Jan. 22 marked the 34th anniversary of the famous Roe v. Wade (1973) United States Supreme Court decision that recognized a woman’s right to an abortion. Since Roe v. Wade, women have been able to get abortions on demand. “Late-term” abortions were banned by the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. According to Findlaw.com however, this law was later found unconstitutional by U.S. District Courts in New York, California, Nebraska and by the 2nd, 8th and 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the lower court ruling in Gonzales v. Carhart. HealthAtoZ.com states that a “partial- birth abortion is a method of late-term (after 20 weeks) abortion that terminates a pregnancy.” Much of the debate over whether abortion should remain legal deals with timing. There are people against ending a pregnancy at anytime and for any reason, while some are okay with “early-term” abortions but not “late-term” abortions. I am a firm believer that a woman should be able to get an abortion whenever she deems it necessary.

According to the Center for Disease Control, which operates under the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 848,163 legally-induced abortions were reported in the United States in 2003 from 47 states, Washington D.C., and New York, but there may be more unreported abortions.

One may say that abortion is immoral or unethical and that God punishes women who get abortions and the doctors who help perform them. I feel that an unborn child is not the property of the state. It has no birth certificate, it has no Social Security Number, it is not a U.S. citizen and it has no real identity yet. The baby is the property of its mother. If she decides to opt out of her pregnancy at any time for any reason with the help and care of medical professionals, she should have that right. No one has a right, especially our government, to tell a woman that she cannot abort a pregnancy. I prefer contraception to rampant use of abortion simply because the use of contraception is a much easier and less-invasive way to avoid having a child. Abortion, however, should always be an option. Banning any type of abortion increases the chance of “back alley” abortions, which can severely injure or kill a desperate mother.

Let me make it clear that I do not believe that an unborn child should be freely disposed of in any chosen way by any random person. For example, when Scott Peterson murdered his wife and unborn child, I firmly believe that it was a double murder. Why? That psycho had no right and no rational reason to end the life of his wife and unborn child. So what is the difference? Abortion is not a random or malicious act of violence. It is difficult choice made by women who for whatever reason cannot raise a child at a given point in time.

I have never heard of any woman getting an abortion just for the sake of ending a life prematurely. Furthermore, the main reason women choose to end their pregnancies is because of social and economic factors. They cannot afford to raise a child, they cannot provide a loving and nurturing environment for it, they are too young (and they may find this out many months into their pregnancy) and/or for the simple fact that the condom broke. There is also the reality of rape and incest. No woman should ever have to keep a baby resulting from such violent and cruel acts. There are valid reasons for ending a pregnancy prematurely.

I hate to break it to the “pro-lifers,” but the only way around abortion is the use of contraception. You cannot stop people from having sex, and until they make steel-plated condoms, accidents will happen. The right to choose is just that, a right. It should not be a moral or ethical dilemma. Nor should women have to make the choice to end a pregnancy under duress, fear or threats of violence. I understand the decision to end a pregnancy is not easy so let’s not make it harder.

Scott Allen can be reached at [email protected]