Diana Brown, a representative at the International Humanist and Ethical Union at the United Nations in Geneva, argues the main reasons why abortion should be legal and unrestricted. She asserts that abortion should be legal because if it is unavailable, women will resort to harmful methods of termination of an undesired pregnancy. Furthermore, the rights of the mother should supercede the rights of a fetus as it is in question whether or not a fetus is viable. Fetuses show no signs of awareness to their surroundings until the second trimester and therefore their rights should not take precedence over a woman’s. Brown ascertains that making abortions illegal does not save babies, but rather it kills mothers. Eighty thousand women die every year after participating in unsafe methods of terminating a pregnancy. Rather than removing the practice of abortion, society should be narrowing its efforts into removing the causes of abortion and teaching about protected sex and contraceptive methods. …show more content…
She claims that half of the abortions performed each year are medically unsafe, and result in about eighty thousand mothers dying. She inserts these statistics in order to appeal to the logic of the reader that abortions need to remain legal in order to prevent mothers from trying unsafe methods to terminate their pregnancy. She also refers to a baby as a “fetus” to demonstrate that the child’s rights should not supercede the mother’s because it is merely a “fetus.” The term fetus carries a different connotation than the terms baby or child. Using this scientific diction dehumanizes the baby that is being aborted, and it looks at the medical procedure through a more objective
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Show MoreIn her essay, “A Defense of Abortion,” Judith Jarvis Thompson outlines the most common arguments that people defend, and explains her views regarding each of these. She shares numerous examples and situations that she believes will support her views. One of her most prominent arguments is that of whether or not a fetus has moral standing as a “person.” She highlights the so called “battle” between an innocent life, the fetus, and the bodily rights of the mother. Within this argument, Judith outlines for us several situations which can provide people with a different outlook regarding abortion. Throughout Judith’s essay, she does not truly give a clear stance, but rather allows her readers to choose for themselves.
...e open to all women at any point of pregnancy, and that the woman reserves the right as a fully conscious member of the moral community to choose to carry the child or not. She argues that fetuses are not persons or members of the moral community because they don’t fulfill the five qualities of personhood she has fashioned. Warren’s arguments are valid, mostly sound, and cover just about all aspects of the overall topic. However much she was inconsistent on the topic of infanticide, her overall writing was well done and consistent. Warren rejects emotional appeal in a very Vulcan like manner; devout to reason and logic and in doing so has created a well-written paper based solely on this rational mindset.
As one knows, some unwanted pregnancies could often be harmful and distressing for a woman. Women should have the right over their body to choose to sustain the fetus or not. In the past decades, women did not have their freedom of abortion in many countries of the world. There have always been controversies going on about abortion. Each individual has dissimilar views on the legality of abortion. Some people are against abortion for personal religious purposes and beliefs. For those who don’t believe in abortion, it is because they see it as killing a fetus, which is a human being. Others support abortion because they believe in women’s rights. Laws of abortion vary in each country, and abortion is not legal all over the world. It is illegal under any conditions but only permitted to save woman’s life if in countries such as Brazil, Nigeria, United Arab Emirates, and Ireland. However, abortion is legal without any restrictions in countries like Canada, Albania, and Italy. It the past decades Abortion was considered as criminal act in Canada. “If an abortion was carried out without such approval, the woman was liable for imprisonment for 2 years, an...
Over the duration of the last century, abortion in the Western hemisphere has become a largely controversial topic that affects every human being. In the United States, at current rates, one in three women will have had an abortion by the time they reach the age of 45. The questions surrounding the laws are of moral, social, and medical dilemmas that rely upon the most fundamental principles of ethics and philosophy. At the center of the argument is the not so clear cut lines dictating what life is, or is not, and where a fetus finds itself amongst its meaning. In an effort to answer the question, lawmakers are establishing public policies dictating what a woman may or may not do with consideration to her reproductive rights. The drawback, however, is that there is no agreement upon when life begins and at which point one crosses the line from unalienable rights to murder.
She says that is why very early abortions are permissible, and do not comprise the subject matter for moral debate (Thomson, 1971, p. 66). I agree with her final statement. I too, believe, at conception the fetus is not yet human and that an abortion would be permissible. My personal beliefs go along with pro-choice, even though I personally would never consider having an abortion, I believe a woman has the right to decide. Pro-life activists would strongly object, and believe an abortion is killing a human and under no reason should a defenseless life be taken. They also believe that even in instances of rape a woman should not abort because it is the fetus you are punishing instead of the rapist. My response to that is, why should the mother be punished for being physically violated resulting in an unwanted pregnancy? If she chooses to have an abortion, which would be in the first trimester, the fetus cannot survive outside of her body; therefore, should not be considered a separate
The permissibility of abortion has been a crucial topic for debates for many years. People have yet to agree upon a stance on whether abortion is morally just. This country is divided into two groups, believers in a woman’s choice to have an abortion and those who stand for the fetus’s right to live. More commonly these stances are labeled as pro-choice and pro-life. The traditional argument for each side is based upon whether a fetus has a right to life. Complications occur because the qualifications of what gives something a right to life is not agreed upon. The pro-choice argument asserts that only people, not fetuses, have a right to life. The pro-life argument claims that fetuses are human beings and therefore they have a right to life. Philosopher, Judith Jarvis Thomson, rejects this traditional reasoning because the right of the mother is not brought into consideration. Thomson prepares two theses to explain her reasoning for being pro-choice; “A right to life does not entail the right to use your body to stay alive” and “In the majority of cases it is not morally required that you carry a fetus to term.”
