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Abortion in usa essay
Ethical arguments for abortion
Pro life vs. pro choice
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Abortion is one of the most controversial subjects in America. Despite the Supreme Court ruling that has allowed abortion, there is an ongoing debate over whether abortion is right. Some people that are pro-life say that abortion is like genocide, murder of millions that has been taking place legally in America since 1973. On the contrary, those that are pro-choice argue that abortion is not like genocide because it is not murder. The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees that no one be deprived of life or liberty. The question is, does abortion deprive potential babies from life or does prohibiting abortion deprive women of the freedom to control their pregnancies? Whether abortion is considered murder or not rests on when a zygote is officially considered a person. People form their opinions mainly on their social or religious background, because scientifically it is impossible to decide when the baby becomes a person. Dr. Lewis Thomas of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, along with over 1,300 scientists across the U.S., agreed that “the question of when human life begins… lies beyond the reaches of science.” (abortion controversy pg.2) Supporters of choice say that abortion is not murder because it is not killing a person, it is just a fetus or an embryo. Some radicals even call the fetus a “mass of tissue” or even a “parasite” (abortion controversy pg.24/25). Judith J. Thomson writes in her paper “A Defense of Abortion” that an acorn is not an oak tree; hence a fetus is not a human and abortion is not murder. (ethics of abortion pg.9) People that are against abortion argue that a fetus is a person. Some early feminists, such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady, believed ... ... middle of paper ... ...ll. That is hard to believe when you see a picture of an aborted fetus and it has all the physical human characteristics. Also, the fact that humanity is redefined reminds me of justification of murder in previous genocides by redefining what humans are. Supporters of African slavery in America (during time period) justified the brutal treatment of imported African slaves by saying they were not people, they were monkeys (let my people go). Another reason I feel abortion is not right is it is too similar to euthanasia. In theory, euthanasia, like abortion, could be efficient, practical, and even done humanely. In the same way, Nazis conveniently exterminated Jews. If abortion is legal now, what stops euthanasia from being legalized? In conclusion, I have found that most arguments for abortion are logical, but morally I view it the same way I view genocide.
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
...t it is immoral. I also see that it may not be immoral for a woman to abort if she has made the most effort to avoid pregnancy using contraceptives. However, as Thompson states, I think in this situation a mother “ought” not to have an abortion. A fetus should have the right to life, however the mother should also have the right to determine how to use her own body. So I too find it difficult to determine a solid stance on this issue. I’ve always believe that a fetus is a person, but I’ve also always struggled to discern when it is that the fetus becomes a person. Regardless of whatever science can prove or not regarding when a fetus is a person or however much argumentation is done regarding the permissibility of abortion, this topic will forever be surrounded by debate. I don’t believe there will ever a unanimous opinion on whether or not abortion is moral.
As to any argument, there are two opposing sides when it comes to the matter of abortions. These two opposers usually refer to themselves as “pro-life” and “pro choice”. Pro-life supporters maintain that abortion is wrong and pro-choice believe that it is a woman’s freedom to choose her pregnancy decisions. When it comes to the topic of abortions, most of us will readily agree that it’s a woman’s choice to decide what her reproductive decisions are, i.e. pro-choice. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is in the question of whether or not abortion is a fundamental right granted to women by the Constitution. Whereas some are convinced that a fetus is considered alive at conception, usually citing the word of God, others maintain that
For over two centuries abortion has been an issue of controversy within the United States; furthermore, at the heart of this debate lies the standoff between advocates of pro-life and of pro-choice. Individuals who identify as pro-life strongly oppose abortion, believing it to be unjust and illegal. The argument pro-life advocates often put forth is that the fetus in question qualifies as a human being; therefore, to end its life prematurely is akin to murder. Pro-choice advocates, on the other hand, are strong supporters of placing the power of decision within the mother’s hands and allowing her to determine what is best for both her and her unborn child. (Hopely)
Opposing views on abortion divide America today. The debates have sparked nationwide controversy and sometimes violent acts. Government laws allow abortion and permit the medical procedure. However, though abortion is legalized throughout the nation, pro-life advocates still believe it is considered an act of murder unlike pro-choice supporters who contend that it is a woman’s right to decide her parental fate. Two political and religious views about abortion are the pro-life and pro-choice.
Abortion is a very controversial and sensitive topic in today’s society. Two different sides to this argument is pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life proponents believe in the right to life for unborn fetuses saying that abortion should be considered murder regardless of how far along in the pregnancy the woman is. Pro-choice advocates people who believe the woman carrying the fetus should be able to make her own decision on aborting the fetus.
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.
One of the biggest issue of abortion goes back to the controversial question of when human life actually begins. Many people will often argue that a fetus is a living being from the moment of conception and feel that it deserves the same legal protections as an adult, therefore making it immoral to kill it. Just like in our court system, we would not put an innocent person on death penalty. The fetus has done nothing wrong and has the right to live. As the editor of Christianity Today wrote, "abortion is one of those monumental issues of justice that comes along once in a lifetime. It is violence against children, a hideous act of poisoning or dismembering tiny bodies, then dumping them in a landfill or garbage disposal." On the other hand, those who are for abortion say that a fetus is only a "potential human being." The advocates for legal abortions want the mother to choose whether she keeps the baby or kills it, and the rights of a mother supersede the rights of a baby. John M. Sw...
Pro choice vs pro life has divided people for numerous reasons. Abortion is expected to date back to the 1800s, it is now seen as taboo and inhumane to some. Fact of the matter, whether abortion is wrong or not it is the fight for giving a woman a natural right to her own body. For decades, legislators that are full of man have created laws and regulations on abortion. Abortion ideally ought to be pro choice for women everywhere for the victims' own protection, expanding young girls life opportunities, and individual freedom.
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.
In A Defense of Abortion (Cahn and Markie), Judith Thomson presents an argument that abortion can be morally permissible even if the fetus is considered to be a person. Her primary reason for presenting an argument of this nature is that the abortion argument at the time had effectively come to a standstill. The typical anti-abortion argument was based on the idea that a fetus is a person and since killing a person is wrong, abortion is wrong. The pro-abortion adopts the opposite view: namely, that a fetus is not a person and is thus not entitled to the rights of people and so killing it couldn’t possibly be wrong.
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.
Abortion is defined as a procedure that is done to remove an embryo or fetus from the uterus of its mother in order to prevent its birth (Roth, 2005). Abortion is categorized as a bioethical issue because it relates to the morals of biomedical advances, policies and research. Abortion is a difficult subject that can involve personal morals and beliefs, legality and religious values. The issue is often viewed from either the side of pro-life, which places emphasis on the fetus and its right to life or pro-choice, which emphasizes the rights of the mother to decide the appropriate action (Roth, 2005). This brings the ethical question of should the government have the right to outlaw abortion into debate. The two viewpoints of pro-life and pro-choice explore the two main moral issues concerning abortion (Roth, 2005).
Thus, it is obvious that abortion should be banned and made illegal. Murder is a capital offense, so why should abortion, which is even worse, remain legal? Some people that are murdered deserve it, while many others who were killed lived immoral or corrupt lives. Why is it that an innocent child who has done nothing wrong should be denied the opportunity to live? Had Bill Gates been aborted, we may not have PC’s around the world. Had he been denied the right to live, the world may have been denied the privilege of having a computer in houses around the globe in addition to having Microsoft. Perhaps somebody who may have made the world better was aborted. Who knows? The main point is that abortion is murder, and no human has the right to decide who lives or dies.
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.