Student: Julia Chiarello Passamani

Karens Class

!
Pregnancy Crisis; Abortion, or the Adoption Option?

!
Abortion is one of the most discussed and complex issues in society
today. It brings about discussions of life, death, health, religion, and moral integrity. In
Brazil, abortion is a crime. I think this is not correct, because most women who need
this procedure are from a lower income. In being forced to keep the unwanted
pregnancy, there is a possibility of giving birth to children without a family structure, love,
access to education, and responsibility. All of these are important to the development of
a good person.

According to the website abortionincanada.ca, the main reasons women

choose abortion are inadequate finances and the pressure of responsibility. The idea of
pregnancy can be especially frightening in situations where the pregnancy comes up
unexpectedly and the young woman in question isn't in a confident time of her life.
Often, the added stress of childbirth and motherhood can break an unprepared person,
which leads to inadequate care of the child. These situations keep the poverty cycle
revolving as these children do not receive the proper education to make a change in
their own lives for the better.

In the website lifecanada.org, the argument is presented that adoption is

an underused alternative to abortion. The statistics say that in Canada, only 2% of
single women in a pregnancy crisis turn to the adoption option. Meanwhile, 60%
become single mothers, and 38% choose abortion. This is mostly due to the negative
perception of adoption that has been ingrained in society through media and literature
for many many years. In the past, adoptions were typically met with much secrecy,
leading to confused emotions for both the adopting parents and the adoptee, who often
grow up with a natural curiosity of their biological parents.

!
Today however, what are known as "open adoptions" are starting to
become more commonplace. This is where the biological parents have the opportunity
to choose the adoptive parents for their child from a collection of applicants. Sometimes
there are even arrangements in place for future contact between the biological parent
and child through visits, letters, or photos. This practice of "open adoption" is a very new
one, but even so, it is generally accepted that it is a positive change of procedure for
both the adoptee and the birthparents in the long run.

!
I come from a catholic background, where the idea of abortion is
forbidden. Personally, however, I think that there should be exceptions to this rule on a
case by case basis. In the cases where the mother in crisis has no means to raise a
child, with no support network to help her, I think the mother should be free to choose
the option of abortion. In the cases where the single pregnant woman does have the

means to raise the child, but wants to choose abortion for lack of responsibility or purely
selfish reasons, I think it is wrong to abort. In either case, the option of adoption is also
a very positive alternative in my opinion. There are thousands of eager parents waiting
to adopt a child, and this option provides the best chance of reducing the loss of life,
while providing a healthy platform for a child's upbringing.

!
In conclusion, abortion remains a complicated issue for debate. Religious
traditions and moral ambiguity

both come into play when discussing whether or not

abortion is appropriate in todays society. From either side of the discussion however,
there is one little used alternative that is always available for mothers in need. The
adoption option.

!
References:
Torres, and Forrest. "Why Women Choose Abortion." Abortion in Canada RSS. N.p., 1
Jan. 2005. Web. 21 July 2014. <http://abortionincanada.ca/facts/why-women-chooseabortion/>.

Bowles, Anastasia. "Understanding the Complexities of Adoption." Life Canada Journal:

n. pag.02 Web. 20 July 2014.