3 Most Common Reasons Women Have an Abortion

3 Most Common Reasons Women Have an Abortion For some, its an inconceivable act, but for others, abortion seems to be the only way out of an unplanned pregnancy and an impossible-to-negotiate future. Numbers show that nearly one in four U.S. women will choose to have an abortion before age 45. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a handful of studies over the years have indicated consistently similar answers from women who identify why theyve chosen to have an abortion. The top three reasons these women cite for not being able to continue their pregnancies and give birth are: Negative impact on the mothers lifeFinancial instabilityRelationship problems/unwillingness to be a single mother What is the rationale behind these reasons that would lead a woman to terminate a pregnancy? What are the challenges and situations women face that make giving birth and raising a newborn an impossible task?   Negative Impact on the Mothers Life Taken at face value, this reason may sound selfish. But a pregnancy that occurs in the wrong place at the wrong time can have a lifelong impact on a womans ability to raise a family and earn a living. Less than half of teens who become teen mothers before age 18 graduate from high school. College students who become pregnant and give birth are also much less likely to complete their education than their peers. Employed single women who become pregnant face an interruption of their jobs and careers. This impacts their earning ability and may make them unable to raise a child on their own. For women who already have other children at home or are caring for aging relatives, the reduction in income resulting from pregnancy and subsequent birth may bring them below the poverty level and require them to seek public assistance. Financial Instability Whether shes a student in high school, paying her way through college, or a single woman earning just enough to live independently, many expectant mothers lack the resources to cover the staggeringly high costs associated with pregnancy, birth, and childrearing, especially if they do not have health insurance. Saving for a baby is one thing, but an unplanned pregnancy places an enormous financial burden on a woman who cannot afford to care for an infant, let alone pay for the necessary OB/GYN visits that will ensure healthy fetal development. Lack of adequate medical care during pregnancy places the newborn at a higher risk for complications during birth and in early infancy. The cost of average hospital birth is approximate $8,000 and prenatal care provided by a physician can cost between $1,500 and $3,000. For the nearly 50 million Americans who do not have insurance, this would mean an out-of-pocket expense of $10,000. Thats if things go well and if its a single, healthy birth. Problems from pre-eclampsia to  premature birth  can send costs spiraling. If those births are included in the average, a birth can cost well over $50,000. According to a 2013 study published by advocacy group Childbirth Connection and reported in  The Guardian, the U.S. is the most expensive place in the world to have a birth.   That figure, coupled with the cost of raising a child from infancy through age 17 (estimated at over $200,000 per child), makes giving birth a terrifying proposition for someone who is still in school, or lacks a steady income, or simply does not have the financial resources to continue a pregnancy with adequate medical care and give birth to a healthy baby. Fear of Being a Single Mother The majority of women with unplanned pregnancies do not live with their partners or have committed relationships. These women realize that in all likelihood they will be raising their child as a single mother. Many are unwilling to take this big step due to the reasons described above: interruption of education or career, insufficient financial resources, or inability to care for an infant due to caregiving needs of other children or family members. Even in situations involving women cohabitating with their partners, the outlook for unmarried women as single mothers in discouraging. Among women in their 20s living with their partners at the time of birth, one-third ended their relationships within two years. Other Most Common Reasons for Abortion Although these are not the primary reasons women choose abortion, the following statements reflect concerns that play a role in influencing women to terminate their pregnancies: I dont want more children or Im done with childrearing.Im not ready to become a mother or not ready for another child.I dont want others to know about my pregnancy or that Im having sex.My husband/partner wants me to have an abortion.There are problems with the health of the fetus.There are problems with my own health.My parents want me to have an abortion. Combined with those reasons previously cited, these secondary concerns often convince women that abortion - albeit a difficult and painful choice - is the best decision for them at this time in their lives. Reasons for Abortion, the Statistics In a study released by the Guttmacher Institute in 2005, women were asked to provide reasons why they chose to have an abortion. Multiple responses were permissible. Of those who gave at least one reason: 89 percent gave at least two72 percent gave at least three Nearly three-quarters said they could not afford to have a baby. Of those women who gave two or more answers, the