Abortion is a very controversial issue that many people have very strong opinions about. Their views can be shaped based on religious beliefs, feminist beliefs, or just by how they truly feel and what they know about the topic. There are three common views on abortions and them either that the human life is formed at conception and an abortion is consider homicide, the human life is defined at or after birth so there is no killing of human life. The view that is in the middle of these two extremes that does not believe a fetus is a human but is part of a human but has different moral rights. Abortion is one of those topics that can be difficult to talk about because of the different views people have on it. A lot of people argue that it is the woman’s body and she has the right to decide if she wants to have an abortion or not. However, if people believe that it is a human and they are killing a human then they do not think that is the mothers right. They believe that in no circumstances should the mother or anyone else be given the option to kill a human life.
I know a lot about abortion and have my own views and opinions about it. I have also always been aware of how other people view it and I have always been open to seeing these different sides and understanding why they believe what they believe. However, Hawkins view was something I have never heard of or thought of before. Environmental issues are something I have always been passionate about. I have a minor in sustainability and with the classes I have taken to fulfill this minor I have learnt a lot about environmental degradation and the things that effect the environment the most. Population growth is a big factor into this. The more the human population grows the more problems that continue to develop. The first website we looked at called the “worldometer” shows the population and the impacts it is having on the environment
Hawkins argument on abortion is that sometimes people need to look at the bigger picture instead of their own personal experience that they are dealing with. Every human that enters the world makes an impact on environmental degradation. Ecofeminists believe that this should factor into their decision when having an abortion. Women should have the right to decide if they do or do not want to have an abortion, but they need to think about whether this baby will have a good life. Hawkins explains how some people have kids so that they can work and make money. Working on farms and in factories negatively impacts the environment. I do not agree nor disagree with Hawkins. I understand where she is coming from and the point that she makes definitely make sense. I think it is hard for people to decide based on this because I believe women feel very vulnerable when they in a position where they need to decide if they will have an abortion or not. However, population growth is a major factor in environmental degradation so as an ecofeminist I see why she looks at it this way.
I found an article that talks about how different laws can shape people’s views and opinions. I do not completely disagree with this because in some state’s abortion is illegal and in other states abortion is legal. There are many states where it has not been determined yet if it is legal or illegal. However, I don’t completely disagree with this argument because surrounding beliefs, views and opinions can definitely come into play when someone else is trying to see where they stand. If abortion is illegal in one state, then the people in that state will start to look at it and assume that if it is illegal is it bad (Diamant and Sandstrom).
Diamant, Jeff, and Aleksandra Sandstrom. “Do State Laws on Abortion Reflect Public Opinion?” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 21 Jan. 2020,
Greetings Lindsey.
I hope you and your family are safe.
Hawkins suggestion of abortion as population control failed to address (1) how many abortions per woman? Safe abortions sometimes cause complications such as-infection, bleeding, suicide-twice as much as after a normal birth, or infertility; more than 2 abortions (menstrual-cycle-calculator.com) could subject the woman to the problems above, and recommend using contraceptives.(2) pandemics, and natural disasters reduce population numbers (3) population reduction growth rates, like in Europe, which would eventually result in no one to care for the elderly, and inaccessibility to services. As seen in China’s reversal of the one child policy. They realized this when in areas, some elderly had no one to care for them. The UN’s food program stated that population growth increases food production. (4) environmental toxins on a pregnancy-like the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Russia, which led to miscarriages for up to 18years. Hawkins’ data is old. New data suggests by 2050, the world’s population would plummet.
Perhaps population growth affects the environment, but not in isolation. Greed and its deleterious effects play a large part, or to quote Pope Francis, “to blame climate change on population growth instead of extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the issues.”
Why are men, the baby donors absent from this debate, yet we protest laws crafted by white male politicians to control women’s bodies?
The decision to terminate a pregnancy is fraught with much uncertainty, and even despair. That woman needs a lot of support.
bridget.
I think you make a good point when you write that the decision to have an abortion makes a woman feel very vulnerable. Public opinion differs so much state by state, as some are obviously more liberal than others. If something is illegal, we typically assume that it is wrong. For example, smoking pot was considered bad and wrong for a long time until very recently. Now that it is starting to become legal in some states, it’s considered a trendy or quirky thing for people to do. Obviously abortion is taken a lot more seriously than marijuana, but that’s an example of how laws can change opinions. The way politicians talk about things change public opinions. Something that has really struck me recently is the effect of a pandemic on how women are choosing to have babies or raise families. I wrote about it in my own post but actually just read an article today describing how laws are changing that impact how women are able to get access to safe abortions in Texas. While people are encouraged to maintain social distancing, Medicare, Medicaid and many other doctors are going to be able to prescribe medications or do visits via videocalls. However, abortion doctors or doctors who deal with reproductive health are excluded from this. While many doctors offices are traditionally closed or many people are scared of this virus going around, this puts not only patients but doctors in that field at risk for the pandemic. It is deliberate discrimination in order to try to reduce the number of abortions going on. No matter what anyone thinks about the right to choose, it is a right that people shouldn’t have taken away because of the virus. You can read more info here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/abortion-access-coronavirus_n_5e70f423c5b60fb69ddee6e9