Human Rights And The Rights

Before women had rights to decide whether they could keep their baby, some states didn’t allow abortion, therefore requiring women to give birth to their child. In today’s current issues, abortion is still a controversial subject with millions of people supporting it or not supporting it. Every woman has the right to make changes to her own physical body, and those rights should not be taken away, according to the constitution. In the very famous case in 1973, “Roe v. Wade”, the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion throughout the first trimester of pregnancy. In the article, “Roe’s Pro-Life Legacy”, it is explained how after this movement, the right to abortion, lives have changed and led to lower abortion rates (Sheilds 2013.)

Twenty to thirty million legal abortions occur worldwide each year. The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between – (Mother Teresa). Before 1973, individual states were allowed to decide whether abortion would be legal within their borders. The topic of abortion and whether or not it is right or wrong is a constant debate in todays society. Everyone has their own beliefs on the matter, but it should not be a question of what we believe, it should be the question of whether or not this procedure should be considered an illegal act. There are hundreds of woman everyday that have an abortion, and hundreds of innocent lives being slaughtered legally. The fact that this procedure is legal in the U.S, and that people actually see it as their “choice” or “right” to abort the baby, disturbs me immensely. Preforming the procedure of an abortion should be illegal in all states because abortion is murder, the fetuses can feel the pain during the procedure, and abortion can lead to psychological damage.

El Salvador has one of the strictest and most archaic anti-abortion laws in the world with a total ban on abortion, even in in cases of rape or incest, if the mother’s life is in danger, or if the fetus is not viable outside the uterus. Since 1998, the adopted legislation has increasingly made it more dangerous for women to seek medical attention when in reference to their reproductive health. These laws allow prosecutors to convert many abortion charges to aggravated homicide, which carries a sentence of 30-50 years.

(García et al., 2004a) In most states it is also allowed if the pregnancy puts the woman’s life at risk (García et al., 2004a). These laws make the vast majority of abortions in Mexico take place in unsafe conditions (Juarez, Singh, Garcia, & Olavarrieta, 2008). The estimate of abortions that take place in Mexico is 33 per 1000 women aged 15-44 (Juarez, Singh, Garcia, & Olavarrieta, 2008). The contraception use rate is 72.5% and their maternal mortality rate is 38 deaths per 100,00 live births (“The World Factbook - Mexico,” 2001). There is a lot of stigma surrounding abortion in Mexico although studies have shown that the majority of Mexicans think abortion should be allowed under certain circumstances (García et al., 2004b). I support a woman’s right to choose if she wants an abortion or not so I do not agree with the laws in Mexico. Contraception, unless it is abstinence, is never 100% effective and there should be a legal method to end an unwanted pregnancy if a woman chooses to do

The concept of human rights is a multifaceted one, thereby making it a frequent topic of debate on a global scale. Furthermore, defining human rights is a complex and volatile issue that brings up many crucial discussions such as, what it means to have ‘rights’, who deserves these suggested rights and to what extent can a person exercise these rights. These types of discussions can be controversial despite most of us, especially in a liberal democracy, where we tend to view human rights in a similar manner. When examining human rights even further, there are clear ties to equality, another issue that affects nearly everyone through means of privilege or prejudice. A crucial aspect of achieving equality between the sexes is giving women the right to control what happens to their own reproductive organs without the approval of men. Lynn M. Morgan, medical anthropologist scholar and author of “Reproductive Rights or Reproductive Justice? Lessons from Argentina” seeks to address the discrepancy between a human rights framework versus a social justice framework to tackle the issue of reproductive rights in Argentina. She initially addresses the fact that using the human rights framework, often used in Argentina by pro-choice activists, can be problematic. As explained earlier, the concept of human rights is convoluted by its very nature. Hence, Lynn Morgan argues that this issue should be addressed using a justice framework instead, a typically US centric approach. It is clear

“El Salvador is extremely strict when it comes down to enforcing the conservative approach with governing the people” (Rosas). “A constitutional amendment in 1998 defined life to begin at conception” (Geneva). Rosas says that the main spark that lead up to the prohibition was recovering from the civil war. Abortion is not only a problem in El Salvador but a problem worldwide. But the injustice in El Salvador is where the major troubles spread. “El Salvador is extremely conservative, and the Catholic Church’s influence extends into political decision making” (Rosas). The women undoubtedly have no say whatsoever. Instead, the government and laws overpower their opinions. She appeals to her audience by bringing up the topic that any free society should be considered to the physical right of the woman. Women and young girls in El Salvador are being forced to interact in sexual activities by men, yet the Catholic Church thinks elsewise. Nowhere does the law state anything about miscarriages or abortions, yet women are still convicted and imprisoned for these

