Abortion: Pro and Con
In a pluralistic culture of unwanted pregnancy, there exists a contradiction between a relative sense of morality and the democratic ideal of free choice. Aristotle provided the first written record of this irresolvable contradiction in his book Politics, saying, "When couples have children in excess, let abortion be procured before sense and life have begun; what may or may not be lawfully done in these cases depends on the question of life and sensation." (1) The controversy has always consisted of two sides: "Pro-Lifers", who believe that abortion is morally wrong and should not be allowed, and "Pro-Choicers", who support the woman's right to choose the outcome of her pregnancy in all cases. There is also
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If these aborted fetuses are capable of developing in the same way as babies who have been carried to term, it would seem that both groups are equally human. I think I'm safe in saying that most Americans, whether Pro-Choice or Pro-Life, object to infanticide, so, by this logic, they should be equally opposed to abortion.
* Breast Cancer Link - Several researchers believe they have found a link between abortion and breast cancer. They claim this is due to the buildup of estrogen that occurs during pregnancy and is normally released after birth or miscarriage. In the event of an abortion however, the high level of estrogen is maintained, thereby increasing the woman's risk of breast cancer.
Fetal Awareness - Certain studies have demonstrated that aborted fetuses have been heard to cry from as early as 21 weeks and some doctors believe that distress can be felt as early as 13 weeks. Many abortions may even cause pain for the fetus.
Pro-Choice Arguments
* Women's Right's - Some Pro-Choicers see the ability to choose whether or not to have an abortion as the single most important right a woman can have. They see legal restrictions on abortion as a serious blow to the role of women in society.
* Fetus as Lump of Tissue - Beause the fetus is entirely dependant on its mother for support, it is not really a living entity, but merely a lump of tissue that belongs to the mother. Therefore, the fetus has no human rights, and the
In our society, abortion has been a controversial topic that has led some people to take sides on the matter. These two opposing sides (pro-life and pro-choice) fight for their moral and political stance of abortion; raising the questions if abortion is morally right or whether it should be made illegal. Pro-choice activists argue that women should have a right to choose abortion and cling to the idea of freedom, whereas
The issue of Abortions has been a controversy for years now. There are two main groups for this problem, Pro-Life, and Pro-Choice. Pro-Life supports the human rights of life should be embraced, by religion and ethics. Pro-choice is when someone wants to make this choice without no remorse of human life, but because someone wants no part of it raising one.
Abortion is one of those heavy topics that either side can be right or wrong. Abortion mostly gets divided into two sides; Pro-Life or Pro-choice. On the side of Pro- life a person believes that the government has an obligation to preserve all human life, regardless of intent, viability, or quality of life concerns. On the side pro-choice a person believes that individuals have unlimited autonomy with respect to their own reproductive systems as long as they do not breach the autonomy of others. (Head)
One of the most widely discussed issues within the topic of abortion is the mental health of the mother. Research by Guttmacher Advisory says “Based on the best scientific evidence currently available, there is no credible evidence that abortion, in and of itself, causes mental health problems for most women.”(2008). Guttmacher backs their claims with studies and research done by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA states that many studies didn’t take into account how a woman’s mental health was before thinking about abortion. They also point out that any significant life event is stressful such as divorce or a death so one cannot say abortion
The topic of abortion is a highly controversial discussion that has been prominent in the debates of morals and politics for decades. Most people agree that on the topic of abortion, it is like a black and white fallacy, which is an issue that only has two options. For example, a black and white and fallacy is that a person can either be a Republican or Democrat, there is no other option. In the discussion of abortion, the black and white fallacy is either pro-choice or pro-life. Despite this commonly believed two-sided argument, there is a third choice, pro-rights. Pro-rights argument is similar to that of pro-choice. Pro-rights defend the validity of abortion, by arguing abortion is within the natural, given rights of a woman; It is a woman’s right to be able to choose. This perspective focuses on the right of a women to her own body, her right of prosperity and happiness, and the lack of rights the fetus possesses.
rights of women and free choice rather than the termination of the fetus. Pro-life and pro-choice advocates differ in many of
For many years, the topic of abortion has been very controversial. Many people who are Pro-Life believe that abortion is murder; that by committing this act an innocent human being is killed. However, individuals who are Pro-Choice argue the opposite. They believe that abortion is a “fundamental right” that is guaranteed to all citizens of the United States due to our U.S. Constitution. Not only do they believe that it is a right, but they also believe that allowing women to have a choice over when they want to have a child is very empowering.
