The Controversy Over Abortion The controversy over abortion has been going on for years. This movie portrays how the debate has changed over the decades in a befitting manner. It is about three different women who come upon having to make the choice of terminating their pregnancies. The setting takes place in the same house during the course of 40 years where a different women deals with the option of aborting her fetus. This movie shows the various reasons woman want to get abortions, each being a valid reason in a liberal point of view. In the first year 1952, Demi Moore plays "Claire Donnely", a nurse who is in a difficult situation. Her husband had been dead for six months when she found out she was pregnant by her brother-in-law. It was illegal to get an abortion during the time, and so she had to find a way to get rid of the fetus. At home, she tried to perform a self abortion, which made her very ill. At work, a fellow nurse gave her information on how she could get a man to perform the abortion for $400. The man did the abortion with unsanitary tools while she lay on her kitchen table. When the abortion was complete, he told her that she would experience a little bleeding, but she ended up bleeding to death. The next year took place in 1974, where Sissy Spacek plays "Barbara Barrows", a mother of four, a housewife, and a college student. She finds out she is pregnant, and tries to decide whether or not to keep the baby. The reason of emancipation comes into regard here as Barbara considers the fact that she had a goal she wanted to achieve. Her husband and her oldest daughter make it harder for her to decide, because they put their needs before hers. In the end, she decided to keep the baby because she felt that it was the only choice that she would be able to live with. As the laws of abortion have changed through history, the emotions have also changed. In 1996, there was and still remains to be a deep division between pro-life and pro-choice protesters. In this part of the movie Anne Heche plays "Christine", a young adult who got pregnant by a married man.
...ys how an unborn, unwanted child may bring dilemmas like poor communication, inability to make a decision, and damage to relationships; all in a symbolic and creative manner. Relationships issues such as a couple’s inability to communicate efficiently, their distant nature towards one another, the resurfacing of deeper issues contribute to the decision a woman makes regarding abortion. In addition to whether or not a child is born, a man’s defiant and persuasive manner combined with a women’s desire for the relationship she fell in love with can be the difference between a thriving relationship and a broken one. Heminway’s inventive story uses hidden symbols to explore the topics of abortion and relationships in such a way as to leaving the reader wondering and debating if the couple is going to break up or if the American merely changes his mind about the operation.
Abortions were occasions that would be found in books and motion pictures that depicted young ladies in bad positions or ladies that had been pushed to the edge. For example, Ernest Hemingway’s Hills like White Elephants. The story focuses on a conversation between an American man and a girl at the Spanish train station while waiting for a train to Madrid. Throughout the story we read about two people talking about a certain operation that will eventually make things better for them. We get the clues that he is talking about abortion. The girl does not seem to want to have the procedure but the man pressures her about it. Although the American attempts to frame the fetus as the source of the couple’s discontent with life and one another, the tone and pattern of dialogue indicate that there may be deeper problems with the relationship than the purely circumstantial. Back then the procedure was extremely hazardous and accompanied numerous dangers. To choose to have an abortion was to choose to be degraded. Women were jailed for having abortions and discriminated against. In 1973, the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade changed the way abortion was viewed, and since then, controversy over the legitimacy of abortion continues to
The theme of the film is obviously abortion, and those plenty questions concerning abortion. This has been a well debated theme for a long time, but Mike Leigh sees no obstacle in that. The question whether abortion should be legal or not, is still a big political issue, and it does not seem like politicians round the world has come to an agreement just yet. Even though this theme is highly debated beforehand, it does not make this a boring film. It is more opposite, and that is why I feel that Mike Leigh give us viewers a different angle than many others would have.
