Abortion is a controversial issue with many agreements and disagreements. The novel, ¨Unwind¨ written by Neal Shusterman portrays an alternative and dark solution throughout the novel. In Unwind, a second civil war had taken place in the United States over the issue of abortion. As a result, a process called ¨unwinding¨ was reached as a compromise between the pro-life and pro-choice armies. Unwinding is when a parent chooses to abort their child between the ages of thirteen and eighteen with the condition that the child´s life doesn't technically end. Neal Shusterman, author of Unwind, uses third person omniscient point of view throughout the novel in order for the audience to connect with and understand the emotions of each character. An …show more content…
A supporting claim from the text states, “In a perfect world mothers would all want their babies, and strangers would open up their homes to the unloved...But this isn´t a perfect world. The problem is the people who think it is.¨ (page 75) The government and the world has become so corrupt that taking a life away is a simple daily routine. When the Heartland War took place each side wanted to crush the other so bad that they forgot about believing in anything. Life was no longer valued. Ultimately, people need to realize that every single life has a purpose even if it isn't clear in the beginning, so it should not be thrown away. A second theme revealed in the novel, ¨Unwind¨ is people will do anything in order to survive. An example from the text states, ¨The crazy kid now puts Lev into a choke hold, holding Lev between himself and the officers.¨ (page 35) When the survival instinct in our mind kicks in, we do irrational things. For example, Connor uses Lev as human shield in order to protect himself from being shot with a tranq bullet. As unwinds, teenagers have to hide from the authorities until the ¨Unwind¨ order is no longer in effect at the age of
In the novel Unwind, Neal Shusterman offers a unique perspective on the possible outcome of our society’s conflicts on ethical issues, especially directed towards the debate on abortion. The author shows the outcome of second civil war, in which the system of unwinding is born, a word hiding the harsh truth of dismembering children. This form of abortion proved to be the only way that would bring back peace to the country, however wrong in many ways and means of drastic measures it seemed to both the authorities and the public. The process of unwinding portrayed in the novel in biased and is not a realistic solution to the problems in today's society, only serving further issues and tensions in the nation. The author on purposefully
Abortion is the ending of a pregnancy before birth. An abortion results in the death of the embryo or fetus and may be either spontaneous or induced. For years, abortion has been an extremely controversial subject. The history of abortion reaches back not just decades, but centuries, and even milleniums. Today, policies regarding legal abortion in the U.S. is being debated everywhere. Many myths and misconceptions confuse this issue. A better understanding of the history of abortion in America can help provide a context for an improved policy in the future.
Many individuals fail to understand the sheer magnitude of bloodshed, tribulation, and despair legalized abortion has initiated into the human experience – both in the United States and worldwide. Far more human lives have been violently ended by this immoral decision than any other war or genocide in history. It is one of the most controversial issues in today’s society. Abortion is the intentional decision to murder a human fetus by chemical, medical or surgical procedures. Those who support the rights of abortion argue that women should be able to decide what can be done to their bodies, yet the unborn baby inside a woman is a living being, and terminating that pregnancy is the equivalent of murder. These innocent children should not be held responsible for your mistakes. Don’t terminate pregnancy now, because you may not have children in the future at all.
In the book, Unwind, by Neal Shusterman, the argument between Pro-life and Pro-choice reaches a point that leads America to a second civil war. This war was known as the “Heartland War” and it did not end with a clear winner. Instead, both sides agreed to a new law called “The Bill of Life” to make peace and end the war. The Bill of Life was a compromise between the pro-life and pro-choice factions that prevent abortion but also stated that human life will be preserved from the moment of pregnancy until the child reaches the age of thirteen. After age 13 and before age 18, the parent can choose to “Unwind” their children which means the child is sent to a “harvest camp” until their organs are harvested and given to people who need organ
----An abortion is a medical procedure the effectively terminates a pregnancy by destroying the fetus in the mother’s womb. Abortion had been previously banned in 30 of the USA’s states, however, in the 1970s, a major dispute in the Supreme Court ended with retracting the decision to ban it. The new ruling essentially made abortion legal in all of the US states, however, major controversy has still clouded the topic. All of the US states have to accept abortion in the early stages of a mother’s pregnancy, despite their personal viewpoints, But they are allowed to forbade an abortion if the choice is made in the later points of the fetus’ growth. The fetus begins to take shape after the first trimester, no longer an unidentifiable group of cells. The major discussion is whether abortion should be banned or allowed, each side having exceptions to their
In the beginning of the dystopian novel, the society appears to be stable, organized and with no problems. As the events progress, the ugly face of the society is revealed by a protagonist that begins to question the social and political norms of his/her society. This protagonist begins to understand how the system seeks only power and does not care about the people. Moving towards the climax, he/she starts to think how to get out of the system or change the course of events. Moreover, Devin Ryan suggests “protagonists begin to search for their identities, they realize that the world in which they live is neither perfect nor free’’ (Ryan4). As for the end, Casey Aaron Holliday explains “ Dystopian novels generally end in one of two ways. The
In the paper titled “A Defense of Abortion” Judith Thomson uses several premises to bring the readers to the conclusion that Abortion is not morally wrong. After reading her paper I have concluded, that abortion is in fact morally wrong, excluding extenuating circumstances. In this paper I will show that abortion is morally wrong by way of the following argument:
(History in dispute) In addition, middle-class Americans were still debating whether married women, let alone teenage girls, should use contraception. This illuminates how little information was provided at this time, and how an unwanted pregnancy might yield confusion and controversy. (History in dispute) Abortion, as it still is presently, was a controversial action for one to take. Many believed in the idea of “immediate animation”, where when the first fetal movement is felt, it has been “infused with a soul” (Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113). It is very much apparent why killing a fetus “infused with a soul” might render one to disapprove. Terminating a pregnancy is killing unborn human life, and this concept inspired people to Those who believed in ideas like this would advocate against giving women access to abortion, or at least disapproved them doing so.
