Abortion. The mere mention of that word can pit friend against friend, parent against child, teacher against student. It’s an argument that has been going on for as long as women have had unintended pregnancies. American law currently permits abortion, but it varies from state to state where the cutoff is in the gestation period. The fact that abortion is legal in the United States is a cause of much distress to many pro-life advocates. These people believe that life begins at conception, and that abortion is basically murder. They rely heavily on faith-based argument and don’t leave room for much scientific fact. When addressing the abortion issue, one must focus on three main points: other possible means of birth control, a woman’s right to choose, and the benefits of having legalized abortion in America.
Before the 1960’s birth control methods outside of condoms were highly frowned upon by members of society. Oral, or prescription, birth control was introduced to society in 1965. At the time, the Supreme Court allowed married couples to use the oral birth control (“Birth Control” 1). However, in the late 1960’s feminists challenged the safety of using the oral birth control. Their effort resulted in a safer, modified version of birth control that is commonly known today as “The Pill”. (“Birth Control” 1). These modifications have lead to the safety, availability, and efficiency of birth control. These advances in technology have lead to the prologue of things such as the hormonal patch (“The Patch”), the vaginal ring (“Nuvo”), and others such as internal means of birth control. (“Birth Control” 1). About a third of all women use these forms of birth control (Frantz 2). It is ironic then that abortion is condemne...
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When legally introduced to society in 1960, the Pill stirred up a long period of controversy. The availability of the Pill had great impact on women’s health, social life, laws, religion, family, relationships, morality and sexuality. Initially conceived to be highly effective and safe, the Pill left many women with side effects – few which led to several fatalities. Before the Pill was created, many women postponed sex due to the social norm and fear of becoming pregnant before marriage. Families grew large and it was typical for a woman to have multiple children caused by the lack of birth control. Due to regulations, such as the Comstock laws, many people supported the prohibition of the Pill and other family planning practices. However, many women believed in the right to control their own body when it came to procreation. Despite the controversies, the Pill left lasting impacts, such as by opening society to the sexual revolution and...
"Jane ROE, Et Al., Appellants, v. Henry WADE." LII. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
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In a 2006 study conducted by the CDC, it was reported that 53-56% of abortions were performed on white women between the ages of 20 and 29. Among the 46 states that provided data consistently during 1996--2006, a total of 835,134 abortions (98.7% of the total) were reported; the abortion rate was 16.1 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15--44 years, and the abortion ratio was 236 abortions per 1,000 live births. During the previous decade (1997--2006), reported abortion numbers, rates, and ratios decreased 5.7%, 8.8%, and 14.8%, respectively; most of these declines occurred before 2001. During the previous year (2005--2006), the total number of abortions increased 3.1%, and the abortion rate increased 3.2%; the abortion ratio was stable. (CDC, 2009)
Rauf, David Saleh. "Federal Judge Rules on Texas Abortion Law." 28 October 2013. www.chron.com. Online Article. 6 November 2013.
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.
In America, one of the most controversial topics today is abortion. The issue sparks heated debates between people who are pro-life and those who are pro-choice. While pro-life main argument is that abortion unjustly takes away the life
Abortion has always been a hard decision for a women to have to make. Mainly because people have always viewed abortion as either morally wrong or not wrong at all. Everyone has different thoughts and concerns when it comes to abortion. There are a numerous amount of reasons why a women has to choose abortion, whether it be rape, the feeling of being unprepared, not ready age wise or their life is in danger, whatever the case may be it should be their choice.
Shields, Jon A. 2013. “Roe’s pro-life legacy.” First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life (229): 22.
Jost, Kenneth, and Kathy Koch. "Abortion Showdowns." CQ Researcher 22 Sept. 2006: 769-92. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.
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Kennedy, Florence. "MIT Pro-Choice -- Reasons." MIT Pro-Choice -- Reasons. MIT Pro-Choice, 19 Apr. 2007. Web. 19 Mar. 2013.
Population control comes in many forms: cancer, famine, A.I.D.S, genocide, war and natural disasters, but never has one been so celebrated and socially accepted before abortion. Abortion has been practiced for hundreds of years and medical technology has advanced accordingly; providing a safer and much more sanitary procedure for the women receiving the operation, but the result remains the same for the defenseless child. Abortion continues to be one of the most debated and country dividing topics this nation has seen. In the recent past, there has been steady movement towards the governmental restrictions of abortion. The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 was one of the greatest victories in congress related to this topic. The ban restricts a certain form of abortion (partial-birth abortion) past 24 weeks from conception (United States Congress). Even though this is a positive step in the right and moral direction, the act needs to be revised. It needs to have the allotted time reduced from 24 weeks to 20 weeks based upon new medical research that fetuses can “feel pain” prior to 24 weeks. Abortion will never become completely illegal (that is just harsh reality), but the restrictions that govern abortions can be fine tuned to incorporate a smaller and more humane window for abortions.