Many argue that forcing a woman to continue a pregnancy and forcing her to use sterilization are essentially the same because they both involve legal infringement on a woman’s “rights” to her body. However, I would argue that these two seemingly similar ordeals are in fact quite different from one another and, as such, should be treated accordingly.
The main difference between forcing sterilization and “forcing” pregnancy is that one is preventative while the other is, well, abortive. This refers to the idea that sterilization exists to prevent unwanted pregnancy from occurring. Abortion, however, does not stop the conception of a baby. Rather, it prevents the birth and life of a human being. Simply by nature of what each accomplishes, it is evident that these two circumstances are quite different from one another.
A woman’s use of sterilization affects her body and her body alone. That being said, it is a rational argument that women should be allowed to determine sterilization for themselves without being told what to decide. In the case of abortion, however, two lives are now at stake. This, then, transfers the decision away from the woman, to the law. While she may be in control of her own body, she does not have the right to take the life and body of another.
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