Pollitt's Argumentative Essay

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.)

Abortion policy has been shifting throughout American history as American views have simultaneously transitioned from more conservative to more liberal. Doctors, specifically regular physicians, have surprisingly guided the discussion surrounding abortion in the most influential way. Their power, in particular, their medical expertise, has allowed them to take hold of the issue and push against abortion from a medical stance. As a result of the change in traditionalistic views, the power the doctors held for a long time was taken by women, and abortion simultaneously became not an issue of health, but one questioning morality as well as a woman’s right to choose: pro-life and pro-choice. In America, abortion policy has transitioned from an issue of health and morality to one of women’s rights over time due to the power shifting from doctors to women as a result of modernization and the change in how Americans saw religion; this shift in turn impacting how the abortion issue’s sides are defined and how the issue is argued.

(History in dispute) In addition, middle-class Americans were still debating whether married women, let alone teenage girls, should use contraception. This illuminates how little information was provided at this time, and how an unwanted pregnancy might yield confusion and controversy. (History in dispute) Abortion, as it still is presently, was a controversial action for one to take. Many believed in the idea of “immediate animation”, where when the first fetal movement is felt, it has been “infused with a soul” (Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113). It is very much apparent why killing a fetus “infused with a soul” might render one to disapprove. Terminating a pregnancy is killing unborn human life, and this concept inspired people to Those who believed in ideas like this would advocate against giving women access to abortion, or at least disapproved them doing so.

Susan Sherwin’s view on abortion is primarily focused through the lens of feminist philosophy. Her article focuses primarily on how the feminist view provides more holistic, and less cold view on the topic of abortion that is more inclusive of the mother. The feminist view of abortion is primarily focused on looking at the factors that affect the mother through the process of the abortion, such as a woman’s feelings around the fetus, is conception, her partner, and her obligations. These are all factors that are not usually thought of by non-feminist thinkers. This is usually because the discussion around this topic is, as the author puts it “generally grounded in masculinist concepts of freedom (such as privacy, individual choice, and individuals’ property rights with respect to their own bodies)” (Sherwin.1997, 100). This view, as she puts it, primarily focuses on the morality and legal aspects of abortion. The basis of Sherwin’s paper centers around a feminist model from which to look at abortion. This model takes into account the emotional impact that an unwanted pregnancy has on the woman, who will be impacted most by this event. It gives sole power of design to the woman, who “may make mistakes in their moral judgements, but no one else can be assumed to have the authority to evaluate and overrule their judgements”. (Sherwin.1997, 102) Sherwin also advocates against the division of the mother and the fetus as separate entities during bioethical discussions. This also

Then I kept reading, and the more I read the more I found myself nodding at what the writer, in this case the President of NOW Terry O’Neill, was saying about abortion, or as she called it “abortion care.” She mentioned the high rate of infant mortality, of which one of the causes she says is the high preterm birth rate due to the failure of the public health system. She mentions that adolescent mothers, especially those who are poorer, are unable to gain access to prenatal care, which results in low birth weight and the possibility that the newborn could die in the first month or even be born premature, which in some cases can be fatal as well. The other statistic that she mentions is the rise of maternal deaths, either during childbirth or during pregnancy. She believes that abortion care could help prevent these deaths. I have to admit that I never gave paid too much mind to the pro-choice/pro-life debate except to say, “My body, my decision. The government can shove it.” It surprises me to see that so many people believe that the government should have a say in what a woman can or can’t do with her body. I’ve only seen a bit on abortion rights in our readings, and while the reading itself states that not all feminists are pro-choice, I can see it’s a very important issue in the women’s movement. The ability to make such an important decision

Proponents of punishing pregnant women, who put their fetuses at risk, have highlighted some pertinent legal and ethical issues. One is that a viable fetus (fetus after 27 weeks gestation) has certain rights and privileges. They are of the opinion that as soon as the fetus is viable and can survive independently from it mother, it becomes a

In her article “How to Really Defend Planned Parenthood” (NY Times, 8/5/15) Katha Pollitt asserts that the pro-choice movement is consistently under fire due to faults in its defense, and that we, as supporters, must find ways to carefully and accurately explain why both society and the individual benefit from voluntary motherhood. She uses statistics displaying a sizable number of women receiving abortions, yet a very miniscule amount speaking up in defense of Planned Parenthood, to support her claims and to suggest that the voices of the 95% who felt they made the right decision are a potentially vital resource to the movement. Pollitt’s purpose is to highlight the necessity of public support in order to inspire all who have benefitted from

Of all the legal, ethical, and moral issues we Americans continuously fight for or against, abortion may very well be the issue that Americans are most passionate about. The abortion issue is in the forefront of political races. Many people in society today choose to be pro-choice because they want to support women of their choice and right to have an abortion and that sex education that promotes abstinence is not effective. According to “Abortions: every Woman’s Right” by Smith S., the article discusses about how women couldn’t be equal to men because they don’t have the same rights to reproductive rights of their own even if though they are advanced in the job market or have a higher education. Even socialist argue that women deserve to have rights over their body without interference. Part of NARAL’s impact to

