Women's Right To Abortion In The United States

Therefore, in Europe and Great Britain and of course many other countries, abortion was looked at in a very negative way and the women who got abortions were perpetrators. “Abortion was illegal in Britain under the 1861 offences against the person act. Any person, including the pregnant woman herself found guilty of attempting to procure abortion was liable to receive maximum penalty of life imprisonment” (Jones, v. 20.2, pgs. 283-298). Along with other countries the United States saw abortion as a wrong doings in the past. In the past before the 1800’s the United States did in fact allow abortions until of course laws were set in. This movement from abortion being legal to becoming illegal happened in the late 1800’s. Abortion was then outlawed in different states for many reasons. Due to abortion being illegal in most states, many women tried to have self-induced abortions which caused them many health problems (National Abortion Federation). Also, the National Abortion Federation gave statistics such as: “Between 1967 and 1973 one-third of the states liberalized or repealed their criminal abortion laws” (History of Abortion).For over 100 year’s abortion was illegal in every state and finally about forty-four years ago it was barely being made legal again.

Abortion has been a complex social issue in the United States ever since restrictive abortion laws began to appear in the 1820s. By 1965, abortions had been outlawed in the U.S., although they continued illegally; about one million abortions per year were estimated to have occurred in the 1960s. (Krannich 366) Ultimately, in the 1973 Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade, it was ruled that women had the right to privacy and could make an individual choice on whether or not to have an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy. (Yishai 213)

As the Courts continue to argue in terms of morality, their attitudes when it comes to dealing with cases concerning abortion are vague, even as they succeed in placing financial burdens on the process (Engstrom 25). Unfortunately, the ambiguity present allows for those who can’t afford their constitutional right to go through potentially harmful ‘back-alley’ abortions and risk their lives during the process (Engstrom 7). The Hyde Amendment and Supreme Court cases, such as Planned Parenthood v. Casey, are examples of the way Courts and Congress have placed restrictions on low-income women when it comes to obtaining an abortion (Engstrom 14). They do this through ‘back-door’ attempts that succeed in eroding at crucial legislation as they are refrained by current legislation from taking on the law directly (Engstrom 2). These restrictions can lead to horrible outcomes for women who are desperate enough to explore riskier options (McGee 102-103). Low-income women are facing limitations established by funding restrictions within the Hyde Amendment and the ambiguity of the Court in contradicting cases (Engstrom

Although there have been many debates about abortion since the middle of the 1800’s, it is still a large problem in current times do to the question regarding women’s equality and freedom under the topic of abortion: pro-life or pro-choice? There have been many restrictions put on abortion clinics and doctors recently in attempts to put abortion clinics out of business, ultimately ending abortion in some areas and states. Many women, such as poor and minorities, are unable to get an abortion due to the location of the clinics. The inconveniences of location, laws, and protests have brought down several abortion providers, which makes abortions difficult to get. Due to abortion being a sensitive topic amongst debates, many voters will listen to the candidate’s view on the subject and what the candidate will do about abortion restrictions. Even though some abortions are conducted incorrectly now, there were more prevalent problems back when abortion became a major topic.

Unlike the government in A Brave New World the United States government does not require anybody to take birth control pills or have an abortion. However, it is still offered to a variety of females. “Pro Life Actions” lets us know that 75.4% of females between the ages fifteen and twenty-nine get abortions once finding out that they are pregnant. This percentage would be higher if it wasn’t for the certain restrictions abortions had. Based on “Religious Tolerance’s” website, a female cannot have an abortion after her first trimester. If she does get an abortion after the first trimester, it is considered to be killing an actual human being. Although abortion clinics are available for all females, most of the females do not know who actually funds these clinics.

