Statistics on gender based educational success in the United States and Sweden are surprisingly similar; in most primary and secondary educational settings, females outperform males, achieving higher grades and test scores, and even becoming undergraduate students in larger numbers. It’s what changes after this series of educational success that truly marks the difference between the two nations. In Sweden, these well-educated women continue to succeed and are treated, both socially and on a legislative level, as individuals. In the United States, men and women are constantly separated, on a social and political level. The rights of women in Sweden are more consistent with the idea that citizens are treated as people rather than men and women. In terms of abortion, motherhood, birth control and sex education Sweden has more of an emphasis on gender equality as opposed to the US that treats women like a different entity that must be dealt with separately. A problem that is faced in the United States is the fact that many men in power feel that it is under their jurisdiction to control the rights that women are entitled to in regards to their own bodies. Abortion is generally viewed as something that should be used only in the event of medical necessity. According to a New York Times/CBS News Poll, “Men are more likely than women to say they would like to see stricter limits placed on abortions while women prefer to keep abortion available as it is now”(Thee, 1). As it stands under federal law, women who are over 18 (and women who are under 18 with parental consent) are entitled to an abortion in the United States prior to fetal viability, which is when a fetus could survive outside of the womb. After that time, individual ... ... middle of paper ... ... “Debate: Mandatory ultrasounds before abortion”. Found at: http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Mandatory_ultrasounds_before_abortions Schweitzer, T. 2007. “US Policies on Maternity Leave “Among the Worst”” Inc. Friday, February 16. Found at: http://www.inc.com/news/articles/200702/family.html Swedish Institute. 2009. “Gender Equality in Sweden”. Found at: http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Society/Equality/Facts/Gender-equality-in-Sweden/ Thee, M. 2007. “Public Opinion on Abortion” The New York Times. Thursday, April 19. Found at: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/19/public-opinion-on-abortion/ United Nations. 2002. “Sweden”. Found at: www.un.org/esa/population/publications/abortion/doc/sweden.doc United Nations. 2002. “United States of America”. Found at: www.un.org/esa/population/publications/abortion/doc/unitedstates.doc
Abortion is a controversial topic in today’s society as many opinions from different social groups on whether it should be legal or not create the big question: should the government be able to take away a woman’s reproductive right if it is to protect a fetus? In the United States particularly, much of the debate since the 1970s has focused on the Supreme Court case Roe v Wade, in which the court proclaimed women's’ rights to abortion but declared that the states could limit and regulate the procedure. That means that currently, the state of California allows abortions, but many groups against abortion, mostly called “pro-lifers,” still try to fight against it and want it banned. Women have a right to their own body and should
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.
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.
Anderson brings up point after point to support his opinion on pro-choice abortion. Anderson writes about how the government should have no say in a woman’s decision to abort even if she is past the first trimester: “Pregnancy and motherhood affect every aspect of a woman’s life - public and private, emotional and physical - and Roe v. Wade confirmed that it was an invasion of privacy for the government to step in and make reproductive decisions on a woman’s behalf” (Anderson, 2015). Anderson explains how he believes a woman who decides to have an abortion does it because it will negatively affect their life in a way that will be changed forever. The article goes on to explain some reasons why women choose to have abortions. To back up his
Society has long since considered women the lessor gender and one of the most highly debated topics in society through the years has been that of women’s equality. The debates began over the meaning between a man and woman’s morality and a woman’s rights and obligations in society. After the 19th Amendment was sanctioned around 1920, the ball started rolling on women’s suffrage. Modern times have brought about the union of these causes, but due to the differences between the genetic makeup and socio demographics, the battle over women’s equality issue still continues to exist. While men have always held the covenant role of the dominant sex, it was only since the end of the 19th century that the movement for women’s equality and the entitlement of women have become more prevalent. “The general consensus at the time was that men were more capable of dealing with the competitive work world they now found themselves thrust into. Women, it was assumed, were unable to handle the pressures outside of the home. They couldn’t vote, were discourages from working, and were excluded from politics. Their duty to society was raising moral children, passing on the values that were unjustly thrust upon them as society began to modernize” (America’s Job Exchange, 2013). Although there have been many improvements in the changes of women’s equality towards the lives of women’s freedom and rights in society, some liberals believe that women have a journey to go before they receive total equality. After WWII, women continued to progress in there crusade towards receiving equality in many areas such as pay and education, discrimination in employment, reproductive rights and later was followed by not only white women but women from other nationalities ...
The debate of abortion continues to be a controversial problem in society and has been around for many decades. According to Jone Lewis, “In the United States, abortion laws began to appear in the 1820’s, forbidding abortion after the fourth month of pregnancy” (1). This indicates that the abortion controversy has been debated far back into American history. Beginning in the 1900’s, legalized abortion became a major controversy. In 1965, all fifty states in the United States banned abortion; however, that was only the beginning of the controversy that still rages today (Lewis 1). After abortion was officially banned in the United States, groups such as the National Abortion Rights Action League worked hard on a plan to once again legalize abortion in the United States (Lewis 1). It wasn’t until 1970 when the case of Roe (for abortion) v. Wade (against abortion) was brought...
