Abortion as a Women’s Issue and a Feminist Issue

Since abortion issues are centered around women’s bodies and their relative pregnancy, some people advocate for abortion to be a women’s issue that should have no interference from men. For example, men should not be allowed to vote or have a say with what a woman does with her own body.

Pro-choice and pro-life are the options; there is not much in between area to choose from, but there is a lot within the two options that can be debated on. There are different levels of the issue, different situations women face, and different ideologies that people are exposed to. This is what makes this issue so rich and complex.

Feminism today is considered to uphold a wholly pro-choice ideology; a woman’s body is her own, and by no circumstances should lawmakers or religious groups enforce their pro-life agenda upon them. That is why some feminists, but not all, see this issue as one that should be mandated by women-only.

On the other hand, the preservation of unborn life is seen by society as everyone’s issue, men as well. By alienating the other sex, it takes away voices and opinions that could have value and worth.

Feminism is for everybody. Even though abortion is about a woman’s body, and what someone does with their body is their choice, there are conflicts that arise when a pregnancy is involved. Abortion is about women, and feminism is about the equality of women, but men can be an important and valuable component of feminism. Men can be (and often are) feminists, too.

This is why is it vital to communicate ideas and stances; men do not have to be quiet on this issue, but should be welcome to ask questions and encouraged to learn more about the woman as an individual with certain rights and powers. No man will ever know what it is like to be pregnant or to have to make the choice to have an abortion or not, but they can be informed; this information can help dissipate an “us vs. them” mentality. Feminism strives to achieve equality and understanding. The power imbalance between men and women is alive and well in today’s society. Feminism tries to minimize this power imbalance to achieve equality in men and women, not to make women more powerful than men. This is why abortion has to be discussed in a manner of openness and honesty; it is highly politicized, which mitigates and diminishes the importance of the issue. It makes someone choose sides and wear a label. In order to be a “true conservative” you have to be pro-life; in order to be a “true liberal” you have to be pro-choice.

This dichotomy allows people to think less about the issue itself; it makes people align themselves with a view based purely on politics. I believe that a lot of men do this. Women, too. Both genders need to understand the extent of the issue; then people can better decide what they believe and if they think that only women should be allowed to have a say in abortion issues.