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy so that it does not result in the birth of a child. It is no secret the topic of abortion is widely debated. There are two main sides to this controversy: pro-choice and pro-life. Pro-choice supports the right of women to choose whether or not to go to full term with their pregnancy. Pro-life promotes the protection of the fetus, especially by outlawing abortion by equating it to murder. Yet pro-life advocates don’t take into consideration the emotional and physical damage to a woman who is forced to have a baby she may not want or be able to afford. Even a woman who uses birth control may become pregnant, because there is no birth control method that is perfect. Sometimes pregnancy can even be detrimental to a women’s health because of unforeseen difficulties. Women should, regardless of the opinion of others, have the right to choose what they think is best for their own body.
Critics say that these women who choose abortion have a cheapened view of human life, but they are looking after their own. Unwanted pregnancies and childbirth are grueling which can have negative physical and psychological effects on the woman (Medoff, 2016). Therefore, it would be wrong to prevent women from seeking abortion. Only the women who are personally going through this process should be listened to. The opposing side does not believe it is the woman’s choice. But it is the women’s right to choose what to do with this her body. If a woman has an option to help her overcome this situation as well as to not be burdened with it for the rest of her life, then they have the right to make that decision and should not be questioned about
Since the early 1970’s abortion has been an important issue to the United States (Tietze 1). The problem begins with whether it is the woman’s choice to keep or terminate her pregnancy or the government’s choice. When this problem happens, a woman loses her right as a person. Most women argue about this issue, but if you look at it, it is the woman’s body, and she should do with it as she pleases. I believe that if a woman, under the right circumstances, should be able to make her own choices in life and not be influenced by family or the government.
Abortion is a controversial issue affecting our society. Many people feel that abortion is evil because abortion is killing an unborn child. On the other hand, others believe that it is a woman’s constitutional right to choose especially in certain situations such as incest, rape, or health issues threatening the mother’s life. The strongest point of this argument of pro-choice versus pro-life activists is the idea of when the fetus is living. Killing an innocent child using rather horrific procedures is not only unethical for the doctors to perform, but the mother choices.
Abortion is badly affecting our society today. Many people feel it is immoral to kill an unborn baby for no reason. Conversely, others believe that it is the woman’s legal right to choose abortion especially in the reason of rape or health issues threatening the life of the mother. Abortion is a needed medical procedure that has been proven over time to be effective to the women and society; it is every human’s fundamental right to be in control and have the choice of what to do with their body. Women should not have to suffer because of past events especially if they were uncontrollable and powerless in their situation. Abortion is something required due to aspects that can’t be changed and were not the mother’s fault.
Many feminists stand with the pro-choice argument to defend women’s rights. “When we are denied the right to end pregnancy we lose our right to bodily autonomy; a fundamental human right central to western civilization” (Furedi 85). The right to choose allows women to exercise her rights in decision making on a basis of equality with men. Furthermore, “A woman who decides to have an abortion—as 46 million do annually—must have access to the facilities and care that will enable her to terminate her pregnancy safely” (“Safe and Legal Abortion…”). In order to guarantee the safety of abortion, laws need to protect women and the facilities. “When access to abortion is highly restricted, many women seek unsafe procedures to terminate their pregnancies, resulting in high rates of mortality and morbidity” (Uberoi, De Bruyn). Based on the situation, not having an abortion can be harmful, showcasing the downside of the pro-life movement. Eliminating threats to the progression of women’s reproductive rights ensures the depletion of serious
Abortion is a tough issue for our country to deal with. There are, on both sides of the argument, well-meaning and intelligent people - as well as the opposite. Despite the difficulty of this issue, it must be confronted, as it is simultaneously rooted in and influential towards the moral foundations and political ideals of America. As a concerned American and a pursuant of open-mindedness, I have reached the conclusion that abortion is a such a threat to America's public and private morals that it should be outlawed in all cases except for when the mother's physical health is seriously threatened. In order to support this conclusion, I intend to address and the pro-choice arguments as represented in the Planned Parenthood site Nine Reasons Abortion is Legal and other pro-choice Internet sites. I will refute their arguments as either misguided in their conclusions, inapplicable or insufficient to justify abortion.
At current rates, about one in three American women will have had an abortion by the time she reaches age 45. Moreover, a broad cross section of U.S. women will have an abortion. Abortion is a very sensitive topic these days. There are two opposing sides that have a significant amount of information to prove their view-points. The biggest debate is if it should be banned. This is an issue that has been going on since the early 1970’s through a court case that started it all. Much controversy has arisen due to the debating of whether abortion was a fundamental right and each state has had the chance to vote accordingly.
Abortion in the United States is a legal form of murder. Each and every year over a million babies are murdered and it must be stopped now before it will continue to get out of hand each and every day. We have discussed in this essay that a fetus is a living humans and not something that can just be thrown away. An unborn child is still a child and he or she needs an opportunity to grow and live a long successful life just like the rest of us have gotten the privilege to do. Abortion cannot go on any longer. More and more live are lost every day.