Abortion And The Legalization Of Abortion

One of the most frequently debated topics in bioethics is the morality of abortion, or the ending of a pregnancy without physically giving birth to an infant. Often times abortions are categorized into either spontaneous, a natural miscarriage; induced or intentional, which is premeditated and for any reason; or therapeutic, which albeit intentional, its sole purpose is to save the mother’s life. It seems however that moral conflicts on issue mainly arise when discussing induced abortions. In general, people universally agree it is morally wrong to kill an innocent person and in some people’s eyes induced abortions are the intentional killings of innocent persons, thus making them immoral. However not all individuals view fetuses as persons and consequentially argue it is not morally wrong to kill them.

Abortion has been around for quite some time. Laws have been set allowing it and banning it during different periods of time. The procedures that can be done are all very different. There is a medical abortion involving drugs and there are surgical abortion involving a more invasive procedure. There are also different points of view on it. There are those who fully support the termination of a pregnancy and those who are completely against it. There are many factors to consider and very different ideas out there.

To be pregnant under the age of 18 is a controversial issue. As minor, she may choose to give up the child. As a minor, she may choose to give the child up for adoption, keep the child, or undergo an abortion. Many are opposed to the latter option, which is the early termination of a pregnancy. The root of this issue began with the Supreme Court’s decision on the legality of an abortion in Roe v. Wade and has stemmed into a debate of pro-choice or pro-life. The decision led to the polarization of the public, since the conservatives were against abortion being a constitutionally protected right. Pregnant women should have control over their body, and yet through case law conservatives are able to pass restrictions on when the abortion procedure would be done (Henretta, J. A., Hinderaker, E., Edwards, R., & Self, R. O., 2014).

Abortion and the morality of it has been a hot topic for years in the United States although it has been carried out for centuries in different cultures. Abortion is a medical procedure deliberately terminating a pregnancy. Abortions usually happen within the first 28 weeks of pregnancy and are considered an outpatient procedure. The first abortion laws were passed by Britain in 1803 and by 1880 most abortions in the U.S. were illegal, except for those that were performed to save the life of a woman. This exception to the rule gives insight into the battle that exists today and the ethical debate of abortion.

One of the strongest arguments for abortion is the government has no right to interfere with a woman’s reproductive health decisions. The United States is not ruled by God, and the constitution is a non-religious document which affords us a right to privacy. The Supreme Court agreed with this argument as evident by their decision in the Roe vs. Wade case of 1973. Seven Supreme Court justices ruled in favor of Roe while two dissented. Blackmun, one of the justices in favor, based his decision on three arguments: First, abortion laws were originally intended to protect the mother, not the fetus. Second, abortion procedures were improved and safer. Finally, the fetus had not been granted legal status as a person. The following excerpt is from “Roe vs Wade: Abortion and a Woman’s Right to Privacy” by Melissa Higgins. “Regarding the Fourteenth Amendment, Texas’s abortion law violated the due process clause, which protects a person’s right to privacy from state action. This included a woman’s right to end her pregnancy. On this point, Blackmun wrote,

The book’s fourth chapter, “Where have All the Criminals Gone?” in particular, includes several subjects the authors acknowledge will “provoke a variety of reactions, ranging from disbelief to revulsion, and a variety of objections” (140). By this point, readers already know the authors’ view that the legalization of abortion in Roe v. Wade caused the drop in crime during the 1990s because this idea first appears on page four. Rather than simply explaining why abortion lowered crime rates, Levitt and Dubner use a chart to introduce seven explanations commonly cited by experts for the sudden drop in crime during the 1990s, then examine the authenticity of each one. The first possible cause is “a fairly uncontroversial one: the strong economy”

Many people throughout history have fought to have the choice to have an abortion if they like. For example cases such as: Roe v. Wade and Parenthood v. Casey, which made a big impact in the system.

When you tell a toddler that they can’t have a cookie, even though they initially did not care about whether or not they could consume the cookie, suddenly they cannot stop thinking about that cookie they can no longer have. This is natural human response occurs in adults as well as children. So as you would expect, although 47% of women have declared themselves pro-choice (Saad "Americans Misjudge U.S. Abortion Views"), according to a study in 2011, only 1.7% of women aged 15–44 had an abortion (Jones and Jerman "Abortion Incidence and Service Availability In the United States, 2011"). These statistics show that even though most women who support the pro-choice movement are unlikely to have an abortion, they still believe that those women who choose to have an abortion should have the right to make a decision for her own body. A woman should have the right to make choices for her own body because separation of church and state prevents religion from being used as a way to limit women 's rights and no one, especially not men or the government, is as qualified as a medical professional when it comes to making medical recommendations and diagnostics. Even though there could be an argument that fetal personhood is subjective based on religion as to whether or not abortion can be considered murder, philosopher, Immanuel Kant can dispute that argument with his moral theory on what makes someone human.

