Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy, sometimes in the form of a miscarriage or spontaneous abortion, but at other times it is by the voluntary action of the woman carrying the child. When it comes to the topic of abortion many have argued that life does not begin until a baby is actually born while others believe life begins at conception. In this paper, I will provide information that life does, in fact, begin at conception and that abortion is wrong and is murdering an innocent child. (8)
So why do women choose to have abortions? One survey I found said that three-fourths of woman stated having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities, three-fourths said they could not afford a child, and one-half said they did not want to be a single parent or were having problems with their spouse or partner. In this particular survey only twelve percent stated it was because of a physical problem and only one percent reported because of rape.(1) Another important statistic survey was from the Guttmacher Institute. They have performed surveys over the last twenty-five years and have conducted two major studies asking women why they chose abortion. Only seven percent reported that their abortion was because of a health reason or a possible health problem with the baby, and less than half a percent report that their abortion was because they became pregnant as a result of rape. According to this study ninety two percent of healthy American women, with
Abortion is the process of intentionally ending a pregnancy. Abortion touches the hearts of many because its consequences result in the loss of a human life. Its controversy stems from the fact that people’s opinions on this matter are rooted in their value systems, religious beliefs, and political socialization. Its prominence in political discussions today is likely to continue given the relationship between unwanted pregnancies and overpopulation. There is often debate about the constitutionality of abortion, as it is not specifically addressed by any doctrine. As a result, there has never been an explicit national law enacted.
There are many arguments surrounding the controversial topic of abortion, which for the purpose of this paper is taken to mean the intentional killing of a human fetus. On the one hand, I and many others argue that a fetus has the same right to life as an adult human and therefore abortion is immoral. On the other hand, others argue that this is not the case and that the fetus either doesn’t have the same right to life as an adult or that this right is of secondary importance to the rights of the mother. They therefore argue that abortion is not immoral.
“Abortion is the spontaneous or artificially induced expulsion of an embryo or fetus” (Abortion, 2002). An artificially induced abortion is the type referred to in the legal context. Abortions happen in different situations. The question comes when is it the right or wrong choice. The root question becomes the moment a fetus becomes a person and entitled to rights. The fetus could be a person at conception, during the pregnancy, or at birth. The deciding moment differs from the Pro-life group and Pro-choice group. After critically analyzing four different arguments about the pros and cons of abortion, one will be able to understand the ethical, moral, and
Abortion is one of the most controversial topics of all times. The definition most people associate with abortion is the termination of unwanted pregnancy. In their essay, “The Wrong of Abortion”, Patrick Lee and Robert P. George argue that intentional abortion is unjust and therefore objectively immoral no matter the circumstances. Also, they argue that “the burden of carrying the baby is significantly less than the harm the baby would suffer by being killed; the mother and father have a special responsibility to the child; it follows that intentional abortion (even in few cases where the baby’s death is an unintended but foreseen side effect) is unjust ” (24).
There are many questions surrounding abortion, and the society most often associates the abortion issue in the larger context of establishing when life truly commences (Solinger). The biggest mistake made when addressing the issue of abortion is making an assumption that all the abortions made are the same. Several individuals might perceive all methods as being either immoral or ethical. Moreover, it is true that there are over 100 different abortion scenarios which are distinct depending on the fetus’s health and age, the mother's health and life, and the possible adverse effect on the society (Charles and
When faced with the choice of life or death, most people would choose to live. In fact, most would not want someone else making that decision for them. They would claim that as a living and independent entity it is solely their choice as to whether they continue to live or not. While this concept may seem fairly straightforward, there seems to be some great debate when it is applied to abortion. For many, they will maintain that the fetus has the right to life no matter the situation. There are some who will argue that abortion is morally permissible in specific circumstances and there are even those that will claim that abortion is always permissible. Why is there such a great divide? A major factor that plays a part in this is whether abortion involves more than one life. Because determining the beginning point of life is such a complex and emotional debate, there will be the same allowance in this paper as there was in Judith Jarvis Thomson’s “A Defense of Abortion”. As she eloquently put it “I propose then, that we grant that the fetus is a person from the moment of conception” (p. 721). This will allow for a look into the moral debate of abortion from a more grounded stage. As discussed early in Thomson’s paper, most of the debate on abortion rests on whether the fetus is alive or not. Whereas the focus should be on the many other aspects of pregnancies that may lead to a mother wanting an abortion.
“When Does Human Life Begin?” written by Arthur Caplan in 2014, takes an inside look at the question that is centered at the root of the abortion argument. Caplan addresses the scientific foundation of when human life actually begins, why the facts are not publicized, why some embryos cannot become human beings and why scientists are hesitate to correct their mistakes. The article is well written and completes the task of answering the initial question: When does Life begin?