Politicians, especially the old men who think that they know what is best, should not be voting on whether women should have their basic rights to their own bodies. President Obama agrees, he even stated, “As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman’s health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters,” (Obama, 2012). Most states have strict abortion policies, which makes it difficult for women. Forty-two states have gestational limits, in which the states can prohibit the abortion unless it is dangerous for the woman. Gestational limits should be removed because it closes the door on many women who want or even need abortions. There are 17 states that require mandated counseling, where they discuss, and almost perpetuate the idea that abortions are bad by lecturing about a connection between abortion and breast cancer, the chance of a fetus to feel pain, or long-term mental health effects for the woman. This draws out a time period where it might not be safe anymore for the woman to have said abortion. Elizabeth Nash, the leader of a pro-choice health research group from Guttmacher Institute, discusses, “The people developing these counseling materials are not really interested in talking about the facts. They are interested in persuading a woman from getting an abortion in the first place,” (Nash 2012). Even after the counseling, 26 states would make the woman go through a waiting period of one to two days, while making more than one visit to the clinic, before she is allowed to receive an abortion. It is too inconvenient and difficult for women to be able to enjoy the basic right to their own bodies. The legal limitations need to be revised in order for women to really be able to be a part of this society. Restrictions, including refusal to perform an

In the article, “Should Abortion be Legal,” [U.S Government Publishing Office] Pro life supporters argue that, Abortion in the United States should be illegal because it is murder because the baby is still a person maybe they are not fully formed but they are human. “The federal Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which was enacted "to protect unborn children from assault and murder," states that under federal law, anybody intentionally killing or attempting to kill an unborn child should "be punished... for intentionally killing or attempting to kill a human being."[U.S Government Publishing Office,Unborn Victims of Violence ]. In his essay he writes that,”life begins at conception when the egg is fertilized” (ProCon second point on debate)

Explaining that if murder is serious in the court system in America, even when it is children, where an embryo is considered as one according to those who are anti-abortion. Then terminating a pregnancy is called to be killing a child, so should it be considered as murder then? Basically where women would be imprisoned for a crime, they have committed. Creating prisons to be populated with females where in a political point of view looks to be an outrageous act to enforce. But, it is considered that women does not have a clear conscience in making a choice for the child. Stating that an unplanned pregnancy while in school, having too many kids, health issues or being in a inadequate relationship where the woman is trying to terminate the pregnancy is a choice she does not know what is best. Moreover, Pollitt uses evidence of abortion cases where they went after women since anti-abortions says that the law has not before Roe v. Wade. As a result, it has been known back in the day women involuntarily stayed pregnant by order. If the woman did not want to follow ‘the rules’ then she can look for illegal medical help. Resulting in an investigation by the authorities and going to court. Following that, Pollitt mentions a case in Indiana that occurred not to long ago where a woman named Purvi Patel, did an illegal self-abortion,

Discussing abortion and how motherhood is a, “no choice, of one-size-fits-all biological fate.”(pg.198) Pollitt argues that women are allowed not have to raise every child the conceive, that women can go out and get jobs in the “male dominated” society we live it and not even have a family. Women are not destined to raise children and stay at home, and while society looks down on people who get abortions, for whatever reasons those women had upon making that decision, or women who choose to go to work instead of staying at home with their child does not make them unfit woman, Pollitt states that they are not any less of a mother or women in making those decisions and that it is there reproductive right. “We need to see abortion as an urgent

Differences between the sexes is something that will debatable until time comes to an end. Condorcet has the premise that gender inequality comes from social establishments and the fact men use more physical force normally than women. The counter to some of these beliefs, which Pollitt presents, is that the gender differences lay in the foundation of economic structures. Both of these philosophers have valid arguments and claims, but one theory has more to prove to be valid.

Early feminist women opposed abortion because the government and men pressure them into it. In today’s society, feminist are not for people having abortion, but for people having the choice to abortion. They want people to have the choice to abortion because the government and men are trying to limit access to abortions and minimalize women’s rights. Women believe that if it is their body, no man or government official should be able to decide what they do. Women’s position on this fundamental right is based off of, “…an assumption of the inalienable rights of women to control our bodies or on the understanding that since women are socially responsible for child-care, we should also have the option of deciding whether to assume that responsibility” (Menon). Although there are many different opinions between early age feminist and today’s feminists, one opinion remains the same; Women should have the same rights that men

Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy that is often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. As life begins at conception, unborn babies are human beings and thus have the right to life. The federal Unborn Victim Of Violence Act that was made to protect unborn babies from murder states that anybody intentionally killing an unborn baby should be punished for killing a human being. Abortion is a murder because it is taking away someone’s life. Even though the baby isn’t born yet, the fetus in the mother’s womb still feels pain while being aborted. No person, not even a mother, has the right to hurt someone. To keep a child, who can’t even speak, from growing and from living is a murder.