Abortion Did NOT Reduce the Crime Rate

1952 Words4 Pages

Abortion has and always will continue to be a very controversial issue. This issue of terminating a life, and the right of an individual in making that decision, was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court. The general argument carried in the Roe v. Wade decision was that attempts by any level of government to restrict access to abortion violated a person's 4th Amendment rights by interfering in the private relationship between a patient and a doctor (Justia.com , 2011).

Could it be that the government’s intervention by legalizing abortion in the Roe v. Wade decision lead to the dramatic reduction in crime? Did the government inadvertently save my life by preventing the birth of criminals? This paper will first explore the generally accepted theories advanced as to why the crime drop has occurred. Secondly, explain the theories behind Levitt and Dubner’s reasoning for the crime drop due to the legalization of abortion. And lastly, explain how researchers have used statistical data to negate Levitt and Dubner’s abortion theory, and assert that the crime drop was due to a confluence of events which when taken as whole all played a role in reducing crime in the United States.

Many factors may have led to the decrease in crime, but there are five very plausible explanatory factors as causal to the crime decline. The first is the demographic change, specifically referring to the changing composition of the population (Rosenfeld, 2011). Crime is a young mans game, and the aging of the baby boom generation is an important factor behind the drop, because older populations generally commit fewer crimes (Rosenfeld, 2011).

The second factor is growth in imprisonment (Rosenfeld, 2011). This factor is controversial in that some st...

... middle of paper ...

...st of abortion and crime. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 91, 112-123.

Justia.com . (2011). U.S. Supreme Court Center: Roe v. wade 410 u.s. 113 (1973). Retrieved February 7, 2012, from Justia.com: http://Supreme.justia.com/cases/Federal/us/410/113/case.html

Levitt, S. D., & Dubner, S. J. (2009). Freakomomics. New York: Harper Perennial.

Rosenfeld, R. (2011). Changing Crime Rates. In J. Wilson, & J. Petersilia, Crime and Public Policy (pp. 559-588). New York: Oxford University Press.

Rosenfeld, R., & Fornado, R. (2007). The impact of economic conditions on robbery and property crime: The role of consumer sentiment. Criminology, 45, 735-769.

Travis, J., & Waul, M. (2002). Reflections on the crime decline: Lessons for the future. Proceedings from the Urban Institute Crime Decline Forum (pp. 1-38). Washington, D. C.: Urban Institute Justice Policy Center.

Show More
Related

  • Issues of Crime in The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison by Jeffery Reiman and Paul Leighton

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison by Jeffery Reiman and Paul Leighton, four multifaceted issues are focused on and examined. These issues are the Unites States high crime rates, efforts in explaining the high crime rates, where the high crime rates originally came from, and the success attained at a high price. The initial key issue that Reiman and Leighton discuss is America’s high rising crime rates with the understanding of the people that believe policy and regulations are the causes of the decrease in crime. The many graphs throughout the chapter represent information that undoubtedly illustrates that specific policy and regulation may cause rates to become stagnate or strike a plateau. While the rule makers make it appear as though their organization is functioning. Later guns and gun control policy are discussed. With the stern enforcement of the gun policy, at the time, crime appeared to decline, or become stagnate resulting in a plateau effect that is illustrated in the graphs. Countless arrests were made with large quantities of people being imprisoned. Du...

    Read More

  • Where Have All The Criminals Gone By Steven D. Dubner

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    In chapter 4 of Freakonomics, “Where Have All the Criminals Gone?” Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner discuss and argue the possible reasons for the crime drop in the 1990’s, asking and focusing on the question “just where did all those criminals go” (108)? The authors open with a story about the abortion laws in Romania, transitioning into the many factors that could have affected the 1990’s crime drop in America. Some of these factors include the following; Strong economy, increase in police, gun-control laws, the aging of the population, and then their main argument, abortion. While reading this essay, I had difficulty with many things, first off, my emotions, followed by the overall organization.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Abortion

    1884 Words  | 4 Pages

    Abortion has been the topic of controversy for many decades. Many people believe that when a woman terminates a pregnancy, she is committing murder and others argue that a woman has the right to choose life or abortion. There are different procedures to choose when having an abortion, depending on the gestational age and the woman 's health a pill form abortion may be used up to 9 weeks gestation (mifepristone and misoprostol), but for women who are over 12-weeks gestation (late-term abortion), surgical abortion is used (Berer 25). In 1973, the supreme court ruled that abortion was to be legalized, Roe vs. Wade. Women were given the legal right to choose to terminate their pregnancies and make the correct arrangements for their decisions. Different states have different restrictions to accessing abortion procedures, making the woman 's choice to terminate pregnancy less accessible. Restricting a woman 's access to appropriate abortion clinics limits her right to choose.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Rich Get Richer And The Poor Get Prison

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through the first chapter of this book the focus was primarily on the notion of controlling crime. The best way to describe crime policy used in this chapter is comparing it to a game of ‘heads I win, tails you lose’. This chapter also addresses the causes for decline in America’s

    Read More

  • Gangs in America

    2717 Words  | 6 Pages

    McCarthy, B. (2002). NEW ECONOMICS OF SOCIOLOGICAL CRIMINOLOGY. Annual Review Of Sociology, 28(1), 417-442. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.28.110601.140752

    Read More

  • Criminal Justice Myths and Facts

    1352 Words  | 3 Pages

    Daly, Kathleen, Goldsmith, Andrew, and Israel, Mark. 2006, Crime and Justice: A guide to criminology, third addition, Thomson, Lawbook Co.

