Women for centuries have conformed themselves to the viewpoints and stereotypical outlooks society has on them. Their subservient nature to the male species has been detrimental to both their health as well as their independent rights. An ongoing issue women have been facing is the right to a safe and legal abortion. There is an underlining issue when a woman cannot choose what is best for herself as a human being when faced with such a difficult decision to undergo such a traumatic procedure. The pro-choice movement pushes for the legal rights of women to decide their fate, to prevent any further risks of undergoing illegal abortions, and their reproductive freedom.
For most women the opportunity to have a legal abortion provides them with
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At twenty six years old Rachel Gasston had been accepted into Oxford as she discovered that she was pregnant by her boyfriend who she had an unstable relationship with three months in. “I remember immediately thinking, "I 'm not doing this." I was absolutely sure. That was weird, because I had actually been quite anti-abortion before,” she said. Having a previous experience with a woman who underwent the procedure, she believed that having an abortion was not right, but when faced with the difficult situation her viewpoints on the matter shifted immediately. “I knew one woman who had had an abortion and I had been quite disapproving,” Gasston replied. “As soon as I knew that I was pregnant, though, my only thought was that this had to be over as soon as possible.” Rachel had previously lived in South Africa before she became pregnant, and in South Africa it is illegal to have an abortion. Rachel said,“I am from South Africa and there it is illegal to have an abortion. Even now, when I think about it, all these years later, I am overcome with relief and gratitude that I live in a country where it is my decision - not the state 's - whether I have children or not.” Rachel, if not given the opportunity to make the decision legally, would have taken matters into her own hands. “If I hadn 't had the option of a legal termination, I would have tried to do it myself, and, if that hadn 't worked and hadn 't killed me, I 'm fairly certain I would have killed myself.” Whether abortion is illegal or not women would still view abortion as an option when faced with an unwanted pregnancy. If not done legally by professionals in a safe and clean environment, women seeking to terminate their pregnancies would find a way to do it themselves, possibly causing them to end their own lives. Rachel’s choice was supported legally in a safe environment and keeping abortions
In general, the debate over abortion can be attributed to conflicting opinions about morality. Pro-life advocates believe terminating a potential life is immoral, whereas pro-choice advocates consider restricting the rights and freedoms of a mother is the greater evil. Morality, however, is not the power that rules over this nation – the law is what determines what actions are and are not permitted. Consequently, since the...
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...
Abortion is a sensitive topic globally, culturally, and socially. There’s more than forty percent of women that end their pregnancy by abortion. In every nation of the world a woman makes the choice for an abortion. Abortion is a procedure that allows a woman to end the life from her pregnancy. There was a time when unsafe abortion was one of the many causes of maternal death. Unsafe abortion went down over the last two decades. When abortion became legal the tragic health issues for women reduced as well as death. There are thirty-six countries willing to allow a woman 's abortion if the female 's life is threatened. Those few countries make the exception depending on her situation of rape, incest, and fetal damage. Now abortion is known as a safe and legal way for a woman to end an unwanted pregnancy. In a woman’s first trimester
How would you feel if someone took away your ability to live? How would you feel if you were never given the chance to come into the world and contribute to the human race? These are some of the questions an individual needs to ask when considering having abortion. Abortion, in my opinion, is immoral and unjust simply because it is murder. A brutal murder of a being who has not even seen the world and a huge injustice to a helpless fetus who might have been the next Einstein, President, or the person who would find a cure to cancer. Morality says that every person has the right not to be unjustly killed. Hence, this right also apply to any unborn child. The thought of an individual killing his/her own unborn child is always lurking in the back of my mind because it’s hard to assert the harm being caused by the unborn child to the mother or to the society in general. If we say abortion is morally right, then we are against procreation and procreation is one of the major contributions of a human being to his or her society and the world at large. The act of procreation is one of the most beautiful things in the world. To make a human being, being able to watch that kid grow into an adult and actually be responsible to the society, should be a very fulfilling experience for any mother. I hereby oppose the principle of paternalism because I don’t believe it is moral to take away or destroy the life of an unborn child to save the life of the mother because there is no harm caused by the unborn child but I support the harm principle because abortion in general, causes harm to the unborn child, his future, the mother and the society. Therefore, I subscribe to Don Marquis view on Abortion in his article “Why abortion is immoral”.
The issue of abortion has always been a controversial one for citizens of the United States. Abortion is the practice of terminating a pregnancy after the embryo has been planted in the uterus (Abortion). An individual’s stance on this controversial issue categorizes them into one of two very different groups. An individual who feels that a woman should not have an abortion- due to moral or religious views- is said to be “pro-life”. Coincidently, those who feel that a woman should have the right to choose abortion are said to be “pro-choice”. “Pro-life” supporters point to the practice of abortion as an immoral one. Supporters state abortion is immoral because it takes away the rights of the unborn fetus, since activists consider human life beginning at contraception (Jones). “Pro-life” supporters also believe that the practice of abortion can lead to medical problems- such as emotional duress- succeeding the surgical procedure (Cords). “Pro-choice” advocates refute these claims. Advocates for abortion feel that a woman should have the choice to decide what should or shouldn’t be done to a woman’s body. Activists also point to cases- such as an abnormal pregnancy or dangers that could incur if the pregnancy was forced to proceed- that support the health and wellbeing of the pregnant woman (Reasons Offered for Abortion). Advocates also express examples like an abandoned partner or strives to gain equality in the workplace as other reasons for abortion (Reasons Offered for Abortion). Many opinions throughout the county create a struggle on who should have the final decision to govern the practice. The practice of abortion has been a crucial option to terminate dangerous and unwanted pregnancies- although advocates point to religio...
