Political Opinions on Abortion Essays

Abortion has been an issue of heated debate in the United States for numerous years. Legislation has ruled it legal to perform an abortion on any gestational age of an embryo or fetus. Some people agree with the law and consider themselves pro-choice. Others are completely against abortion and are pro-life. In addition to these two groups is another group who support abortion in the first half of pregnancy, but believe abortion should be banned for the second half.

While Republicans who are extremely pro-life can be seen as “out of step” with women, the same can be said for the men as well. The extreme pro-choice Democrats also have political opinions that tend to be different from the public’s opinion in general. Figure 5.9 on page 98 shows that there is practically no difference between the stance that men and women have on abortion. Another misconception states that the gender gap comes from women becoming Democrats; rather, the gender gap comes from men changing their political views. A bill signed by President Bush outlawing partial birth abortion caused controversy, where the conflict resulted from the American public being subject to the “myths” of abortion such as contrasting genders of pro-choice and pro-life, contrasting genders of legislative supporters and activist opponents, and extreme rhetoric (page 107).

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

Ed. Emma Bernay. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Apollo Library-Univ of Phoenix. 9 Jan. 2010 .

In regards to the abortion law, the political debate usually surrounds a right to privacy, choice and wellbeing as to when or how a government may regulate abortion. There is abundant debate regarding the extent of abortion regulation. In 2012, Democrats and Republicans were more polarized than ever about the issue of abortion with statistics showing that more of Democrats took the most pro-choice position on the abortion issue compared to the Republicans. A greater number of the Republican politicians’ favor banning abortion entirely or allowing it only in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother’s life, compared to the Democratic view that is pro-choice advocating with the argument that it should be illegal for governments to regulate abortion any more than other medical

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

The decision in Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the United States, had a very evident and profound impact on the social and political climates of the United States. Before the case, it had seemed that abortion was a settled issue in America: a majority of people opposed the practice, and a majority of states had abortion bans. However, by the 1960’s, political factions and campaigns were rising up and stirring the waters of reproductive rights. Abortion had changed during the courses of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, morphing from a private practice of the people into a great political divide. Abortion was actually easily accessible during the Nineteenth Century, but the rise of religious fundamentalism compelled citizens to become involved in either the protection of the fetus or the defense of reproductive rights. Roe v. Wade has been either labeled as the legal settling of the abortion issue or the igniter of change in regards to abortion. The decision not only affected the minds of the people, but the decision had also set a legal precedent that affected more than thirty Supreme Court cases that later dealt with abortion (Planned Parenthood).

The issue of abortion is very complex since it raises many issues. People not only have to consider the legal aspect of abortion, but also its medical, ethical, social, biological, and religious aspects, which are still widely debated. First of all, when considering abortion, it is imperative to make sure the mother is safe, which is why people advocate medical procedures over surgical procedures due to the former having less health risks. The drug mifepristone is highly effective and is commonly used to block the production of the hormone that is responsible for proper fetal development and is usually used up to sixty-three days after the beginning of the last menstrual period. In regards to ethical issues, there are the two extremes, the pro-life supporters and the pro-choice supporters, and the individuals with various moderate views justifying abortion depending on the status of the fetus, the rights of both the woman and the fetus,

Abortion is the deliberate killing of the weakest and most defenseless among us. Unfortunately, for the last few decades, the practice has been recognized as a fundamental human right by the highest court of the land. American culture has become increasingly accepting of traditional values and principles being compromised. Political correctness now replaces ethics, self-reliance is replaced by dependency, and crudeness now takes the place of knowledgeability. Today’s culture is corrupt and morally depraved, and there is no other topic that demonstrates this better than abortion.

Abortion is the ending of pregnancy before birth and is morally wrong. An abortion results in the death of an embryo or a fetus. Abortion destroys the lives of helpless, innocent children and is illegal in many countries. By aborting these unborn infants, humans are hurting themselves; they are not allowing themselves to meet these new identities and unique personalities. Abortion is very simply wrong. Everyone is raised knowing the difference between right and wrong. Murder is wrong so why isn’t abortion? People argue that it is not murder since the fetus being destroyed is not living, breathing and moving. Why is it that if an infant is destroyed a month before the birth, there is no problem, but if

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

Public opinion presents an important part when deciding a stance. Class, location, beliefs, age, and political affiliations contribute to the difference of opinion among people. According to an article printed in Political Behavior, authors Wlezein and Goggin suggest that public opinion on abortion varies little through the years with a large increase in the 1980’s that resulted in the majority of the public being in favor of abortion “as it is now” (Wlezien, 381). Since the decision of Roe V. Wade in 1973, approximately 23% of adults believe abortion should be legal in all cases, 19% believe it should be illegal in all cases and a majority of 56% believe it should be legal in some cases (Wlezien, 381). Wlezein and Goggin conducted a general social survey that indicated that an overwhelming majority of at least 81% proved that a legal abortion should be possible if the woman’s health is seriously endangered by the pregnancy, if she became pregnant as a result of a rape, or if there is a strong possibility of a defect in the baby (Witwer). Though this data is from 1989, a poll conducted in 1999

Abortion has been a heated debate in the United States for decades. Since before the ruling on Roe v. Wade, it is clear that this is an issue that is far from ever being decided upon. Between those who are pro-life and those who are pro-choice, scholars from both sides work on disproving the morality of the other side. With the evolution of abortion laws and regulation through the decades, it is difficult to imagine the United States without conflict pertaining to abortion. Despite pro-life and pro-choice agendas, the country is in ever-changing opinion when it comes to abortion.

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

The topic of abortion is a hot subject among the people of America today. Some say yes, women should be able to have abortions no matter if the fetus is in the first trimester or well in to the second trimester of gestation. On the other hand the other people say that it is murder of a child no matter the stage of development. Many of the people that believe that the fertilized ovum is a human and has a soul at the conception are the pro-life people. They believe this because of their religious beliefs and cannot scientifically prove this in any way.