Pro-Life v Pro-Success Since the Roe v Wade (1973) case, over 58 million pregnancies have been terminated. Many pro-life supporters have tried to get the Supreme Court to overturn the case because they feel as if the fetus should be covered by the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution which states that all citizens born or naturalized in the United States have the right to citizenship. Pro-life supporters consider the fetus living, just inside of a different body. Having the case overturned will make abortion illegal and that would cause many problems for many women such as losing the rights to control their body. Although many people feel as if women should not have the right to terminate a pregnancy because there are people in the world willing to adopt a child, abortion should be legal because some women are unprepared for a child due to income, mentally unstableness as the aftermath of a rape, or judgement based on their religious beliefs. Income can play a major part in the decision to continue or terminate a pregnancy. It is actually one of the leading causes of abortions. One legislator recently commented that, “reproductive age in Florida have incomes of less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level”(Source 1). These incomes are incomes of women are making little money which could not support the necessities that come with carrying and raising a child. Women with low incomes need the money they make to care for their necessities alone
Wade gives women that right. “In Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that the U.S. Constitution protects a woman's right to make her own medical decisions,”(Planned Parenthood). “Out of 70% of people in America do not want to see Roe vs. Wade overturned, because they fill likes it is the woman’s right,”(planned parenthood) That is the highest rate since the case was decided more than 40 years ago. The majority of Americans have supported to safe and legal abortion for decades. Many people simply do not believe that politicians or judges should be making decisions for women about their pregnancies, because a woman has the right to choose what she wants to do with the child she holds.
Public health researchers with the UC San Francisco group, Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, conducted a longitudinal study of 956 women who sought an abortion and were turned away. Diana Foster’s study reveals what happened to the women’s economic standing, health and relationship status after being denied their right. She claims that, “When a woman is denied the abortion she wants, she is statistically more likely to wind up unemployed, on public assistance, and below the poverty line” (Newitz). This is clear because one of the major factors in a woman’s decision to abort, is because of her awareness that she will not be able to financially support her child. One of a woman’s most formidable fears is to fail to adequately raise her child and provide him with his greatest odds to succeed. Naturally, a mother’s ultimate goal is for her children to have a better life than she did. This fuels the majority of people’s ambition and determination to obtain a comfortable and promising life style, to then pass on to their offspring. Women living in poverty seek abortions because they do not want to bring a child in a life of misery and suffering. The decision to terminate a pregnancy is not just blindly decided, all aspects of the mother’s and child’s life are considered. In fact, after initially being denied the right to abort, the survey demonstrates that 45% of the women were on public assistance (Newitz). However, Foster concludes, “a year later, they were far more likely to be on public assistance — 76% of the turnaways were on the dole…67% percent of the turnaways were below the poverty line” (Newitz). Therefore, it is evident that not allowing women to legally have abortions creates more strain on the state because of these mothers' increased dependence on social assistance programs.
Besides the legal aspect of abortion there is also the ethical side. In the pro-choice argument, it is understood that the fetus is viable once born; it does not consider conception as the beginning of life. The Constitution states “[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside,” (U. S. Const. art. XIV, § 1) thus, the pro-life argument about the ‘unborn’ fetus should not exist. The fetus’ are technically unborn and therefore, the question of ‘right to live’ should not
Abortion is widely debated across the world and in 1973 Roe v. Wade would start an issue with ethical and legal issues. There are multiple cases arguing why it should or shouldn’t be lawful to go through with this procedure. Women should have the right to get an abortion as It is her rights to decide if they aren’t able to be able have a child, the woman shouldn’t have to rely on anyone else, she should be able to make this decision as they have to carry it for 9 months and endure the physical pain. Abortion should not be illegal because it is justifiable in cases of rape, or when the woman has mental health or financial issues.
To have a complete picture of this debate, arguments from both sides must be heard and understood. One of the main tenets of the pro-choice movement is how reproductive choice empowers women and giving them control over their own bodies. To decide if or when they remain pregnant is extremely important to women from all walks of life, whether the circumstances are rape or incest, or whether they simply are not prepared to take care of a child at that time in their lives. Pro-choice advocates point out the possible negative effects of a mother bringing to term a child will constantly remind them of their attack, or serve as a punishment to the mother, all of which can be avoided when women are allowed to choose the right time for them. The US Supreme Court has declared abortion to be a "fundamental right" guaranteed by the US Constitution. The ruling in Roe v Wade was clear; women should have access to abortions if they want them. It has been proven that there is an association between unsafe abortions and restrictive abortion laws. The article states “The median rate of unsafe abortions in the 82 countries with the most restrictive abortion laws is up to 23 of 1000 women”, the median rate in nations that allow abortion is 2 of 1000. It goes on to say that “Abortion-related deaths are more frequent in countries with more restrictive abortion laws (34 deaths per 100,000 childbirths)”
For centuries, a woman’s right to abortion has been argued. Individuals with pro-life and anti-abortion beliefs think abortion is murder. While others feel it to be a women’s moral right, a personal privacy right that has been implied in the United States Constitution. I strongly feel that a woman has the right to an abortion. However, the termination of a pregnancy is not something to be taken lightly, I believe the states should have some sort of regulations in place to ensure the woman’s safety and welfare of the potential child.
