privacy over the rights of the fetus. Their view is that the fetuses right to life should be considered more important than the right to privacy. As a result of this, Republican platforms often involve proposed defunding of abortion clinics and lack of support for doctors that perform abortions. With the current Republican president, Donald Trump, the lack of support for these clinics has been extremely obvious with the signing of a legislation that will defund organizations like Planned Parenthood (even though the it provides more services than just abortions) and other clinics that perform abortions. Although this legislation is not criminalizing abortion, it will create many obstacles for women hoping to get abortions. There has been much backlash against this legislation from various states and pro-abortion groups .

The elephant logo that symbolizes the Republican government in America.

During the past election, many Republican candidates spoke about their views on abortion and why it is hurting American society. Candidate Ted Cruz spoke about the negative impact of the Roe v. Wade decision and accused Planned Parenthood of selling body parts of the aborted fetuses. Candidate Marco Rubio had a similar stance and supported laws that would require women to get an ultrasound before getting an abortion . All of the views of these Republicans are clearly tied to the conservative views of protecting the traditional family even if it means individual women’s rights will not be protected.

Another reason for the opposition to abortion from this party is their religious ties to Christianity. Traditionally, Christians are also opposed to abortions and the Republican values share a large amount of parallels with Christian values, such as opposition to gay marriage, protection of traditional marriages and importance of religious programs.. All of these issues tend to be prominent in Republican platforms. Although the opposition to abortion has declined overall in society and the stigma has lessened to a degree; the Republican view seems to be stuck in the conservative past when it comes to the topic.

Abortion and Television

The way controversial topics like abortion are portrayed by the media and pop culture has a huge effect on the viewpoint of the average person. The media has one of the biggest influences on our views and ideas. As a result, what we see on television related to abortion is very important and powerful. One of the very first mentions of abortion on TV was in the 1960s, in a show called The Defenders. The plotline was more aligned with pro-choice views; with the two main characters (both attorneys) defended a doctor who had performed an abortion. At the time, this was so controversial and frowned upon that the show actually lost sponsors as a result.. This episode aired before the 1972 Roe vs Wade case and abortion was still illegal in almost every state.

1961 The Defenders

Unfortunately, the portrayal of abortion on primetime TV is still not very progressive and does not tend to be very realistic. The rare times that main characters on shows do chose to have abortions, it is made into a very big, controversial event. Of course, the decision to get an abortion is a difficult decision for many women, but the fact that TV shows dramatize it so much works to stigmatize abortion. It gives people the idea that no matter who you are or what your circumstances, having an abortion will inevitably change your life in a big way forever (which may be true for some people, but not every one). This is not the only way that television portrays abortions unrealistically. In most of the plotlines, the reasoning to get an abortion was centered around the woman’s immaturity, while in real life, women are more likely to get an abortion as a result of financial difficulties and their inability to financially support themselves and a baby . Additionally, there is the lack of representation of minorities, with most of the women getting an abortion being young, white and able bodied. For example, the first depiction of a Latina women getting an abortion did not occur until 2016 .

There has been definite progress in the inclusion of abortion as a plotline or conversion topic in television shows. In the past, abortion was considered so controversial it was not even mentioned on TV. Nowadays, abortion is often talked about or considered as an option when an unplanned pregnancy occurs. And although this is progress, the reality is for most of the TV shows that mention abortion, they do not actually have their characters follow through with the procedure. Often, the characters have a change of heart and simply cannot follow through with the decision. This works to create more of a stigma around abortion because it depicts it as something the woman would regret. Television networks need to work on portraying abortions in a more realistic fashion and de-stigmatizing it to help society as a whole see the procedure as a viable option and not something to be ashamed of.

Abortion and Poverty

One of the biggest reasons that women chose to get an abortion is lack of finances . They know that the prospect of financially supporting themselves, a baby and possibly other family members is unrealistic. A study by the Guttmacher Institute in 2016 found that 75% of women who get an abortion are poor or low income . This can be attributed to the lack of access the low income women have to contraceptive methods. They cannot afford to use contraceptives or it is difficult for them to acquire the contraceptives. This in of itself is a huge problem, as all women deserve equal access to contraceptives. If this occurred, then studies predict that the number of low income women getting abortions would lower significantly. And even though women living in poverty make up the majority of people who get abortions, there are still a lot of unplanned pregnancies and births occurring because these women cannot easily access abortion services. One study found that giving low income women more access to abortion services would change the birth rate from 72 per 1000 women to 49 . For the women who do not have easy access to abortion services, having a baby will clearly have a very adverse effect on their finances. In 2010, it was found that as the cost of a baby during the first year was calculated to be about $12,000 . Additionally, we need to consider how a woman’s career is affected by having a baby. For a single woman, realistically the two most probable options would be to quit or to pay for a daycare, yet another expense related to the baby. Neither option is very positive and both create additional financial hardships for mother and child.

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