In the book, the parents’ of children have the choice of deciding if they live or die; the parents decide what happens to the children’s bodies in relation to unwinding. The kids do not have a say in the situation. This, in my opinion, relates to the pro-abortion or pro-life debates because pro-life is saying that women cannot choose what to do with their body, just like unwinding does for the children. Connor tells all the other AWOL unwinds, “We have a right to our lives... We have a right to choose what happens to our bodies… We deserve a world where both those things are possible - and it’s our job to help make that world!” (Shusterman 333). These three sentences, along with all the challenges the characters were faced with in the story, made me see in and even brighter light that it’s a ridiculous that women are expected to have regulations on their bodies, without any say in the
The novel, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, is a dystopian novel set in a world where . Sixteen year-old Connor Lassiter gets his life completely turned around when he discovers that his parents have signed a contract that states that he can be ‘unwound’. Being unwound in this futuristic world, is a form of abortion for teenagers aged thirteen to eighteen, where their body parts are harvested until someone needs them, yet still stay alive. Connor runs away from home and manages to disappear for one day until he is tracked down by the police and his father on a busy highway. Full of adrenaline and fear, Connor grabs the nearest person to him to use as a hostage and as a shield against the onslaught of sedatives the police are firing, Levi
This book really dives into the issue of the pro-life/pro-choice issue. In the book, they solve the issue by passing the “unwind law”. This law allows children between the ages of 13-18 to give up their life at the parent's disposal. They don’t have a choice in this, and the main characters don’t want to die. This is why they ran.
Life is so beautiful and sweet until it ends. In America, abortions clinics are gradually closing their doors even though the United States is of the few nations to endorse abortions. Abortions are normally performed during the 1st trimester of a woman’s pregnancy and abortion laws are varied from state to state (Alabama Policy). Abortion is also one of the biggest and most controversial debate about exterminating an unborn life in a mother’s womb and determining whether its ethical or unethical. In 1973, the United States Supreme Court legalized abortions throughout every state and more women especially African Americans were enticed by the Roe v Wade court decision (Alabama Policy Web). In this paper, I will examine the influence
The United States has been divided now over the issue of abortion for thirty-three years since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade in 1973. As of today, over 45 million legal abortions have been performed in the United States. Pro-choice advocates hold these 45 million abortions as being 45 million times women have exercised their right to choose to get pregnant and to choose to control their own bodies. To pro-life, or anti-abortion, advocates these 45 million abortions constitute 45 million murders, a genocide of human life in the United States propagated by the court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade. The debate over abortion in the United States is thus a debate of two extremes. One side argues from the personal liberty of the mother. The
Abortion has been a controversial topic regarding the political, religious, spiritual, and economical views of many Americans throughout history. Understanding the difference between pursuing abortion or rejecting it at the end is an individuals option. Abortion refers to the voluntary termination of a pregnancy, resulting in the death of the fetus or embryo.(CITE) Therefore, throughout the entire life journey of Congress and legal rights, there has been a drift of thoughts towards abortion. It can be represented both parties that advocate for “pro-choice” or “pro-life” and there can be two sides presented with both arguments. After many debates and thoughts on this legal topic, one must consider if it fair and valid to legalize abortion
Throughout the United States there has always been a big debate on whether or not abortion is ethically acceptable or not. Though many individuals see it as killing a child, many others can overlook that burden and see the consequences of having a child at that point in time. Individuals who are put in a pregnancy situation and have to look into all aspects of an abortion and the reasons for this procedure, while also realizing the biological development of the fetus, and the process of an abortion.