Abortion is a subject that sparks great debate either for or against. With the country that we live in today, its moral standards are ever changing and its decisions are scrutinized. Abortions are becoming justified and should be the choice of the woman holding the fetus. This choice should be supported because government should not be involved in the choice of its individual people. Religion, and science will always cause friction when educating people on how a human life is or should be treated. Abortion is more than educating people, it has psychological factors, and it has short-term, and long-term effects. The financial matters and who bears the overall long-term effect, society or the individual needs to be addressed. The Supreme Court of the United States has been involved in highly publicized cases of abortion; Rowe v Wade, Gonzales v. Carnhart, Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of New England, are to name a few. The Supreme Court is the highest form of government in the United States to decide these matters and should throw them back down the state where each own can establish its guidelines to govern these laws and regulations. Sexual Education in the school system is designed to teach the youth about sexually transmitted diseases, and the risk of what can happen if a life is brought into this world unplanned. It is at this point where abortion should be discussed and debated so that the future and those planning on the future can make the decisions with a full
Abortion, defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary as, “the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus” is a highly discussed and debated topic. The subject has been particularly prevalent in the news recently due to the election of our 45th president and the debates leading up to it. The topic of full term abortions has been a particularly hot issue. However, for the sake of discussion in this paper, the focus is going to be on first trimester abortions. The majority opposed to the procedure, argue that abortion is ethically wrong and should not be legally allowed regardless of the stage of the pregnancy. I, however, believe it is a woman’s right to choose, and abortion should continue to be legal. Abortion is an ethical topic today’s society faces quiet frequently, with issues pertaining to ethics we find it is best to revisit the great minds and theories of the early philosophers who opened the door to the idea of ethics and how they defined actions to be ethical or otherwise. Aristotle’s theory is a good place to start.
When does life begin? Does it occur at the time of fertilization? Does it begin at 12 weeks? 6? Or is there some other test determining whether or not a life begins and along with it the rights, that reside to man. The natural rights that belong to every human being, most importantly of which, the right to life. This is the discussion and debate that have been in the forefront of controversial issues for the past 40 years. In most cases the topic of abortion is usually at the main focal point, but there are many topics of debate that come with the territory of the beginning of life, and whether or not it is moral to follow through with certain medical procedures. The topic discussed in
A long on-going subject that has been greatly debated in our society is abortion. Many people argue that because the baby in the mother’s womb is not alive, aborting him or her is not considered a murder. However, others say that as the baby’s heart and brain are the first things to develop, the baby is technically alive and killing it would be a murder. As soon as the baby has a heartbeat, it has life. Abortion has many characteristics of a murder, including the killing of one human being by another, it’s unethical, and it is done without the consent of the person.
Abortion is a deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. There are series of legal, moral and ethical issues which may arise about abortion. Most arguments about abortion are often focused on political insinuations and the legal aspect of such actions. Some frequently asked questions’ regarding the issue is if the practice should be outlawed and regarded as murder or should women have the right to practice it. For example, prior to becoming pregnant, some women feel that they would be able to choose the abortion option without trouble. However, even with reasons why having an abortion would be the best option, some women feel that this decision would not be right for them. On the other hand, some women have a strong belief that abortion is unethical prior to becoming pregnant.
We all agree that the right to life is the first of the human rights, for without it there are no other possible rights, such as the right to be treated as a person, to live free and to be treated equally. They apply to everyone and everywhere, they are universally accepted values. The heart of the abortion controversy beats in the midst of the question about when life does begin, when an embryo can be considered a human being, a person. Usually this is wrongly considered a matter of religious belief, although when life begins is a question for science. We need to look at the debate through a scientific examination of facts which, when clearly understood,
Abortion is the deliberate termination of a pregnancy. Abortion is never the answer for an unwanted pregnancy and there is so much more to know about what abortion actually is. In this essay I will explain abortion from a logical, moral point of view and I will share information on other things dealing with abortion.
Abortion is the ending of pregnancy by removing the fetus or embryo before it fully develops or in other word before it is able to survive on its own. A simultaneous occurrence of abortion is called miscarriage whereas when purposely caused it is called an induced abortion. Another medically used term is late termination of pregnancy. Induced abortion requires use of medication and surgical methods in modern medicine. Mifepristone and prostaglandin are two medications that are as effective as surgical methods. Despite the effectiveness of medication in what are known as trimester in modern medicine, surgical method is seen to have a lower risk of side effects. Immediately after an abortion, the patient is put under birth control which includes intrauterine devices and pills. Although this practice has not been legalized by law in most developed countries, it has long history of being one of the safest procedures in medicine. The World Health Organization recommends that the same level of safe and legal abortion be availed to all women in all parts of the world. The number of maternal deaths caused by illegal abortion is approximately 47,000 per year globally. In addition, illegal abortion also leads to approximately 5 million hospitalizations all over the world every year.