most common response - inability to afford a baby - was most frequently followed by one of three other reasons: pregnancy/birth/baby would interfere with school or employment.reluctant to be a single mother or experiencing relationship problems.done with childbearing or already have other children/dependents. Women specified these reasons that led to their abortion decision  (percentage total will not add up to 100, as multiple answers were permissible): 74 percent felt having a baby would dramatically change my life (which includes interrupting education, interfering with job and career, and/or concern over other children or dependents).73 percent felt they cant afford a baby now (due to various reasons such as being unmarried, being a student, inability to afford childcare or basic needs of life, etc.).48 percent dont want to be a single mother or [were] having relationship problem[s].38 percent have completed [their] childbearing.32 percent were not ready for a(nother) child.25 percent dont want people to know I had sex or got pregnant.22 percent dont feel mature enough to raise a(nother) child.14 percent felt their husband or partner wants me to have an abortion.13 percent said there were possible problems affecting the health of the fetus.12 percent said there were physical problems with my health.6 percent felt their parents want me to have an abortion.1 percent said they were a victim of rape.0.5 percent became pregnant as a r esult of incest. Sources Finer, Lawrence B. Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives., Lori F. Frohwirth, Lindsay A. Dauphinee, et al., Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 37(3):110–118, The Guttmacher Institute, 2005. Glenza, Jessica. Why does it cost $32,093 just to give birth in America? The Guardian, January 16, 2018. Jones, Rachel K. Population Group Abortion Rates and Lifetime Incidence of Abortion: United States, 2008–2014. Jenna Jerman, The Guttmacher Institute, October 19, 2017. Wind, Rebecca. Why Do Women Have Abortions? The Guttmacher Institute, September 6, 2005.

The Racial Wealth GapHistory and Current Trends

The Racial Wealth GapHistory and Current Trends The racial wealth gap refers to the substantial difference in the wealth held by white and Asian households in the U.S. compared with the vastly lower levels of wealth held by Black and Latino households. This gap is visible when looking at both average and median household wealth. Today, white households hold on average $656,000 in wealth- nearly seven times that of Latino households ($98,000) and about eight times as much as Black households ($85,000). The racial wealth gap has significant negative impacts on the quality of life and life chances of Black and Latino people. It is wealth- assets held independent of ones monthly income- that allow people to survive unexpected losses of income. Without wealth, a sudden loss of job or inability to work could lead to loss of housing and hunger. Not only that, wealth is necessary for investment in the future prospects of members of the household. It provides the ability to save for higher education and retirement and opens up access to educational resources that are wealth-dependent. For these reasons, many see the racial wealth gap as not just a financial issue, but an issue of social justice. Understanding the Growing Racial Wealth Gap In 2016, the Center for Equality and Diversity, together with the Institute for Policy Studies, released a landmark report that shows that the racial wealth gap grew considerably larger in the three decades between 1983 and 2013. The report, titled The Ever-Growing Gap, reveals that the average wealth of white households nearly doubled over that span of time, while the growth rate for Black and Latino households was far lower. Black households saw their average wealth increase from $67,000 in 1983 to $85,000 in 2013, which, at less than $20,000, is an increase of just 26 percent. Latino households did quite a bit better, with average wealth growing from just $58,000 to $98,000- a 69 percent increase- which means they came from behind to pass Black households. But during the same period, white households experienced a growth rate in average wealth of about 84 percent, climbing from $355,000 in 1983 to $656,000 in 2013. That means that white wealth grew at 1.2 times the rate of growth for that of Latino households, and  three times  as much as it did for Black households. According to the report, if these current racialized rates of growth continue, the wealth gap between white families and Black and Latino families- currently about $500,000- will double by 2043 to reach a staggering $1 million. In these conditions, white households would enjoy, on average, an increase in wealth of $18,000 per year, while that figure would be just $2,250 and $750 for Latino and Black households, respectively. At this rate, it would take Black families 228 years to reach the level of average wealth held by white families in 2013. How the Great Recession Impacted the Racial Wealth Gap Research shows that the racial wealth gap was exacerbated by the Great Recession. The report by CFED and IPS points out that, between 2007 and 2010, Black and Latino households lost three and four times more wealth than did white households. Data shows that this is largely due to the racially disproportionate impacts of the home mortgage foreclosure crisis, which saw Blacks and Latinos lose their home at far greater rates than