Otto von Bismarck once said, “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.” The arduous process that a bill undergoes in order to become a law may seem grueling and pointless; however, the processes high caliber of difficulty allows for the extreme prestige and exclusivity of bills that are passed. Because the process is so exhausting, and filibusters, subsequently requiring a super-majority vote to pass a bill, have always been such a threat in Congress, historically, bills that attempt to reform sensitive issues have not fared well in the legislative branch. However, when Congress does pass controversial laws, it then also faces the task of effectively enforcing them. But, when the process is carried out to completion, laws that are enforced have significant impacts on the everyday lives of the American people—such as laws concerning abortion rights. In the United States, the government and Congress have significantly affected the rights of women with regard to abortions through laws that either restrict or guarantee their legality and availability, while the government’s capacity to do so is affected by the principle of federalism along with that of the separation of powers. The current issues concerning a woman’s right to an abortion include the debates between pro-life and pro-choice groups that promote either restrictions or extensions to a woman’s ability to receive abortions respectively, along with debate about the role that the government should play in the process of limiting or extending rights. Pro-life groups argue many points against abortion including the beliefs that life begins at conception, adoption is a viable alternative to abortion, the procedures sometimes cause medical complications, a... ... middle of paper ... ...tes. Retrieved from http://www.citizenlink.com/2010/06/14/abortion-law-in-the-united-states/ Lowen, Linda. (n.d.). 10 Abortion Arguments: 10 Arguments For Abortion, 10 Arguments Against Abortion. Retrieved from http://womensissues.about.com /od/reproductiverights/a/AbortionArgumen.htm Unknown. (n.d.). History of Abortion. Retrieved from http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/ history_abortion.html Rovner, Julie. (July 20, 2012). Abortion Back on the Front Burner for Congress. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/07/20/157102280/abortion-back-on-the-front-burner-for-congress Silverberg, David. (n.d.). Building a Bill in Congress. Retrieved from http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/building-a-bill-in-congress.html Longly, Robert. (n.d.). About the Presidential Veto. Retrieved from http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepresidentandcabinet/a/presveto.htm
Pro-choice versus pro-life argues over the issue of what should be the right stance when dealing with the life of an unborn child. From the perspective of a person who is pro-choice, they believe that “individuals have unlimited autonomy with respect to their own reproductive systems, just as long as they don’t violate the independence of others.” Pro-choice also argues that the government should not have the right to decide whether a woman should exterminate her pregnancy or not. From their viewpoint, they believe that what should be legal in the eyes of the government is contraception use, celibacy, abstinence, and abortion for the first two trimesters of pregnancy. On the stance of pro-life, they argue that the government has a right to protect this regardless of any situation.
In American History we are currently studying the concept sectionalism. Sectionalism is division within a country based on regional beliefs and interests. In the early 1800’s, sectionalism in america grew as slavery divided the Nation. Slavery was ignored, compromised, and argued about by the states until the conflict drove our country into the Civil War. Although regional differences are not as distinct these days, many issues are currently causing division among the states and people of our country. These issues lead to what our history class describes as “modern sectionalism.” One such issue is abortion.
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.
Abortion is a highly controversial topic of debate; this debate evokes strong emotions on both sides. Abortion is a pretty cut and dry topic; you are either Pro-Life or Pro-Choice. Pro-life advocates are people who believe abortion is ethically and morally wrong, and that it is the government’s job to protect all people including the lives of unborn children. Pro-choice supporters say that it is not the government’s responsibility to protect the unborn children, and women should have the right to determine whether or not they continue with their pregnancies; by choosing to have an abortion. Women’s rights concerning abortion were brought to the forefront during the court case of Roe vs. Wade in 1973. This court case gave women the right to abortion under the due process clause in the 14th amendment of the United States Constitution. (Jost, 5) It is this ruling that brought about the split and differences of opinion of the way abortion should be handled among the American population. Pro-Choice supporters are fighting to keep this in place, while Pro-Life supporters are desperately trying to overturn this ruling. The debate of abortion still holds strong today, between Pro-Life and Pro-Choice, almost 40 years since the Supreme Court ruling. Abortion is classified in two points of views: Pro-Choice supporters and Pro-Life advocates. Roe vs. Wade should be overturned to make the act of receiving an abortion illegal to protect the lives of the unborn children.
Tomlin, Christopher W. 1994. “The Reign of Terror: The Judiciary's Inability to Stop Anti-Abortion Violence Forces Congress Back to the Drawing Board.” Law and Psychology Review 18 : 423-39.