7:45 am. “I’m a Child, Not a Choice”. “Adoption, Not Abortion”. ”ABORTION: One Dead One Wounded”. She thought that by coming to her appointment fifteen minutes early she might be able to avoid these holier then thou activists as she pulled into the drive of the small clinic. Another added surprise greeted her as she walked into the waiting room, you would think this place was giving out free vacations by how many people there were crammed into this tiny room. 8:00am. Unable to find a free seat her and her boyfriend find a seat against the wall where so many others have attempted to make themselves comfortable. Suddenly the receptionist calls out her name, while standing at the sliding glass window the women explains the costs and why they needed so many signatures on so many release forms. “$478 dollars, that’s more then I made all week.”8:45 am. Finally all the T’s have been crossed and the I’s dotted but for some reason she feels as if she just signed away her soul. Still sitting there in silence she resorts to people watching to keep her mind calm. Some women are here alone, some with other women, and some lucky ones with significant others. It’s very obvious everyone is doing what they can to stay calm, one couple watches “Maury” on the 16 inch TV mounted in the corner. Another two women gossip while painting their nails. Directly across from her she notices a women sobbing in the butt of her boyfriends armpit, but she’s too numb to know pity for anyone besides herself. 9:30am. A hysterical women appears from behind a closed door, everyone in the room carefully listens as she explains to the receptionist that she will need her money back because her 14 year old daughter is “too far along” for them to go ahead with the proced...
Abortion has been a perplexing and controversial debate throughout time. There are many articles and philosophers who state their strong polarized opinions on whether it is ethical to have an abortion. Some people believe that abortion is morally unacceptable and under no circumstances will it ever be acceptable. On the contrary, other people believe that a woman should have the right to choose whether she wants to continue with the pregnancy, especially under certain conditions. In “A Defense of Abortion,” Judith Jarvis Thomson uses real-life analogies to illustrate her key argument that, even assuming a fetus is considered a person from the moment of conception, the mother and the fetus have an equal right to life. Thomson believes that the human fetus doesn’t have the right to occupy a woman’s body for survival, if it against her will. Thomson argues that, even if we grant that the fetus has the right to life, abortion would still be morally permissible in cases of rape, dangerous pregnancy or contraceptive failure. In this essay, I will argue that even if the fetus has the right to life, abortion, is still morally acceptable in the case of ectopic pregnancy, rape and contraceptive failure, as the fetus doesn’t have the right to use a woman’s body without her consent or if it endangers her.
... very controversial topic out into view. Viewers can see just how abortion has evolved through the decades and may change many people’s minds about how they think of abortion. Seeing the desperation on the faces of the women in the three different years never changes. All three are left with only a few choices that they must make on their own, where none of the choices are very appealing, and decide on something that they will have to live with for the rest of their lives. No matter what year it is though, each woman has been left to deal with being pregnant and what to do about it on her own. That is something to think about. This movie achieves a good rating, and is recommended for people who want to see what abortion is about from the view of a victim, someone left to deal with it on her own and make a decision that will follow her for the rest of her life.
...e essay she says “but I don’t feel all one way about abortion anymore, and I don’t think it serves a just cause to pretend that many of us do”(629). This quote lets the reader identify with it being okay to feel conflicted about abortion. It seems that often people feel they have to choose sides in the abortion debate. However, Quindlen allows her audience to find comfort and acceptance and not really knowing what they would do if ever faced with this decision. She uses a balance of real life examples that she has experienced and witnessed. Most of her examples touch the reader deep down inside so that they are left feeling as if they were a fly on the wall when these things were going on.
The 1973 Supreme Court decision in the case of Roe vs. Wade is the foundation for our current abortion policy as well as the cause of so much controversy today. Though always an issue, nothing prior can compare to the momentum that it has now. In the span of 30 years since the ruling, the combination of science, morals and religion have spun off numerous sub-issues to the effect that people have been left either aligned to one side of the argument, or caught in the middle, unable to choose. The key issue at hand is whether the 1973 ruling of Roe vs. Wade should be upheld or should all abortions be illegal. The issue is so divisive because abortion brings up closely related but unresolved moral issues, and tries to bring a legal answer to them. The consequences would be monumental for those who have a stake in a resulting decision. Women’s rights, first and foremost, would be affected because many women in the pro-choice movement believe this decision is a reflection of the amount of power the government should have over the individual, women in particular. They would take the results as a major setback in the women’s rights movement should abortion become illegal. Pro-life groups see this as a moral debate over life, with the elimination of abortion meaning that the fetus has been recognized as a living human being with rights like any other. Religious advocates, particularly those siding with the pro-life movement see the attitude towards abortion as a reflection of sexual permissiveness in the American people. As for the American people themselves, while having strong feelings about abortion, are not ready or willing to get rid of it. Though both sides push for common things like better sex education for th...