The population that is skeptical of the approval of abortion is primarily concerned about the fetus. Fetal rights are primarily used to argue against the fact that while women have the right to abort, fetuses also have the right to life. The term originated after Roe v. Wade as a defense for fetal life, following the Court rule that a fetus is not a person under the fourteenth amendment (Fetal Rights 1). However, some pro-choice activists argue that fetal rights should not even exist. According to the Gale Encyclopedia of American Law, “Historically, under both English common law and U.S. law, the fetus has not been recognized as a person with full rights. Instead, legal rights have centered on the mother, with the fetus treated as a part of
Much of the ethical debate stemming from this topic lies with the issue of personhood. Personhood is a concept that defines what is it is that makes a person a “person”. There is no established criteria for this concept and it can vary depending on one’s belief. Patil, Dode & Ahirrao (2014), argue that the concept of personhood is the bridge that connects the fetus with the right to life. If one considers the fetus a person then ethically abortion is wrong. If the fetus is not a person then abortion is ethically acceptable. The issue on personhood mirrors the subjectivity of abortion debate.
America is synonymous with freedom. The pursuit of freedom is a journey that we as American’s find ourselves challenged by with each growing generation. Ideological challenges such as the issue of abortion define today’s journey as Americans. There are different issues that come up when the subject abortion is mentioned. the arguments of being “pro-life” vs “pro-choice”. Before reviewing the main debates on abortion, one should understand the accepted definition by both sides of the debate. Abortion is the act of the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus. Pro-choice is favoring or supporting the
The battle for the legality of abortion is one that is highly debated and argued by pro-life and pro-choice believers. Pro-life are those who stand for the abolition of abortions; pro-choice, on the contrary, stand for its legality. Though many in both groups believe in a more blurred line of when exceptions should be made, in its entirety, they are on opposite ends of the abortion spectrum. With ever-changing moral and ethical standards, pro-choice challenges the pro-life debate with medical, sexist, and illogical arguments.
According to Webster Dictionary, abortion is “the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus”. There are two sides when it comes to abortion: pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life supporters are usually religious individuals, individuals who believe it is a kind of murder, and/or people who believe in the sanctity of life. Pro-choice supporters are normally individuals who believe a woman has the right to her own body, it is not a form of murder, and some individuals believe that there are limits. The main point of disagreement between both of these sides is whether an embryo/ fetus is a human so should it be legal or illegal and is it immoral?
“I have also said that anyone who doesn 't feel sure whether we are talking about a second human life should clearly give life the benefit of the doubt. If you don 't know whether a body is alive or dead, you would never bury it.” That was just one quote said by Ronald Reagan on the topic of abortion. He also said, “I 've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.” Many people, like Reagan once was, are against abortion and believe that it is morally and ethically wrong. Likewise, many people, including Alan Dershowitz, support it. Alan has said, “I can 't find anything in the Constitution that says you prefer the life of the mother, or the convenience of the mother if it 's an abortion by choice, over the potential life of the fetus. Look, I think women, if they 're required to not have abortions, could die and could - so I favor a woman 's right to choose.” Abortion has been an extremely controversial topic since the 1960s, and has grown into an even more controversial and sensitive topic as the decades went by. There are two main sides to the argument on abortion: pro-life and pro-choice. People who are pro-life, such as myself, are against abortion, and their argument mainly defends the unborn baby. People who are pro-choice support abortion, and their argument is solely based on the physical, mental, and economic well being of the mother. The controversial topic of abortion has two sides, with the pro-life side
Pro-choice supporters argue that abortion should be viewed as not be immoral, and sometimes a necessary choice a woman must make in order to be in charge of her life. Considering pregnancy from a woman's point of view, it can be very dangerous to
The issue of abortion is a controversial one; there are arguments on both sides of the debate. In 1973 the national case of Roe v. Wade, sparked political decisions that created a national right to abortion. Further, "Roe v. Wade declared that unborn children are not `persons ' nor are they entitled to the same constitutional protection as `born children '" (Baird, Rosenbaum, 2001). However, Roe v. Wade did not end the debate, nor, did it stop both sides for continuing the fight for their individual beliefs. On the one hand, pro-choice’s believe that woman are entitled to have abortions. Stating that an unborn child is under the rights of the pregnant women. On the other hand, pro-lifers believe that a woman should not have the right to obtain an abortion, stating that an unborn child is a human deserving the same constitutional rights as a child that has been born. The political goal most frequently mentioned by pro-lifers has been a Human Life Amendment (HLA) to thus, reverse Roe v. Wade. The HLA would declare unborn children to be "persons" deserving equal protection under the Constitution. From an ethical standpoint, one can take either side, for not only these reasons but also many more that we will further explore. I personally think that abortion is a decision that can only be made by the person in question, and not between that person and the government or an HLA. We well first look at the overall argument of the pro-choice side. After which, we will delve into the