Abortion Policy
Abortion is one of about six major issues that the public considers when voting (Witwer). It is a complex issue that has been passionately debated for centuries. The various methods used to carry out the procedure range from disassembling the fetus and crushing the skull in order to suck it all out of the woman’s womb to the procedure called RU-486, that gives the woman a pill to prevent her body from giving the fetus the nutrients to stay alive. Also, some consider certain forms of birth control, Norplant, IUD, and emergency contraceptives to be abortions as well. Many people argue about when in the pregnancy abortions should be allowed, if there should be an age limit, if abortion should be allowed only in certain circumstances, if states should decide the legality of it, and if only certain procedures should be allowed. However, the key issue is: should abortion be totally legalized, totally banned, or remain the way it is?
Numerous people have a stake in this issue. The issue of abortion affects every woman worldwide as well as men who find themselves involved in a situation related to abortion, and/or men who choose to concern themselves with such an ever-growing issue (Wlezien). Also, this issue affects the fetuses aborted, or permitted to live. There are generally two opposing sides to the issue where most people find themselves: the pro-life side and the pro-choice side. While it is true that men may find themselves involved in a situation related to abortion, the debate over it still remains predominantly female (Wlezien). Surveys, facts, and figures have indicated that the two sides are made up of vastly dissimilar people and their lifestyles (Wlezien). Pro-choice usually consists of young...
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...89), pp. 229-230{primary scholarly, print via internet in original, authoritative}
Wlezien, Christopher B.; Goggin, Malcolm. “The Courts, Interest Groups, and Public Opinion about Abortion”. Political Behavior, Vol. 15, No. 4. (Dec., 1993), pp. 381-405. {primary scholarly, print via internet in original, authoritative}
“Unjust Punishment, Forced Contraception, and Poor Treatment of Women by the Courts and Prisons.” NARAL Pro Choice America Foundation. 27 April 1999. 22 March 2004. http://www.naral.org/facts/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=1784. {unrestricted, internet publication, apparently credible}
U. S. National Library of Medicine. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. 2002. www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002398.htm - 29k - Mar 8, 2004. {primary scholarly, print via internet in original, authoritative}
The topic on abortion gives a moral objection to a fetus’ right to life, while it is questionable whether or not the death of the unborn child is unjustifiable. Although it may seem as if abortion puts women in situations where it is necessary to save the mother’s life in some situations. Until both pro-life and pro-choice can come to a conclusion and an agreement, this debates on abortion will continually go on. Both sides need to be able to draw the line somewhere and balance each other’s weakness.
Lemuel Shattuck, teacher, historian, statistician, publisher, and visionary, established the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in 1869. His plan was the first to identify major public health issues including the recommendation to establish the accurate keeping of health records and vital public health statistics to use as tools to fight disease. In 1869, his vision led to the nation’s first State Board of Health that was established in Massachusetts. In order to carry out their mission, Lemuel Shattuck Hospital delivers compassionate medical and psychiatric care to patients requiring multi-disciplinary treatment and support which promotes their health, well-being, rehabilitation and recovery.
Setting up base camp in the church is included in O’Brien’s memoir to serve as a reminder of the calm and human kindness that is found during war. Staying in the peaceful church provided the platoon an opportunity to see a unique and personal side of Vietnam, one where the people “...brought us buckets of water. (O’Brien, 119)” and “... were very kind to all of us... (O’Brien, 120)”. This story brings out some of the less definitive qualities ...
Page, Christina. How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America: Freedom, Politics and the War on Sex. New York: Basic Books, 2006.
As part of an ever-developing endeavor to truly grasp Christopher Columbus, his character and his mission, it is crucial to find sources that lend an accurate portrayal and in-depth evaluation of his true disposition, his ambitious intentions, and the outcome of his success or failures in regards to those. To grasp the ensuing reverberations felt profoundly throughout the centuries due to his exploits, and the collateral damage caused thereby, one must first trace him back to his origins; and in so doing, follow him along through his quest for notoriety, power, wealth, and prestige. Columbus: the four voyages, by Laurence Bergreen, does all that and more.
