Within the spheres of Politics and religion one of the most controversial issues is abortion. The ongoing debate as to whether women should have access to abortion clinics, or if aborting a pregnancy is immoral has turned a private matter into a social and political dispute. Even though most individuals have their own strong stances regarding the topic of abortion, this black and white thinking fades to gray in Sallie Tisdale’s personal account as a nurse performing hundreds of abortions weekly in “We Do Abortions Here”. Throughout the essay, Tisdale describes the internal conflict she faces everyday: feeling sympathy toward the struggling women, and also the guilt and brutality of performing an abortion. At the end of her essay, she states
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
In a time fraught with hot button issues, one that polarizes perhaps more than any other is that of abortion. Unfortunately, it is also an issue that is difficult to write about while remaining unbiased. Paul Stark’s “How Abortion Hurts Women” and Sarah Barnes’ “The Long Term Effects of Abortion on Women” both set out to prove that abortion has serious side effects on the affected party. Both Stark and Barnes cite several studies done in both America and abroad to support their claims, as well as, in Barnes case, offering their own insights on the matter. It seems that both authors purpose is to enlighten their audiences on the under-reported effects of abortion on women in order to spark a new conversation that doesn’t center around the unborn
Sallie Tisdale’s “We do abortions here” is an informational narrative discussing the controversial topic of abortion coming from a primary source. Tisdale’s purpose is to bring a humanistic side to the issue of abortion, she attempts to lift the cruel and unjust stigma behind the procedure but ultimately lets her audience make their own decision on the matter, since she does not let her opinion on abortion be known but provides all the details regarding the procedure from a nurse’s perspective, including the good and bad experiences she sees on a day to day basis, from sharing “transient bonds” with her clients to handling “bloody remains” and the “numbing sameness” of her job. Tisdale’s story is an example of narration because she structures
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
Its unabashed treatment of the “abortion debate” is passionate and memorable that defies most of the expectations for the genre. Though abortion has been safe and legal for decades now, the subject still remain a taboo in popular media. According to Lauren Rosewarne in her book
For a person who believes that 1 newborn is worth 100 fetuses, those 1.5 million abortions would translate-dividing 1.5 million by 100-into the equivalent of a loss of 15,000 human lives. Fifteen thousand lives: that happens to be about the same number of people who die in homicides in the United States every year. And it is far more than the number of homicides eliminated each year due to legalized abortion” (Levitt 144). Levitt and Dubner’s use of critical thinking and connection is evident throughout their exploration of “The hidden side of everything”, and it guides the reader to start thinking the same way.
Abortion is “never an easy choice to make and is a decision often made when a woman feels she has no other option” (Kerber, 2015, p.1). This statement of Kerber will inspire a Christian nurse to look into a situation deeper, and considering what possible options that she or he can provide to influence a woman’s decision or having a change of heart about the option of abortion for her unborn child. Advocating for a client who is considering an abortion due to an unplanned pregnancy would be challenging for Christian nurses like Emily Kerber. Her words were “I had been focused on abortion instead of on people” (p.21). Her work in a Pregnancy Resource Center across United States is a gift from God because she is
For many years, abortion has been vexed issue in the United States that conjures strong emotions on both sides. It is a moral issue that tears some people into two groups Pro-life and Pro-choice. Those who are Pro-life state that no matter what the reason behind it, such violent action is murder and should not be executed. On the other hand, the Pro-choice advocates are more respectful of women's rights to take such action; they believe it is their own personal decision since they are the ones who are going to take care of the child, not the law or morality. Despite society's evolving moral standards, the controversy surrounding abortion and women’s' rights still divides our nation. So why did I visit a Planned Parenthood for the first time in my life? Because I was confused as to what is the real face of the people gathered outside the abortion clinic was.
“The U.S. has the highest abortion rate of any western industrialized nation.” (Incidence of Abortion section). Abortion has long been a controversial issue over the years. Throughout the nation lies many known and unknown statistics involving abortion. Many of those who choose abortion do so based upon many similar reasons. There also happen to be many individuals who view abortion in the same manner. The individuals and majority feel abortion to be wrong for a handful of reasons. Each year women decide for a number of reasons to end their pregnancy in the result of an abortion, and although the decision is still commonly viewed as wrong, is there any justification to how it could be accepted?
Life is so beautiful and sweet until it ends. In America, abortions clinics are gradually closing their doors even though the United States is of the few nations to endorse abortions. Abortions are normally performed during the 1st trimester of a woman’s pregnancy and abortion laws are varied from state to state (Alabama Policy). Abortion is also one of the biggest and most controversial debate about exterminating an unborn life in a mother’s womb and determining whether its ethical or unethical. In 1973, the United States Supreme Court legalized abortions throughout every state and more women especially African Americans were enticed by the Roe v Wade court decision (Alabama Policy Web). In this paper, I will examine the influence
One of the most controversial topics in America is abortion. In medical terms, “an abortion is the premature exit of the products of conception (the fetus, fetal membranes, and placenta) from the uterus” (Medicine Net). All around the world, the practice of abortions has been widely used to control a woman’s reproduction. The polarizing, emotional debate on abortion has been an ongoing issue that still exists today. People’s different perspectives and opinion on whether or not abortion is immoral continue to divide America into two groups: “Pro-choice” and “Pro-life”. However, pro-life advocates tend to focus more on the fetus rather than how abortion and programs have actually benefited the mother and families. There is hypocrisy in people who identify themselves as “pro-life” and the word itself can be misleading as it does not align with the true values of protecting a life.
Abortion is dividing America. Without a common understanding of abortion, this issue will always be divisive in America. Throughout the history of America, abortion has been an issue that has generally separated people into two camps, those in favor of abortion and those against abortion. However, these two groups, more often than not, have not approached their understanding of this issue from the same perspective. Generally speaking, those in favor of abortion see the issue of the personal rights of women. However, those against abortion, view the issue of the rights of the child. As a result, these two perspectives will never gain unity or a common understanding of abortion. The purpose of this paper is to not only give a clear understanding of both sides of the issue, but to argue that this issue will never be a unifying issue in American culture.
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. Most recently the “no taxpayer funding for abortion act”, has abortion advocates reeling. Even though abortion has been legal in every state in the United States since the monumental Supreme Court decision, “Roe v Wade”, on January 22, 1973; there are fewer physicians willing to perform abortions today than in 2008. (Kraft) At the heart of the ethical dilemma for many in the medical profession is the viability of the fetus. And just to make this whole dilemma more confusing, according to the United States
A common debate in the world today involves abortion, the deliberate end of human pregnancy, and whether or not it should be legalized. “Every year in the world there are an estimated 40-50 million abortions. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day” (“Abortions Worldwide this Year”). On one side of the argument, people are not disturbed by this grotesque number, and on the other side there are people outraged and simply appalled. Although people attempt to deem abortion acceptable in society because of circumstances like the mother not being able to support the child or in instances of rape, it is still morally wrong.
One of the first moral issues addressed by both sides of the abortion debate concerns a pregnant woman’s so-called natural “right” to make “reproductive choices.” (“The Rights of Pregnant Women”) Anti-abortion advocacy groups claim that “the only way to actually protect the mother’s rights will be by enforcing laws that secure her child’s right to life,” (“Argument 2”) whereas pro-abortion groups contend that these laws “create a dangerous precedent for wide-ranging government intrusion into the lives of all women.” (“The Rights”) With two fundamentally contrasting viewpoints at odds with each other, it is apparent that one of the core issues concurrent with abortion is a woman’s rights versus the rights of her unborn fetus.