Introduction For decades, in countries all over the world, people have protested, people have debated and experts have reviewed the law on abortion. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a pregnancy, there are many ethical and personal factors that come into play making it a highly controversial subject. Should abortion be legal? In this research report I will discuss the stages of foetal development, the human rights abortion violates and the pro-life and pro-choice perspectives. This decision is important because it is a case of whose rights you consider superior - woman or foetus. The stages of foetal development The stages of foetal development are crucial to this topic because everything comes down to when you believe a foetus …show more content…
A person who is pro-life believes that the government has an obligation to preserve all human life despite the viability or quality of life concerns. Pro-life will often argue that all pregnancies should be continued, even those that are a result of rape or incest, they believe that the baby has done nothing wrong and does not deserve to lose its chance at life because of the awful circumstance that has resulted in pregnancy. A person who identifies as pro-choice believes that if a woman wants to have an abortion, it is her body and she can do what she wishes with it as long as it does not breach the autonomy of others. According to a survey done by Gallup, a reliable survey as I found it used in an article by the CNN who are a major national broadcasting agent in the United States, 41% of Americans are pro-choice, this is the lowest it has ever been. The rate of men who are pro-choice is lower, at 38% while the rate of women is higher, at 44%. This survey shows that men find it easier to support pro-life and I think this is because they are not directly involved in this issue, abortion is not their way out of a pregnancy, it is a women's. I also think that men would be less likely to be pro-choice because they are less likely to suffer the same social and economic complications therefore making it harder for them to understand why a woman may choose to abort the pregnancy. They will not be forced to continue an unwanted pregnancy. Because the percentage of people who are pro-choice is the lowest, we can tell that the percentage of people opposing all abortion is on the rise. Whether or not a person identifies as pro-life or pro-choice can come down to their religion, according to the BBC many Christians agree with the Roman Catholic view that abortion is ‘gravely contrary to moral law’. When considering abortion, the Hindus generally believe in choosing the
Pro-choice describes political and ethical views that a woman should have the control over her fertility and the choice to continue or terminate her pregnancy. Pro-choice activists argue that an embryo has no rights as it is only a potential and not an actual person and its rights should not override those of the mother’s until after it is born. The right to choose to have an abortion is personal and essential to women’s lives and without this right, women cannot exercise their rights and liberties guaranteed to them by the Constitution. Without the right to choose an abortion the 14th amendment’s guarantee of liberty has little meaning for women. Another point made could include that a man can withdraw from a relationship when he finds out that his spouse is pregnant, it is only fair that women be given the same choice.
Since the Darwinian Revolution of the 19th century our society has turned upside down. Everything under the sun had become questionable, the origin of life, how we came to be, where are we headed and what to do in the here all became questions in life. But one of the greatest impacts of this new age thinking is its effect on our Old World values. Western societies values, morals and ethics became debatable, with some people striving for change and others clinging for stability. Battle lines had been drawn and the Liberals and Conservatives were ready to duke it out on a number of issues. One of these debates centers on a woman?s right to have and abortion. According to the Webster?s dictionary and abortion is defined as a miscarry,
Abortion, the termination of pregnancy before the fetus is capable of independent life, has been practiced since ancient times. With records dating to 1550 BC, it’s no question that abortion techniques have been used throughout the ages as an effective form of birth control. Pregnancies were terminated through a number of methods, including the use of herbs, sharpened instruments, the application of abdominal pressure, and other techniques. In the 19th century, the English Parliament and the American state legislatures prohibited induced abortion to protect women from surgical procedures that were deemed unsafe. However, in 1973, abortion was legalized as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court rule in Roe v. Wade. This ruling made it possible
The foundation of the American Government is built on two ideologies; first, that the majority of the people govern through democratic election and second, that the power of the majority is limited to ensure individual rights. As defined by the American Heritage Online Dictionary a mother is a woman who conceives, gives birth to, or raises and nurtures a child. This paper will discuss the right of privacy of the mother versus the governments’ right to protect the unborn fetus in regard to Abortion.
The topic of abortion and its legality is one that is strongly felt on both sides of the issue. This is one of the most heated arguments you can get into and if I am being fully honest I am a little nervous about publicizing my view point. But here is my research and arguments for whether abortion should be legal or not.
