In the landmark decision on 22 January 1973 in the case of Roe versus Wade, women were guaranteed their right to choose and their individual privacy was protected. This decision preserved not only a woman's reproductive rights, but also held up the principles of the first, ninth, and fourteenth amendments. Based upon my personal experience and ability to refute opposing views, I believe every woman, no matter what race, marital status, or age, has the right to her own reproductive self-determination and privacy of the decisions she makes.
Reproductive freedom "the fundamental right of every individual to decide freely and responsibly when and whether to have a child "is a reaffirmation of the principle of individual liberty cherished by most people worldwide. If not for freedom of choice my friend Jamie would not be where she is today. On 17 November 2002 she was raped. The man who raped her was never found and the search for the rapist is outdated and has come to a halt. One of the many consequences that Jamie had to live through was that this man had impregnated her. When Jamie found this out, she was faced with one of the hardest decisions of her life: keep the baby or abort it. After weighing all the pros and cons she came to the conclusion to have the abortion. She decided this for many different reasons. Firstly, Jamie believed that this baby would not be put into the proper environment and would not be loved and cared for like a child deserves to be. Jamie was only seventeen at this time and had not even graduated high school. Secondly, Jamie believed that having this child would cause her severe mental anguish because the child would remind her of one of the worst events of her life. She did not want to be linked to this man who physically and mentally abused her. Thirdly, when researching types of abortions, she found that abortions are safer than ever. If pregnancy is detected early enough, a pill can be easily taken and the fetus is simply flushed out of the system.