In the Roe V. Wade case a lot of people didn't know what it was really about or don't know about it at all nowadays. This case went down in Texas during 1973 and was between Norma McCorvey (aka Jane Roe) and Sarah Weddington, The lawyer. The case was challenging the constitutionality of the Texas criminal abortion laws. The case also went against ones privacy that was protected by the 14 amendment. The case was fighting the fact that you could only get an abortion if the mother's life was at danger. That's the part that was going against your privacy as an american citizen. The law now states that you may not get one after the baby has passed the fetus stage. The only way you will get an abortion after the fetus stage is if the mothers life is at stake. The reason they won't do it after the fetus stage is because that's when it is considered a living
In the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade, the U.S Supreme court ruled that the woman has the right to make a choice giving support to the pro-choice groups that support abortion. This meant that, the fetus has no rights and is at the indispensable mercy of the mother. The rights of the state and the fetus cannot overrule the choice that the mother has made. In another case in 1992, Roe in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the US Supreme Court maintained that a woman has the power and the right to commit an abortion (Knapp,
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
In 1973, the US Supreme Court declared abortion a nationwide fundamental right through a trial called Roe vs. Wade and protected this right underneath the Fourteenth Amendment, more specifically, the right to privacy. A basic human right, especially one outlined by the Supreme Court, must never run at risk or threat chiefly because not everyone agrees with it. Under no circumstances should a pregnancy ever adjudge mandatory. Abortion is a Constitutional right and as a nation we must fight to give the right and freedom of safe abortions to women all around the nation, make birth control and sex education accessible to women, and raise awareness about the topic itself. (LawCornell)
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
Stated in the Constitution is a list of inalienable rights, that no one can take away. Among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Every person has the right to life, no matter what stage of life they are in and regardless if they are inside or outside of the womb (Sproul 182). Abortion should be illegal because it violates a citizen’s basic right. There have been too many deaths since the ruling in 1973, and if something doesn’t change the death toll will only rise. Abortion must become illegal in the United States to ensure the safety of those children who cannot defend or speak for themselves. But the only way to change the outcome of Roe v. Wade is for a new case to be presented to the Supreme Court. If a winning case were to be presented in the near future, it could change the course of America’s history forever and save millions of
One of the most controversial situations in the United States is abortion. A couple of decades ago when abortion was illegal, thousands of woman died for attempting to terminate the child’s life themselves or with unprofessional help. On January 22, 1973, in the Roe v. Wade case, Supreme Court legalized abortion in all 50 states. This has saved thousands of woman’s lives and should remain legal.
This is a hard issue simply because it is usually divided. Everyone is not okay with the decision on the issue no matter which choice is made legal. However, our population never completely agrees and is happy about the same thing. Whether you believe it should be legal or illegal, it is hard to deny the fact that it falls down to human rights, and more importantly, women's rights. An article published by U.S. News written by Susan Milligan called Is Abortion a Human Right? touches on this issue. One way human rights are discussed in the article is that the unborn baby is a human and deserves the same rights as any other human being would have. In the article it is stated that “It is a sad fact that courts in both the United States and in European countries do not consider the unborn child a human being worthy of protection under the Human Rights provisions of the various nations” (Milligan). Milligan states that it is completely unfair that the human inside the mother’s womb has human rights taken away when it deserves to be protected. Which leads to the other side of the argument which is that the fetus is not born yet so it is not human and takes the human rights of the women carrying the babies. "We're hoping the investigation will not only bring justice [in] this specific shooting .. but also reframe the way we talk about these atrocities in our society,"(Milligan). This is speaking of making abortion
Just because a woman acted foolishly and carelessly does not mean that an innocent third party, the child, should have to accept the punishment for their mother’s actions. Another alarming statistic is that twenty-two percent of all pregnancies in the United States end in abortion (U.S. Abortion Statistics). Many of these abortions occur from people who live below the poverty level and cannot afford proper birth control. While abortion has been decreasing among most groups of categories that are determined by characteristics such as age, race, and financial income; abortions among poor people have been on the rise. In 2008, poor women were responsible for forty-two percent of all abortions that took place in the United States. Likewise, the abortion rate of poor women escalated by eight-teen percent from 2000-2008 (Wind). This problem can be solved by providing more heath care clinics through the country for those individuals who cannot afford birth control. With more available heath care clinics, the amount of abortions that occur will be diminished significantly and wrongful killing of unborn children will come to an end.