In spite of this precedent, pro-life groups have mounted powerful, ongoing and determined opposition to this constitutional position. Indeed, the political relevance of abortion can mostly be attributed to this determination, which reflects a belief on the part of the conservative population of the United States that abortion is wrong, that it should be regarded as murder and that the failure of the nation to intervene on the behalf of its unborn children is a fundamental sin. This is a view which has resonated with many Republican office-holders and Christian community leaders in recent years, who have battled aggressively to shift the public perspective to a place of rejection of these values.
However, most of the evidence available to us suggests that abortion is a critical right which must be afforded to women. In nations where religious legalism is more widely tolerated, evidence of abortion prohibitions contributed to higher fatality rates amongst pregnant women suggests something rather troubling. In the deeply Catholic nation of Nicaragua, for instance, a 2007 report by the BBC indicated that "where a new law has put a blanket ban on abortion - even in cases of rape or where the mother's life might be in danger -- campaigners say it has led to 82 deaths this year among women with pregnancy-related complications - and a
For those who oppose it, abortion is among the highest crimes committed against humanity. The fact that the nation legally consents to this, anti-abortion advocates argue, is an indication of the decay in our shared moral fiber. However, the pro-choice argument, to its defense, has the support of Constitutional theory, which resists the temptation invoked by so many pandering politicians to violate the separation of Church and State. And particularly for an issue which has so deep and permanent an impact on the individual who must ultimately make that very difficult decision, there is something fundamentally repugnant about granting the state the right to intervene. Today's balance is a hard-won and frequently afflicted one, with the religious right of the nation representing a very strong and outspoken political contingent. In spite of this, the winds of progress and philosophical constitutionality demonstrate that the public's will is driven to protect this most sacred of individual rights to maintain control over one's own body and life.
Works Cited:
California Medical Association (CMA). (1973). Where We Stand -- CMA Position Papers: • Abortion. Western Journal of Medicine, 116(6), 42-59.
Dreaper, J. (2007). Divisions Deep Over Abortion Ban. BBC News. Online at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7041048.stmCalifronia Mecianl
Abortion Debate With the growing awareness regarding gender roles and their due rights, the number of misunderstandings and misapprehensions has also considerably augmented. Abortion, by some is considered the right of a woman or of the parents of the unborn child, by some a crime and by many others a debatable and a highly controversial issue. However, it has been observed that the underlying aspects of the issue under consideration are
Abortion and the Significance Towards Women's Health With Evidence Induced abortion represents a multifaceted ethical, moral, biological, psychological, and legal human issue. The complex issue of induced abortion has been the source of substantial debate, controversy, and activism over the course of several decades. Induced abortion is medically defined as the removal or expulsion of a fetus or embryo before the fetus is able to survive outside of the uterus (Grimes
They argue that the fetus only has the potential of developing into a full-fledged human being; in the same way as an acorn has the potential of developing into an oak tree. In their view it is as ludicrous to call an embryo an independent human being as it would be to call an acorn an oak tree. (Lewis, 2000) Right of Woman Over Her Body The main "pro-choice" argument is
Abortion Aborting a living human fetus is morally wrong because taking one's life away from them is "one of the greatest losses one can suffer" (Marquis, 1989, p. 4) and causing that person to suffer that great a loss is a morally wrong thing to do. There is a plethora of material on abortion -- both pro-choice and anti-abortion -- that focuses on how to best determine what is a human,
Conclusion Abortion from a purely moral or ethical perspective can never be endorsed. However, in some medical conditions where the life of the mother is at stake abortion as a life saving intervention is certainly approved. Also in cases where the pregnancy is due to sexual victimization the woman has the right to decide about abortion. Irrespective of the methods used abortion leaves a great psychological stigma and guilt feeling. The more
40) Interest Group 26) Catholic 03) Dem. Legis. 02) Dem. Governor 08) Women Legis. 04) Liberal State 80 [a] Policies 42) Conserv. Public 1.73) [R.sup.2] Adjusted R.sup.2] Government Funding of Abortions Specific General Interest Specific Opinion Group Full Opinion General Opinion Specific Opinion Interest Group Catholic Dem. Legis. Dem. Governor Women Legis. Liberal State 60 [a] Policies Conserv. Public R.sup.2] 18 [a] Adjusted R.sup.2] 11 [a] General Interest Opinion Group General 76 [a] Opinion Specific Opinion Interest Group Catholic Dem. Legis. Dem. Governor Women Legis. Liberal State Policies Conserv. Public R.sup.2] Adjusted R.sup.2] Notes: Entries are unstandardized regression coefficients from ordinary least squares regression (standard errors are in parentheses). A significant at.01; significant at.05; a.)=significant at.10 For general abortion opinion high = conservative; for parental consent opinion high = liberal; for abortion funding opinion high = conservative. Norrander and Wilcox, 707). Works Cited Den Dulk, Kevin R., and J. Mitchell Pickerill. "Bridging the Lawmaking Process: Organized Interests, Court-Congress Interaction, and Church-State
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