The story is set in an unnamed provincial city in Romania, where Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) and Găbiţa (Laura Vasiliu) share the same room in a student dormitory. They are University colleagues during the last years of communism. In 1966, a law banning abortion was imposed in Romania. Being 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days pregnant, Găbita finally settles for an illegal abortion. Otilia rents a room in a cheap hotel, and in the afternoon they are going to meet Mr. Bebe (Vlad Ivanov), a back-alley abortionist. (Porton 2009)
I believe that the content of this documentary would be highly provoking to any viewer, regardless of their personal stance on abortion. In all things political, I think it is important to be able to remove yourself or any personal ties from any situation and attempt to see both sides of an issue objectively in order to make both an educated and well grounded opinion— this is the same approach I took in viewing this film. Still, based on some of my own opinions, I found myself to be a bit uneasy about some of the ideas presented. However, first I would like to approach this issue from a larger perspective, and discuss the ethics of abortion in general from a utilitarian perspective. From a utilitarian standpoint, I believe the legality of abortion can be viewed as ethical.
“My body, my choice.” Four powerful words often forgotten when discussing the topic of abortion. Abortion is a controversial and persistent discussion that may never be ended. When in all reality, it can end. Laws have been put in place to prevent women from getting abortions. Women should have the rights to their bodies and the choice to do what they want with them. Abortion is not murder.
Alison’s Choice is a movie that shows a story of a pregnant young girl who is struggling with the fact whether she should keep her baby or not. Being a young, unmarried women that does not get along with her boyfriend made her decision whether she was going to terminate the life of her baby girl or go on with her pregnancy a lot harder. I really enjoyed this movie, especially being pro-life, myself. The biggest, most important message that stood out to me was the attitudes of the characters in this movie, between those who were encouraging her to keep her baby and those who encouraged her to end her baby girl’s life. The pro-abortion characters were very forceful, making Allison look dumb for considering to keep the baby or even thinking that it is a baby that is inside of her. While, the pro-life characters felt bad for Alison’s struggle she was facing and guided her through the problems, showing her how keeping the baby will be not only better for the baby, but herself. They showed how important the human life is while still understanding Alison and guiding her in a peaceful way.
The film revolves around Mallory (played by Juliette Lewis) a teenage girl who is abused by her awful family...
Abortion is a very controversial subject that has been continuously argued over for the past few years and probably for many more years to come. Women who are making the decision are effected emotionally, mentally, and physically since their bodies are going through many changes which it is not accustomed to. The main controversy is, who's right is it to abort? Many will argue and say it is the woman's right to chose what she does with her own body, but what about the father's right? The man's involvement in the abortion decision is not about the woman's choice, it is about his own responsibility to her and the child (Arthur 1999). There are two sides to this abortion topic: the pro-life, which is those who are against abortion altogether, and the pro-choice, or those who believe it is the woman's right to choose if she wants to have an abortion. These two groups offer different solutions to the problem. The pro-life solution is to have the child and basically live with him/her. They believe abortion is not an answer. The pro-choice solution is abortion because of reasons they feel are appropriate.
...becca Traister proves that; abortions represent the freedom of choice, owning one 's body, and being proud of the scars that may follow. Traister includes "But they shouldn’t be so fearful. Feminism is becoming an increasingly vibrant force in mainstream culture, and this year has seen encouraging attempts to shatter the shell of anxiety around abortion." This article sends the message of empowering women, freedom of choice, and women supporting one another. It is about embracing the freedoms of today and of the future. The real world occurance should not be feared, or not understood correctly, nor should they be faced without support. A woman who ceases an abortion shall not be judge, but respected, and supported. Because they made a choice that carries negative implications, but they did what was morally correct to them, and that is what holds the utmost importance.