Abortion is one of the most personal, widely discussed, and controversial topics in American culture today. In most cases, people on both sides of the argument take worthy and moral positions. Who can blame someone who wishes to prevent the termination of a teen pregnancy to save the life of an unborn child? On the other hand, who can blame anyone who advocates the soon-to-be mother's right to make such a personal, heartbreaking choice? No matter what she chooses to do, should anyone have the legal right to force her to bear an unwanted child? Most people in the US are pro-choice, and believe that abortion should be a legal, confidential decision that only a woman can make for herself. However, some are against the idea of
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. Since 1973 abortion has been an important controversial issue within the United States. 1973 marks the year that the famous Rowe versus Wade case was decided before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that abortion be legal and available to all women. Legal abortions can be performed up until the sixteenth week of pregnancy, after sixteen weeks most doctors or clinics will not perform the procedure unless keeping the baby presents a medical risk to the mother. Even in these situations abortions are very risky after sixteen weeks.
“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
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
The controversy within the biomedical ethics topic, abortion, has two main proponents. The first is the view against abortion, also known as pro-life. The other view is rooted upon the belief of being pro-choice, or basically for abortions. These two different views are like two mathematical principles, in that although these two views have many differences, they also have larger similarities in the background. For example, when pro-choice activists support abortions due to unwanted pregnancies, the activists are not rallying behind the idea of sexual incompetency (pregnancies due to lack of birth control). Rather, they are supporting the idea that women have the right to choose what to do with their own bodies. In order to understand
Abortion rights are one of the most heatedly debates in society. There are many arguments for and against abortion. Each woman has the right to an abortion and the right to have a child. Women have the resources, rights, and respect to make reproductive health decisions that are best for themselves. (“Women’s”) We live in a free country and women should continue to have the choice to do whatever with their body, concerning women’s rights, health issues, and religious reasons.
Abortion is defined as the expulsion of a fetus by a pregnant female before the normal end of a pregnancy. Many times and in most cases, specifically in the article titled “ABORTION” by Jimmyissmart on oppapers.com, abortion is seen as an act of violence and inhumane murder. It is mainly for this reason why people who are anti- abortion support their point of view. However, to murder the victim must first be alive, but what is the meaning of life? According to dictionary.com life is defined as the sum of the distinguishing phenomena of organisms, esp. metabolism, growth, reproduction and adaptation to environment. Hence, a fetus can not be alive because it lacks the ability to adapt to its environment, a fetus does not have
What is an abortion some may ask, another question that pops up just as often if not more frequently is why would anyone do that to their unborn child? An abortion in legal terms means, according to Merriam Webster dictionary, the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus. Many times, a parent doesn’t feel as though adoption is the right decision to make because then they risk the chance of growing a bond with their child during their pregnancy. So, they often feel abortion is the way to go without considering the hardship they will face after that decision has been made. Many do not see it as wrong because it’s the women’s body it’s her choice but no one
Imagine, Riley, a seventeen-year-old girl walking home late at night after a party until she was approached by a male in all black attire and worn out sneakers… A couple months later, Riley was suspicious as she was feeling sick and have not had her monthly menstruation for the past two months. As one can tell, an unplanned pregnancy can be devastating and life altering. Having an unwanted baby inside an individual can lead the women or the parents to make a big decision between abortion and adoption. Some women choose to keep their baby and raise it themselves, while others consider the options of adoption or abortion, as it seems to be the best option for them and their unborn child. Adoption and abortion are similar in some ways, but
Human rights are those rights which should be available to every single individual. Throughout history, induced abortions have been a source of great debate and controversy since ethical, religious, political and personal issues coincide. Two great contrasting views have arisen as a result of this. The “pro-life” view supports the rights of an unborn child measuring life of the foetus from the moment of conception. On the contrary, the “pro-choice” view prioritises the mother’s right to abortion with a belief that every woman should have the right to choose whether or not to go into the journey of motherhood. The pro-choice advocates, hence, consider the right of the foetus distinct from the pregnant woman, creating an adversarial relationship between the mother and the baby. The legal position of the foetus raises contention since there is no way in obtaining an opinion from an unborn child.