Abortion and the Individual

For the first time in five years, the United States Supreme Court is questioning a major abortion case. The case sharply questioned whether a New Hampshire law, which requires parental notification for a minor who wants an abortion, is legal even though it doesn’t include an exception for a health-related emergency. The case which involves the privacy rights of a fifteen year old girl in New Hampshire is one of the individual. Many people will argue about the issues of life, murder, and a living breathing fetus, and how it should be allowed to have a chance at life.

The truth of the mater is, the fetus is still completely dependant on the pregnant woman up until that umbilical cord is cut. It is true that the fetus is developing into a sustainable infant, but up until then the mother has to provide for the child. In a relationship that is so one sided for nine months, the losing participator, the mother, has the ability to end that relationship. The mother has the ability to choose whether or not she wants to carry the developing baby during that time. Others will question the young girl’s decision making skills and maturity level in a situation of this magnitude.

Although she is only fifteen years old, this generation of fifteen year olds is a more mature and able minded generation than those to come before it. Technology has changed the way people think and research. Not only that, it has also changed the type of information available. In years past, people could only access information that fell in line with the editors of books, magazines, and periodicals. Now there are teen chat forums, teen pregnancy hotlines, and public information about free clinics in the area. The truth is that times have changed and so have children.

Instead of hearing about a blowjob at an R-rated drive in, they are practicing them on the back of elementary school busses, as was the case on the North Shore of Chicago, where the girls serviced all the boys on the chartered bus from the temple to the reception hall, after one of the boy’s bar mitzvah. Its not that I condone this, but rather I have learned to accept this, it is the time we are in, children are maturing at a much faster pace than ever before. These children have come to understand what they are doing and understand the true consequences of pregnancy.

I full-heartedly believe that these children are mature enough to read up on a clinic and understand the dangers of abortion and make a decision. Since the rise of the first baby boomer cohort, the American society has been revolving around the concept of the individual. There is no case that can become more individual than this. The parents of the mother were not there when she conceived, they were not there when she missed her first period, or her second, or took her first pregnancy test, so there is no reason they should be so involved with the situation of abortion.

She had to go through the awkwardness of her first time, the different emotions, she had to go through doubt and worry about maybe being pregnant, and she should have to go with the gutrenching decision of whether or not she should keep the baby, not her parents. Although this is a difficult situation for everyone involved, from the teen boy who conceived the child, to the Supreme Court justices that have to review the case, I believe it will result in growth on all levels. The children at school will witness real life issues, and understand what could possibly happen.

The boy who conceived it will learn how his actions will affect others. The parents will learn, long before much parents do, how to let their children make their own decisions, and be proud of them for it. And the girl, the girl will learn the importance of her mind and will power. A pregnancy is a difficult undertaking, for a woman of any age, but no matter what the outcome, baby or not, she will become stronger and more in touch with herself, as long as she gets to make the decision.