Each year there are roughly 6 million pregnancies in the U.S., with 20% resulting in the termination of the fetus, or abortion in other terms. Mathematically, that is estimated to be 1.2 million babies that have no hope for a future outside the womb (American Pregnancy). Everyone has a right to life; this right is exercised in many parts of the American life, namely the Declaration of Independence (The Abortion Controversy 113-116). Therefore, the United States’ federal government should go to greater lengths to prohibit these so called ‘abortions’ in every case, regardless of the situation. It matters not what the women who get these abortions think, and it matters to many that this is looked upon to be immoral (Guttmacher, The Abortion

While Latin America’s lack of reproductive rights would seem to be common knowledge, many are unaware of how exactly women in Latin American countries are affected. In a fairly large number of countries, abortion is illegal. In regards to this, “in 2008, 12 percent of maternal deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean were due to unsafe abortions.” (Mane, 2013) 95% of the abortions

Latin America is one region of the world known for its similarities across national borders, paired with stark differences. While Latin American countries share cultural elements such as, language, religion, and a colonial history, each society has developed differently in terms of political, economic, and social organization. One major difference across Latin America is individual nations relationships with family planning and abortion systems. Each country 's stance on the morality of abortion, contraception, reproduction, and sexuality, differs from its neighbors and the region at large. In some cases the difference is visible within national borders, such as in Mexico, where abortion is only legal inside the capital city (Fondo Maria). In other cases the countries themselves are homogenous in law, but differ greatly from the legal positions of their neighbors. Due to such variation it is impossible to claim that Latin America as a whole aligns with one attitude concerning family planning and abortion. Additionally, both systems are simultaneously present in countries creating a complex and intriguing system of reproductive health. Due to this variety, this paper focuses on Chile and Cuba as examples of two opposing extremes. In Cuba abortion is legal under all circumstances as compared to Chile, where abortion was historically criminalized. These two country 's situations ask the question of how family planning programs and abortion rates connect with and influence one

So many argue that women have had their rights restricted throughout time and it is about time that women got body rights. Nevertheless, abortion is beyond a women’s right to choose, since her decision will affect the life of another human being. Accordingly, the article “Abortion Bans Should Not Include an Exception for Rape” by Andrew P. Napolitano claims, “every unborn baby possesses a fully actualizable human genome: all the material necessary to grow to adulthood and to exist independently.” Hence, a fetus should be considered a human being with natural rights, because it has the same fundamental characteristics as any other human. Moreover, the United States Declaration of Independence emphasizes the overall idea that it is the duty of the government to protect the natural rights of its citizens namely life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Consequently, a fetus should be respected under this document since it is a human, and have its right to life restored.

“Excessive restrictions stigmatize women seeking abortions and discriminate against those who lack the knowledge and understanding of legal grounds for abortion and vulnerable groups, such as poor and rural women and girls” (Finer). Abortion is commonly known as a murderous crime in which a mother chooses to terminate her child, but I do not view abortion that way. Abortion is when a mother determines that she is not capable to raise a child at the moment. I believe that tougher abortion laws should not be passed because it should be a women’s basic right to her own body, also, many women do not have the financial resources it takes to raise a child, and either way women will still seek illegal ways to get an abortion with risky outcomes

The purpose of the abortion ban is to stop people from having abortions, however, there is an increase of mortality rate because the mothers’ high mortality rate while giving birth to their babies , which in essence means that two people are dying in some situations rather than a fetus or 1 person.

Human rights are universal rights that we are entitled to. It is a freedom that is guaranteed based on the principle of respect for an individual. As mentioned in the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, human rights are a “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all member of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world” (Kent, page 80). When asked what our rights are, we tend to get different answers and meanings. Some people recite the rights that they know; but let’s face it, not everyone knows all of the rights that they truly have. The rights we have consist of many things such as the right of having an adequate food supply. The right to

Glendon, Mary Ann (2002). A world made new: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Random House. ISBN

Ever since the age of Enlightenment, long seen as the beginning of human rights, there has consistently been a strong emphasis on the inalienable rights of people. In the Enlightenment era, philosophers such as John Locke wrote about the development of human rights, using the state of nature, social contract, and role of government. Some of these fundamental beliefs were carried through history, and eventually the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created in an effort to create world-wide equality. However, today there are still numerous human rights violations occurring across the world. El Salvador, located in Central America off the coast of the Pacific Ocean (See Appendix A), has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, which violates women’s rights. The Catholic Church has extreme power in the country; in fact, the country was named in honor of Jesus Christ, their savior. Over time, the Salvadoran government and the Catholic Church have put more restrictions on the once liberal abortion laws. In 1956, abortion was completely legal in El Salvador. Under the 1973 Salvadoran Penal Code, abortions could legally be performed if it was needed to save the mother’s life, in cases of rape or statutory rape, or severe fetal deformity. Then, in April 1998, El Salvador revised their penal code and banned abortion completely. The government also amended the constitution to recognize life from the moment of conception. Groups such