Cons of Abortion
After three decades of legalized abortion in the United States, it is still a controversial topic (Earll, 2003). Many abortion supporters do not understand why the nation is still divided on the topic after all this time. According to Sammon (2002): "Abortion is one of those issues that will be argued forever with never an answer agreed upon by competing factions. It's a debate that manages to combine medicine, technology, morals, politics and religion all in one bitter brew." This paper aims to determine what drives this ongoing opposition to abortion.
Abortion Issues
A 2002 Gallup poll found that a majority of Americans consider abortion to be morally wrong (Earll, 2003). According to a Los Angeles Times survey, fifty-seven percent of Americans "consider abortion to be murder." Many Americans who are opposed to abortion base their view on a moral code derived from Judeo-Christian teachings, particularly the Ten Commandments statement, "You shall not murder." Basically, the majority of public opposition to abortion is based on the notion that it is morally wrong to kill a pre-born baby -- the end result of abortion.
The abortion controversy is one of the most divisive and controversial issues of this century, which has become a legal and political power struggle that has yet to find a permanent resolution (Garlikov, 2002). While pro-choice supporters argue that every child born should be wanted, pro-lifers believe that every child conceived should be born. While pro-choice supporters believe that women have a right to choose, pro-lifers believe that every human has a right to live.
In 1973, the United States Supreme Court ruled that as long as a baby lived in the womb, he or she would be the property of the mother (Garlikov, 2002). As a result, almost every third baby conceived in America is killed by abortion. These are babies that never even had a chance to live. Thus, while many people believe that abortion is a woman's choice, abortion should be prohibited because it is immoral.
According to DePlato (2003): "Our culture has not only cultivated the abortion debate, but it has made it possible. Fifty-years ago there was a reason why abortion was infrequent. That culture not only saw abortion as immoral, but it also saw it as unbecoming for any woman to conduct herself in such a selfish and irresponsible...
Abortion remains a political issue, in spite of the fact the Supreme Court decision in 1973 that ensured the rights of women to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. Roe v. Wade reflects core Constitutional principles, ranging from the right to privacy invoked by the Supreme Court justices in the decision, to the tradition of separating matters of Church and State in American politics. When it comes to abortion, there are essentially no
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
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
"Every year nearly 42 million women decide to have an abortion and about 20 million of them are forced to resort to unsafe abortion, 98% of which are in developing countries. Unsafe abortion was the cause of 66,500 deaths in 2003, representing 13% of all maternal deaths worldwide. Incidence of unsafe abortion is highest in South America and Eastern Africa whereas mortality rates due to unsafe abortion are much
Abstract When writing an Abortion Pros and Cons Essay, it is important to maintain a balanced perspective—which can be tricky because abortion is such a polarizing issue for many people. This article shows how to maintain that balance, first by defining abortion, second by objectively identifying the reasons given by both sides of the issue—i.e., the pros and cons of abortion; third by identifying abortion laws, and fourth by examining abortion
Abstract Abortion has become a contentious political issue because it is a subject that raises the most prominently competing worldviews and ethical systems. Ultimately, however, abortion is a personal choice. The individual faces a decision with meaningful consequences. If the pregnancy was unplanned or unwanted, an abortion liberates the woman from carrying the child to term. Abortion conforms to Constitutional law, resulting in the decision in Roe v. Wade. Recent threats
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