Women should have the right to choose

Today, Voice for Choice (VFC) will be holding a campaign on Q level in the library entitled “JHU’s 1 in 3 Campaign” to raise awareness of the fact that one in every three women will have an abortion in her lifetime. According to its website, the 1 in 3 Campaign aims to “end the stigma and shame women are made to feel about abortion… [and] build a culture of compassion, empathy, and support for access to basic health care.”

The Editorial Board would like to commend VFC for its efforts to destigmatize abortion. Abortion is completely legal, yet the process of getting an abortion is a needlessly difficult and convoluted process for many women. We also appreciate the group’s sincere efforts to be sensitive by posting prominent trigger warnings on the Facebook event and on the doors of the library to warn those who may have a strong or damaging emotional response to the images.

The Editorial Board fully supports a woman’s right to choose. We disagree with those who believe that they should have a say in what women do with their bodies. On a very basic level, we believe that a fetus has no legal rights as a human being until it is at the point of vitality, meaning that it can survive outside the mother’s womb without her physical life support; therefore, the Editorial Board does not consider a fetus to be a person. It is in the best interests of both the child and mother for the mother to be able to decide whether she is ready to raise a child or not. Abortion is not an issue that is taken lightly, and data does not indicate that legalization causes a spike in abortion rates.

We also believe that legalization makes the affair significantly safer for those who choose to have abortions. As long as abortion remains legal in the United States, it will be a safe medical procedure performed by trained professionals with a very low rate of serious complications.  Thirdly, in the case of rape or incest, forcing a woman to give birth could cause significant psychological and emotional harm to the victim. Therefore, as a preservation of civil rights in this country, we stress the importance of a woman’s control over her own body. Removing reproductive choice from any woman is an unacceptable violation of her rights.

Finally, we would also like to stress the importance of destigmatizing abortion. It is incredibly vital that as a society, we do not discriminate against those who have chosen to exercise their right to choose. The Editorial Board finds that the right to choose is a fundamental right granted to all.