Since 1973, a total of 57,496,011 abortions have been reported to the Centers of Disease Control and that number keeps rising. This does not include the self-induced abortions or the abortions your body causes, also known as miscarriage. There are so many different procedures throughout the years. In the early years, many women did not seek help from licensed medical assistance. They attempted removal of the fetus with a coat-hanger also piercing of the fetus with a knitting needle, crochet hook, hat pin, bobby pin or similar device inserted into the uterus through the cervix. Many women also used douching methods linked to miscarriage to abort the baby such as Clorox bleach or lye which could also cause chemical burns. In the 1960s women also used Coca-Cola to send their bodies into aborting the fetus. The Induction abortion takes approximately three to four days to complete. On the first day, the young woman is given an ultrasound to determine the age of her baby. Then, the abortionist with the help of an ultrasound to guide them. The patient will then receive a lethal dose of the heart medication Digoxin, a generic drug, is injected into the baby’s heart or into the amniotic fluid directly through the woman’s abdomen or vaginally, the Digoxin will give the baby a fatal heart attack. Although the reason for killing the baby first is to avoid a live birth. After the drug is injected, the woman’s cervix is inserted with Laminaria sticks or tent, a thin tampon-like

Since 1973, abortion has been considered “legal” in the United States. But, just because abortion is legal, does that automatically justify it as moral? The Bible never clearly states “though shall not abort your children.” On the other hand, Exodus 20:13, states “though shall not murder.” Not only does Exodus speak of prohibiting murder, Genesis 9:3, states that “whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” According to AbortionFacts.com, abortion became legalized in the United States in 1973; however, does declaring something “legal” grant the power to be morally sound as well (The Christian, n.d.)?

One idea supported by the people or political party I generally oppose is that the women of the United States should not have the license to legal abortion, even in cases of rape or incest. Accordingly, this anti-abortion stance is customarily coupled with religious convictions. However, ordinary citizens and legislators should not be able to legally impose their religious views onto American women. I acknowledge the moral defense for the “pro-life” movement and the rights of the unborn child. However, women of the United States America have the right to be independent of religious and pious condemnation and to be unrestrained when choosing the services concerning their reproductive welfare. U.S. abortion laws ought not jeopardize the health

In the United States the abortion has become a big deal in American political landscape. Also is very sadly because is consider it moral issues rather than personal rights or civil liberties.

The history of 'abortion ' in the United States is more complex than most people imagine. Abortion and issues surrounding abortion are involved in intense political and public debate in the United States, law varies from state to state with regards to state legislature of abortion. 'Until 1973, the control of abortion, was almost entirely in the hands of the government of the state. ' (Vile. M. J. C, 1999, P203) The focal legal debate surrounding the issue of abortion is whether a foetus has a basic legal right to live, which turns on to the question on when a foetus is potentially a person (when it becomes 'viable ') and therefore should be ultimately protected from this point. 'Pollitt identifies that to have the legal right to have an abortion, was a transformative event for women’s liberation: it saved women from death and injury; and enabled them to commit to education and work. It also changed how women saw themselves; as mothers by choice not by fate.’ (Kennedy. S, 2014, P56) This essay will critically discuss the role and variety of actors involved in the discussion of abortion in the United States, and the impact they have politically, socially and economically, by critically exploring relevant theory.

Over the past few centuries state and federal laws concerning a females reproductive rights have changed dramatically. The female population has been greatly affected by many laws regarding their reproductive rights and their ability to make educated decisions about family planning. The 1973 case Roe vs. Wade set the motion to allow women to control their bodies and their decision to end a pregnancy through abortion. Prior to this case, in almost all 50 states abortions were deemed illegal.

Abortion is defined in several ways all of which stop a pregnancy. There are different ways of abortion, which are spontaneous abortion, surgical abortion, and medical abortion. Abortion has been arguable topic for decades. One can neither believe abortion to be good nor bad. The idea of individuality and human life is not quite the same. Idea of human life has come from conception; simultaneously on the other hand, fertilizer eggs used for in vitro fertilization are also human lives but eggs unable to implant are routinely thrown away. Would you like to call it a murder and if not, then how is abortion a murder? Arizona is known as a state that is very much against abortion. In 2012; Arizona was named Americans United for Life’s “Pro-life All-Star.” Since 1995, center for Arizona policy has supported 30 bills that have been signed into law that promote pro-life.