A Fetus Has Rights!

Abortion is a deliberate medical or surgical procedure that terminates a pregnancy. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade legalized abortion allowing women to terminate their pregnancy within the first trimester, mobilizing advocates on both sides of the issue. Since then, abortion elicits conflicting views and has divided society into different opinions and different sides. People argue that women have a constitutional right to determine what to do with their bodies. Others say that a life is a life, no matter how small. In the United States, abortion is a controversial issue because it is a broad and complex subject that touches ethical, social, and legal issues. Although others believe a woman has the right to choose what she does with her body, abortion should not be legal because there is no consensus whether a fetus is a human, and there are other alternatives than abortion.

Many people try to justify their actions for abortions, insisting that it is in the best interests of the child. The reasons women have abortions are not simple and can be difficult to understand, they can cover a broad range from rape, deformity, not being able to provide for the child, in another relationship, or unplanned pregnancy. Some women state, “I may not be able to provide it with a good life” to “It was bad timing and I can’t support a child right now”. In the case of rape it’s not the baby’s fault, instead of punishing the criminal it is giving the ultimate sentence to the child, the capital punishment death. “The circumstances of a preborn child's creation should not modify, let alone negate, his or her right to life. In other words, the preborn baby has a right to life regardless of the circumstances under which he or she w...

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...ociety, but people should not make decisions that can drastically and unjustly infringe on others human beings. A fetus is in fact a human being and its rights should be respected. It maybe the mother’s body, but as soon as she conceives it’s just not her body anymore. Although others believe a woman has the right to choose what she does with her body, the infant the woman carries is still human and has rights to be protected.

Works Cited

"Abortion." Current Issues: Macmillan Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.

Brown, Judie, and Robert P. Evangelisto. "All Abortions Must Be Illegal." Are Abortion Rights Threatened? Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "The Moral and Logical Arguments against Abortion." Vol. 5. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.