Controversy and arguments that were setbacks in the ongoing battle for women’s rights, specifically the right to an abortion, were put to slight a rest with the landmark verdict of Roe v. Wade. The revolution in reproductive rights caused by Roe v. Wade evolved from a spark in the hearts of women everywhere. When women claimed their rights as humans, that was when the face of women’s equality in all aspects started to change. The case of Roe v. Wade was the official legalization of a woman’s constitutional right to get an abortion in the United States, but the aftermath of any case is what makes or breaks the future laws and regulations. Through all of the restrictions, regulations, and loopholes, Roe v. Wade’s verdict stuck and continued to
To conclude, in the United States the right to an abortion is being restricted by various factors. These factors include the limitation to services or not allowing the women to make the decision on their own. Other factors include the importance the states holds on a woman’s right this is important because if a particular state believes that a women’s right to privacy is necessary then they will ensure that there exist access to service or the other way around if they don’t see it as something that is right they will restrict it. If the United States does not enforce a change then the right to an abortion will continue to decrease and be limited until there is no right at all.
Perhaps one of the most controversial issues debated between lawmakers and legislatures is abortion. Disputes concerning abortion began during the 1820s. By 1965, with a few exceptions, abortion had been made illegal in all states. Abortions were only permitted when the fetus was deformed, or if birth of the baby would harm the mother’s life. All of this changed however in 1973 during the landmark Supreme Court Case of Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion. The Supreme Court recognized that it is solely a mother’s choice whether to become a parent. The court also recognized that an issue as significant as child bearing warrants the highest level of constitutional protection. According to the Court, a state’s interest in potential life is not “compelling” until there is a status of viability—the point in pregnancy at which there is a reasonable possibility for the sustained survival of the fetus outside of the womb. The Court also affirmed that the right to privacy is not absolute and that a state does have a valid interest in safeguarding maternal health, maintaining medical standards, and protecting potential health. Under the Court’s decision, a state may, but is not required to prohibit abortion after viability, except when it is necessary to protect a women’s life or health.
In all societies around the world, women are treated as if they are a minority group, just like any racial or ethnic group that is out of the norm. The justification for considering women as a minority group and the existence of sexism becomes clear through the examination of social indicators, including education, employment, and income.
Imagine living in a time when your only role is to get married, bear children, and take care of your house and husband. Adrienne Rich proposes an ulterior idea in her essay “Taking Women Students Seriously” Women should not only question the gender standards but discuss the gender norms that society has created; by discussion and attention to the matter we can eliminate it all together. Women are not represented in school curriculums enough and have a large misrepresentation in society. Rich draws attention to: What women have working against them in education, how women are perceived in the world by the media and advertising, and the gender roles that society pressures young children to contort to. By striking up a discussion
With so many women choosing to have abortions, it would be expected that it would not be so greatly frowned up, yet society is still having problems with its acceptance. Every woman has the fundamental right to decide for herself, free from government interference, whether or not to have an abortion. Today, more than ever, American families do not want the government to trample on their right to privacy by mandating how they must decide on the most intimate, personal matters. That is why, even though Americans may differ on what circumstances for terminating a crisis pregnancy are consistent with their own personal moral views, on the fundamental question of who should make this personal decision, the majority of Americans agree that each woman must have the right to make this private choice for herself. Anti-choice proposals to ban abortions for “sex-selection” or “birth-control” are smokescreens designed to shift the focus of the debate away from this issue and trivialize the seriousness with which millions of women make this highly personal decision. Any government restriction on the reasons for which women may obtain legal abortions violates the core of this right and could force all women to publicly justify their reasons for seeking abortion.
Abortion has been a complex social issue in the United States ever since restrictive abortion laws began to appear in the 1820s. By 1965, abortions had been outlawed in the U.S., although they continued illegally; about one million abortions per year were estimated to have occurred in the 1960s. (Krannich 366) Ultimately, in the 1973 Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade, it was ruled that women had the right to privacy and could make an individual choice on whether or not to have an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy. (Yishai 213)
From observed and moral claims, a wide range of views supporting either more or less legal restriction on abortion has emerged in America. Politicians define the issue by party lines, while some support groups define the issue through its constitutionality and its moral views symbolized by their residents, largely are consider being pro-choice, or pro-life. The mass media describes the issue as morally, presenting to the nation the views of various pro-life and pro-choice organizations with little realistic evidence from both sides. The countless points that can be taken on this issue can be allocated by practical and moral expectations to a clearer analyze the details of this intense issue. The probability of the woman having a child in the near future would be slim to none. This is because your body cannot handle certain chemicals and mechanics, what does not kill you, will make you stronger; but will cause greater pain to your
In the 1960s the civil rights movement inspired a new women’s movement, and women began to speak out for fair treatment at school and in the work place. Before these movement girls were warned about math classes being too difficult and were told that a college or a graduate degree was a waste of time. Boys were encouraged to study math and science to ready them for careers. Girls were supposed to be good in English and prepare to become wives and mothers. (Blumenthal 1) Past Generations that grew up with the development of education would now wonder why the genders would want to be separate when once they fought to be together.