The right to choose, right to pursue and right of speech has been a natural right our founding fathers have strived to preserve since the day it was violated. Though, the right they fought to preserve only benefited if thou were a white male, we slowly have come to include the rest of our population regardless of sex or of racial orientation. Women, in particular, have come a long way since their debut in World War II and continue to dismantle the misogynistic traditions we have deeply ingrained into our society. However, women are facing another obstacle: the right to abort an unwanted child. The controversial topic of abortion has been touched upon by politicians, religious groups and the women themselves and although it has been marked
Even though the United States has ruled abortions to be legal, there is still controversy. One may say that this is a growing problem in our country. However, for every problem there should be a solution. Erika Bachiochi argues that: “The state's suppression of a woman's right to choose [was] simply a perpetuation of the patriarchal nature of our society...To free women from [the] gender hierarchy, women must have a right to do what they please with their bodies” (22). She says that women have always been suppressed of their rights, and men believe that they have more power than women. Bachiochi, as well as many other women, believe that they should have choice over something as simple as their own bodies. Having a right to their bodies helps make women feel free from the idea that men are superior to women. Women have always been told how to act in society, but when it comes to abortion they believe that their voices should be heard. If women have no other right, at least let them have a right over their own bodies. The solution may be simple, but getting there may not be so easy. On this issue Eileen McDonagh proposes that, “The right...
Today, abortion has become one of the greatest controversies throughout the world. The debate on whether or not abortion should become a legal option continues to dismember not only Americans, but citizens of other countries. There are people who believe abortion is a women’s civil right, and those who consider it as an immoral act. There are those who believe personhood begins at birth, and those who believe personhood begins from the moment of conception. Many contradictory statements lead to the separation of two groups: pro-choice and pro-life. While a pro-choice supports a women’s “right to privacy”, pro-life supporters are against such an action considering it murder, but why force a female to go through such a dramatic change because of a pregnancy?
Abortion is one of the most controversial topic in the United States at the moment. Abortion is defined as the deliberate termination of a pregnancy, usually before the embryo or fetus is capable of independent life. Pro-life supporters believe that abortion is murder and No one should be able to decide whether who lives or dies. While pro- choice supporters believe that a woman has the choice on whether she want to give birth or not .If a woman is rape; a pro-life supporter believes that abortion is wrong with no exceptions including rape or if the mother’s life is endangered: the child’s right to life outweighs the mother’s right to her body. How can we claim to be the land of freedom, yet our government is constantly restricting abortions laws throughout the United States. Woman should have the freedom to have an abortion without the government interference.
Abortion has been a controversial topic in the U.S ever since it became legal in 1973 after the Roe v. Wade case. Abortion is defined as the, “the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.” Pro-life supporters believe that abortion is unethical and argue that it is the mother’s responsibility to own up to her actions. They also argue that there is always the option of adoption, and that abortion could be very dangerous. I am pro-life and believe that the government doesn’t have the right to decide what a woman can or can’t do with her body.
Some women have accepted the definition that a woman’s prime role as wife and mother is to have control of one’s own body and mind (Reardon 3) .Once they had choices about life roles, they felt that they had the right to choose abortion or not. Any and every woman should have the ability to choose when to have a child in their lives. Many women feel that if they did not have the right to choose an abortion, they would have passed by many opportunities to create a better life for themselves. Some people might not agree with their decisions, but in the ends it is theirs.
Most people agree that abortion should be a rare procedure. To accomplish that ideal, our society must proactively, by providing resources and support, offer pregnant women the hope that carrying their babies to term is not the end of their plans and dreams. Then their difficult decisions would really be true choices vice acts of desperation. After all, it is just as much “pro-choice” for a woman to take charge of her life and courageously carr...
Being a mother is a lifelong job that requires copious time, energy, and money. There are myriad different reasons in which a woman would consider getting an abortion. The decision is often tragic and painful for the mother. It is one of the biggest choices a woman will make. Many people have strong beliefs about abortion, and if a mother makes a decision that they do not agree with they sometimes turn against the mother, and enkindle egregious feelings about their decision for the rest of their life. Indeed a woman may not get an abortion for selfish reasons or out of convenience, but out of a desire to protect certain important values such as her own health or a decent standard of living for the other members of the family. Additional intentions for having abortion include rape, financial difficulties, obligation by family members, or danger to the baby’s health (Roleff
Women should have the right to decide whether or not they would like to have an abortion. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines abortion as; “the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus.” The idea of a woman’s right to have an abortion being taken away is merely incomprehensible.
Abortion is an extremely controversial issue and one that is continually on the forefront of debates. Those who oppose the idea (Pro-lifers), thinks it is an act of woman playing “God” who live from who dies. Yet, whether an unborn baby constitutes a normal person is questionable; a pregnant woman, on the other hand, has the undeniable right to choose whether she wants to have a child or not. Therefore, the decision to have an abortion is the personal choice and responsibility of the woman, because prohibiting abortion impedes freedom of choice and endangers the physical and mental health of women.