Abortion has been a widely talked about issue in the United States for quite some time now. Some think that abortion is a woman’s choice because it is her body, and some think that abortion is murder and should be illegal, but does anyone ever stop to think about the teenagers who are going through the abortion process? Abortion is mainly seen as an adult issue, but, “in 2015 alone, 229,715 babies were born to women ages 15-19 years old in the United States.” (Paige Landau and Willow Mason, “Educational Support for Teenage Mothers”, NASP, December 1, 2017) In many states abortion is legal for minors with the parent(s) having little to no involvement, including California, Hawaii, and Connecticut. It might be argued that …show more content…
If a minor is allowed an abortion for a pregnancy forced onto them by an abuser than the parents of the minor may never know that their child is being abused. This also gives the person another opportunity to take advantage of the young girl. “Between 11% and 20% of girls get pregnant as a direct result of rape” (CommunityCrisisCenter). Although the minor should have told their parents of the sexual abuse it is a hard topic to discuss and most people who are raped feel too ashamed or feel as if it is their fault so they do not report it. “70% of babies born to teenagers are fathered by adult men; only 30% are fathered by another teenager” (CommunityCrisisCenter). Studies show that “93 percent of minors who were raped knew the perpetrator” (RAINN). How would you feel if you found out your child had been raped by someone you …show more content…
Having a child as a teenager turns the odds against you. Studies show that having a child reduces the probability of receiving a high school diploma by five to ten percent (Barbara L. Wolfe and Jason M. Fletcher, 2008). After an abortion stress is very probable and can effect a child in school just as much as having the child. Seventy percent of students who are stressed reported lack of sleep (Carlson, 2016). This is something that would also come with a baby. Stress also increases the chance of angry outbreaks, and withdrawal from the outside world. If a person is going through a secret abortion they may show all the signs of stress on the outside, but they are not mentally healthy. With teenagers people often write anger off as a “teenage thing”, but the parents should know what is really going