The Sun of the Revolution by Liang Heng, is intriguing and vivid, and gives us a complex and compelling perspective on Chines culture during a confusing time period. We get the opportunity to learn the story of a young man with a promising future, but an unpleasant childhood. Liang Heng was exposed to every aspect of the Cultural Revolution in China, and shares his experiences with us, since the book is written from Liang perspective, we do not have a biased opinion from an elite member in the Chinese society nor the poor we get an honest opinion from the People’s Republic of China. Liang only had the fortunate opportunity of expressing these events due his relationship with his wife, An American woman whom helps him write the book. When Liang Heng and Judy Shapiro fell in love in China during 1979, they weren’t just a rarity they were both pioneers at a time when the idea of marriages between foreigners and Chinese were still unacceptable in society.
“The Vietnam War was arguably the most traumatic experience for the United States in the twentieth century. That is indeed a grim distinction in a span that included two world wars, the assassinations of two presidents and the resignation of another, the Great Depression, the Cold War, racial unrest, and the drug and crime waves.” (Goldstein 1). The Vietnam War is widely regarded as one of the most traumatic experiences in all of American History. Innocent boys trudged through the mud, the heat and the fear that came along with fighting in Vietnam. Tim O’Brien paints a picture of how difficult and traumatic Vietnam was for the soldiers who experienced it in his book, The Things They Carried. Throughout the course of the book the elements of fiction: plot, character and setting all act to serve the purpose in conveying O’Brien’s theme of his work which is revealed to be at the conclusion: a message of universal immortality. In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried setting is the most crucial element in understanding theme, followed by character then lastly plot.
No other element of the Women’s Rights Movement has generated as much controversy as the debate over reproductive rights. As the movement gained momentum so did the demand for birth control, sex education, family planning and the repeal of all abortion laws. On January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision which declared abortion "fundamental right.” The ruling recognized the right of the individual “to be free from unwanted governmental intrusion into matters so fundamentally affecting a person as the right of a woman to decide whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.” (US Supreme Court, 1973) This federal-level ruling took effect, legalizing abortion for all women nationwide.
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.
In the year March 1970, a woman dubbed Jane Roe took federal action against Texas abortion laws. These laws prevented Roe from terminating her pregnancy because abortions were only allowed in the scenario that the fetus was harming the life of the mother (Rosenbaum 63). Because Roe wasn’t in any way harmed by her pregnancy, she could not get an abortion. “Roe believed that TX statutes were unconstitutionally vague and that they abridged her right of personal privacy, protected by the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments” (Rosenbaum 64). She wanted an abortion done professionally in a clean and safe environment (Rosenbaum 63). Women before the legalization of abortion would resort to unsafe methods to terminate their baby (Tribe 113).
It is almost unanimously agreed upon that the right to life is the most important and sacred right possessed by human beings. With this being said, it comes as no surprise that there are few issues that are more contentious than abortion. Some consider the process of abortion as immoral and consisting of the deprivation of one’s right to life. Others, on the opposite end of the spectrum, see abortion as a liberty and a simple exercise of the right to the freedom of choice.
Divided into four sections: Prelude; Love Hope and Sex and Dreams; Paradise Lost; Adventures of a Perilous and Swashbuckling Nature; War; and finally, Cast Away, the order of the sections already give insight on the life that Columbus lead. At first his life was full of hope and ambition, through the first chunk Columbus’ life is depicted. Beginning with the voyage the whole world remembers, Dugard unveils sides of Columbus’ character that many readers weren't aware of. Columbus was exactly 41 when he sailed in 1492, he was an Italian vagabond who ironically was quite cheerful, confident, and at times prone to the occasional boast. At six feet tall, with a very cunning mind, he somehow seduced the most powerful woman in the world at that time: Queen Isabella. Columbus was married, and then widowed, to a woman named Felipa Puestrello y Mariz. In his youth, Columbus became interested in traveling the world because of a man named Marco Polo. In 1271, Marco Polo, traveled to china via ship and camel. He returned twenty four years later with more knowledge of the world than...
“The Rights of Pregnant Women.” NARAL Pro-Choice America. 24 March 2004. <http://www.naral.org/Issues/pregnantwomen/> {unrestricted; internet publication}
The topic of abortion has been extremely controversial for years. It has raised the questions if it should be legal or illegal and if it is right or wrong? But the idea of abortion cannot simply be broken down into yes or no, right or wrong and so forth, as life itself cannot be broken down into that. Every individual will have their own opinion on the matter, as their lives, culture, and religion have shaped their view. While the debate about abortion has created divisions between people in society, it has two major groups, those who are Pro-Life and Pro-Choice. In this paper, I will examine both groups in depth and their strong positions on abortion.