In this new era of America, women’s rights aren’t safe. They are getting their fundamental rights taken away from them. Abortion has been legal in the United States for the past 40 years, but very soon, the choice that women had to choose what to do with their bodies might be taken away. The threat of it being taken away has been present since the moment it has become legal but now we have a new president whose surrounded by people who believe that abortion shouldn’t be legal. Even though abortion is legal here in the United States, it has many restrictions. Every state has it’s own different restrictions. States like Texas, Arizona, and Minnesota have the most restrictions with abortion. While other states like California, Maine and Washington

Since the 1960s, the fight to receive accessible and affordable abortions has been a largely controversial issue in the United States. The case Roe v. Wade was the climax of that fight, for “the Court held that... only a pregnant woman and her doctor have the legal right to make the decision about an abortion” (“History of Abortion”). Although Roe v. Wade ultimately made abortions legal in the States, there are still setbacks for affordable and accessible abortions today, and many of these conflicts may be directly traced to state-by-state determination of abortion laws.

Women’s reproductive rights have been endangered from early history. A woman’s job included housework and child birth. Around 1920, women started receiving their choices and rights. In the 21st century, women are looked at with fairness and receive equal opportunities, but there is one right being stripped from women: the choice of using birth control and aborting pregnancy. Society frowns upon aborting a fetus in the womb, but it fails to realize the circumstantial standing each woman is placed in and should accept the decision a woman decides for her future whether it is to use birth control or abort her pregnancy.

One of the many women’s services that Planned Parenthood implements into their organization is safe, medically supervised, legal abortions. Most of the individuals who are not in favor of funding Planned Parenthood are solely against it because of the abortion services that this organization provides. Without safe and legal abortions, the increase of unsafe abortions would increase and some people may take drastic measures (Baptiste). In developing countries and counties where abortion is not legal there are many safe abortions performed that could be avoided if proper care was allowed (Baptiste). In this article Baptiste says, ”In El Salvador, a 1998 law went into effect that made abortion illegal with no exceptions—including rape, life of the mother, or incest. Women who are found guilty of having an abortion face two to eight year in prison.” This could promote unhealthy solutions to terminate an unwanted

The issue of abortion is notoriously controversial. Since the Supreme Court’s 1992 ruling in Casey v. Planned Parenthood, states have enacted different restrictions on the procedure. These restrictions vary from state to state. Nineteen states currently have laws prohibiting partial-birth abortion, and forty-one states strictly prohibit abortions except in cases of life-endangerment. One particularly incendiary area of abortion law is that of public funding. However, as of this year there are only seventeen states that cover abortion procedures through public funding. In this paper we will discuss federal abortion legislation, while describing the laws and political ideologies of the following states: Texas, California, New

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

The argument whether abortion should be legal or not has been raging for years. In America where democracy rules and the right to freedom of choice are set at a high priority among citizens, it’s not hard to see pro-choice and pro-life ideals going head on. In this paper I will explain some of the major reasons woman have abortions, as well as how if we are truly a democratic society and we do have freedom, then pro-choice and legalizing abortion is the answer. I will also talk about ethical issues, and how the effect of legalized abortions has affected other countries, as opposed to countries where abortions are illegal.

“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

We all live our lives as we please all in accordance to the law, but when it comes to abortion people start to judge and try to regulate how others live and interfere in their personal choices. We live in a country based on freedoms, and women have and should continue to have the freedom to the choice of an abortion. A woman’s right to choose abortion is a fundamental right recognized by the US Supreme Court. The courts also have a category of classes called the ‘near-suspect’ classes, which include gender. Gender deserves protection from possible discrimination at the hands of the majority. Women constitute a majority of American’s and have been discriminated in the past. The Landmark case Roe v. Wade was decided and remains the law of the land. Making laws against abortions don’t stop abortions from happening; they just make it less safe, which in many cases leads to death. Therefore idea of supporting pro-life is contradictory, this is why the nation should be pro-choice. No child should be brought into this world where they are not wanted or are not able to live a normal life. Most people who are against abortion will never even become pregnant, so they should not be making laws against it. Pregnancy is a private and personal matter. Outlawing abortion is discriminatory and unfortunately abortions are being transformed from a right to a privilege for most women.

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.