did whites. Now, in the aftermath of the Great Recession, 71 percent of whites own their homes, but just 41 and 45 percent of Blacks and Latinos do, respectively. The Pew Research Center reported in 2014 that the disproportionate home loss experienced by Black and Latino families during the Great Recession led to unequal wealth recovery in the recessions aftermath. Analyzing the Federal Reserves Survey of Consumer Finances, Pew found that though the housing and financial market crises that fueled the Great Recession negatively impacted all people in the U.S., during the three years that followed the end of the recession, white households managed to recover  wealth, while Black and Latino households saw a significant  drop  in wealth during that time (measured as median net worth for each racial group). Between 2010 to 2013, during what is described as a period of economic recovery, white wealth grew by 2.4 percent, but Latino wealth fell by 14.3 percent and Black wealth fell by over a third. The Pew Report also points to another racialized disparity: that between the recovery of financial and housing markets. Because whites are much more likely to be invested in the stock market, they benefited from the recovery of that market. Meanwhile, it was Black and Latino homeowners who were disproportionately hurt by the home mortgage foreclosure crisis. Between 2007 and 2009, according to  a 2010 report from the Center for Responsible Lending, Black mortgage suffered the highest rate of foreclosure- nearly twice the rate of white borrowers. Latino borrowers were not far behind. Because property constitutes the majority of Black and Latino wealth, losing a home to foreclosure for those households resulted in a near-complete loss of wealth for most. Black and Latino homeownership continued to  decline, as did their household wealth, during the 2010-2013  period of  recovery. Per the Pew Report,  Federal Reserve  data shows that Black and Latino households also experienced a greater loss of income during the recovery period. The median income of racial minority households dropped by 9 percent during the recovery period, while that of white households fell by just one percent. So, in the aftermath of the Great Recession, white households have been able to replenish savings and assets, but those in minority households have not been able to do so. Systemic Racism Caused and Fuels the Growth of the Racial Wealth Gap Sociologically speaking, its important to recognize the socio-historical forces that placed Black and Latino homeowners in situations in which they were more likely than white borrowers to receive the kinds of predatory loans that caused the foreclosure crisis. Todays racial wealth gap can be traced all the way back to the enslavement of Africans and their descendants; the genocide of Native Americans and theft of their land and resources; and the enslavement of Indigenous Central and South Americans, and theft of their land and resources throughout the colonial and post-colonial periods. It was and is fueled by workplace discrimination and racial pay gaps and unequal access to education, among many other factors. So, throughout history, white people in the U.S. have been unjustly enriched by systemic racism while people of color have been unjustly impoverished by it. This unequal and unjust pattern continues today, and per the data, seems only destined to worsen unless race-consciou sness policies intervene to make change.

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Final Exam - Essay Example However, as exhibited by the Abu Daoud incident, this type of cooperation does not always work. Bilateral agreements like extradition treaties do not always ensure international cooperation especially when nations involved are more intent about protecting their interests with other nations. 2. Weapon of the Weak. This is the underdog view about terrorism. The deprived and exploited underdogs view terrorism as a last resort, as a means for them to fight back against their oppressors and against those in power. As a weapon of the weak, the underdogs believe that they are fighting for justice, and they are not concerned about the possible disorder that their actions might bring. For the underdogs, terrorism is their way of fighting for their freedom from oppression and deprivation. They view violence as a necessary evil, as a means to justify their moral ends. Because of these moral ends, they opine that violence and terrorism should not be contained. 3. Export Administration Act. The Export Administration Act is the law passed by the United States which authorized the Secretary of State to designate and identify those countries which have supported and sponsored international terrorism. This act codified export controls and prohibitions on military sales. It also prevented foreign assistance for countries on the list. This act was able to identify and designate the following states, among others, as terrorist supporters: North Korea, Sudan, Cuba, and the Taliban group. Through the act, the following activities can classify states as terrorism sponsors: making lethal materials; giving logistical assistance to terrorists; providing headquarter facilities, safe houses, planning, training, money, documentation, and sanctuary from extradition or prosecution. 4. Mixed motivations. Mixed motivations arise when leaders in the state have different and conflicting motives. For example, during the Kenyan War,