    Read More

  • The Rise Of Violent Crime In Canada

    2981 Words  | 6 Pages

    society. In the last few years, a slight dip in violent crime has been noted,

    Read More

  • Book Review Freakonomics

    1509 Words  | 4 Pages

    Then all of a sudden, instead of going up and up and up, the crime rate began to fall. And fall and fall and fall some more. The crime drop was startling in several respects. It was ubiquitous, with every category of crime in every part of the country. It was persistent, with incremental decreases year after year. And it was entirely unanticipated, especially because the public had been anticipating the opposite...

    Read More

  • Roe v. Wade

    590 Words  | 2 Pages

    The case that I decided to write about is one of the most controversial cases that have ever happened in the United States. The Roe v. Wade (1973) case decided that a woman with her doctor could choose to have an abortion during the early months of that pregnancy. However, if the woman chose to wait until the later months of the pregnancy then they would have certain restrictions based on their right to privacy. This case invalidated all state laws which limited women’s access to abortions during their first trimester of their pregnancy which was based on the Ninth Amendment of the Constitution. The Amendment states that “the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people” (Cornell University Law School, 2013).

    Read More

  • Abortion Is A Touchy Subject Like Politics And Religion

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    For some, abortion is a touchy subject, like politics and religion. In America, abortion has always been a controversial topic of discussion. The Supreme Court in the Roe vs Wade case set the guidelines and the right for women to have an abortion if she chooses. In 2015 abortions were still an ongoing debate amongst religious groups, politicians and normal citizens. People who are for the rights of women to abort are often criticized and ridiculed for standing up for their personal beliefs.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Freakonomics

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his book, Steven Levitt gave a few reasons why. However, he says that only three of the reasons had something to do with the drop in crime. In the book he also mentions that the main cause for the crime drop is not even mentioned in the newspaper at all. One of the reasons he gives is, the strong economy. Although he did prove that it had nothing to do with the crime fall. He then states that another reason for the crime fall is, imprisonment. This, however, did have a significant impact on the fall of crime, because imprisonment was a good punishment for criminals and it led them to stop doing crimes. Since, executions hardly ever happened in the United states, the death penalty did not impact the fall in crime. Death penalty was mostly only given for homicide, rather than other violent crimes as well. The punishment was not serious enough for criminals to change their behavior and stop them from what they are doing. Levitt continues to state other reasons for the fall in crime are; the rise of police in cities, the increase in gun laws, and demographic change. However, the one big demographic change that led to crime fall is the legalization of abortion. January 22,1973, the Roe v. Wade law was passed. It legalized abortion throughout the entire

    Read More

  • Abortion Rights

    1770 Words  | 4 Pages

    The rights to an abortion has been diminishing greatly and it is continuing to weaken long after the Supreme Court ruling. In 1973 in the United States a Supreme Court cased known as Roe vs Wade addressed a women’s right to privacy. A woman who for protection purposes went by the name of Jane Roe wanted to have the decision to terminate her pregnancy without it being a matter of whether she was doing it for the purpose of saving her own life. This Supreme Court case although it was too late to help Jane Roe since she had already given birth allowed the women the constitutional right to privacy when it comes to an abortion.

    Read More

  • Corrections & the Criminal Justice System: Recidivism & Re-Entry

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pollock, J. M. (2012). Crime & justice in America: An introduction to criminal justice (2nd ed.). Waltham, MA, USA: Anderson Publishing (Elsevier).

    Read More

  • Juveniles Should Be Tried as Adults

    2004 Words  | 5 Pages

    Wilson, James and Herrnstein, Richard. "Crime & Human Nature: The Definitive Study of the Causes of Crime" New York: Free Press, 1998.

    Read More

  • The Relationship between Unemployment and Crime

    588 Words  | 2 Pages

    The U.S. Department of Labor (2011) reported the national average of unemployment for 2008 was 5.8 percent. The rate dramatically increased in 2009 with an average of 9.3 percent and 9.6 percent for 2010. While unemployment rates have increased, the FBI’s preliminary reports for 2010 show that law enforcement agencies across the U.S. have reported a decrease of 6.2 percent in the number of violent crimes for the first 6 months of 2010 when compared to figures reported for the same time in 2009. The violent crime category includes rape, murder, robbery, and aggravated result. The number of property crimes also decreased 2.8 percent when compared to the same time last year. Property crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Arson decreased 14.6 percent when compared to the same time periods of 2009 (FBI, 2011).

    Read More

More about Abortion Did NOT Reduce the Crime Rate

Open Document