The reelection of President George W. Bush holds potentially significant consequences for women's rights, particularly a women's right to choose. Abortion, a hot button topic of main stream society, was first made legal in the United States with the Supreme Court's landmark case of Roe v. Wade in late 1973. The Court's current configuration favors abortion and a woman's right to choose by a five-to-four vote. But many political and Court analysts believe that these next four years will give President Bush the opportunity to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court, a President and administration that Senator Hillary Clinton says, view "Roe v. Wade [as] the biggest abomination of The Constitution in our history ." A champion of the pro-life cause, President Bush will most likely fill any open spots on the Supreme Court with conservative justices holding an anti-abortion stance, thus putting Roe v. Wade at risk of being overturned and giving individual states control over abortion laws. These next four years could very well be a turning point for women's right in America. Although pro-life groups see abortion as a murder, it is my conviction that abortion rights should be preserved because it is a woman's right to have self-governance of her own body, life begins at birth not conception, and it protects the health of the mother or fetus giving the child the opportunity to live a fulfilling life.
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy so that it does not result in the birth of a child. It is no secret the topic of abortion is widely debated. There are two main sides to this controversy: pro-choice and pro-life. Pro-choice supports the right of women to choose whether or not to go to full term with their pregnancy. Pro-life promotes the protection of the fetus, especially by outlawing abortion by equating it to murder. Yet pro-life advocates don’t take into consideration the emotional and physical damage to a woman who is forced to have a baby she may not want or be able to afford. Even a woman who uses birth control may become pregnant, because there is no birth control method that is perfect. Sometimes pregnancy can even be detrimental to a women’s health because of unforeseen difficulties. Women should, regardless of the opinion of others, have the right to choose what they think is best for their own body.
Abortion should not only be available to those women with the financial means to pay for it. Congress should pass laws that would ensure females of low-income status access to abortion at the government’s expense. Moderates would also like laws that guarantee that medical facilities which provide abortions are licensed to meet very high standards of health care.
People who in favor of allowing women to make all relevant decisions regarding conception, contraception, pregnancy, and abortion are known as “pro-choice”, while those who in favor of outlawing abortions, and of empowering the government to determine whether abortion should be allowed are known as “pro-life”. Abortion should remain as a legal option for women because the state government has no rights to interfere with a woman’s body; illegal abortions cause more maternal fatalities than legal abortions; and, there is no conclusive evidence or argument that a fetus is equal to a human being and therefore has equal
Among the Nations leading controversy’s, the bilateral issue of abortion seems to be a popular yet, contentious debate. For several decades, abortion has been a never ending conflict that has caused a division among society. This bitter political brawling has created a pointless stalemate that has left the abortion issue unresolved. What is right and what is wrong? Should a woman be allowed to have an abortion and deprive a child from life or should she be forced to forfeit her right to make her own decisions? Society is caught in the middle of this controversial topic because a portion of individuals believe that it should be a woman’s choice whether she has an abortion while others consider it to be murder.
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.
The issue on whether or not abortion should be legal or not countries to flourish among Americans still today long after the trial on January 22, 1973 of Roe V. Wade in the US Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision declared the procedure a “fundamental right.” On one hand, proponents of abortion believe that killing the human child not only is evil but it can also harm the woman who is having the abortion. On the other hand, opponents of abortion say if we are able to create life why can’t we destroy it along with certain situations people believe it is okay for abortion such as if the baby has a deformity or the young girl gets pregnant. Since legalizing abortion death rates have skyrocketed so, congress should endorse the right-to-life amendment because many citizens believe that the right to life amendment should begin with conception to end of...
Abortion serves as an action of deliberately terminating a human pregnancy. Planned Parenthood reports millions of people face unplanned or unwanted pregnancies every year, resulting in four out of every ten deciding to undergo an abortion (Planned Parenthood, 2018). Controversies and ethical dilemmas exist among religious, medical, and political sectors regarding abortion as a whole. Yet regardless, each individual woman should have the right to make a decision regarding how to proceed with her pregnancy, considering it is ultimately her body and therefore her choice to make and live with in regards of how to proceed with a pregnancy. Being pro-choice is supported by the fact that choosing an abortion is a woman’s right that should not be
The politicians are at a point where they are opposing each other’s thoughts approaching an anti-abortion measures. The people that pass the laws are at a standstill when reaching a decision to allow or deny abortion. Changes are currently being made to existing bills to further help justify the court’s split on abortion laws. Kevin Wagner has observed each side of the situation raising money to support their cause. Now, congress is looking towards the 2016 election to resolve this issue. Conversation between democratics and republicans have been constant to see who would change the wording of bills already set in stone or who misinterpreted the
The issue of abortion is certainly one of the world’s hottest controversies in modern society. On one end of the issue, there is a group of people who call themselves “pro-life.” This group argues that aborting a fetus is equivalent to murdering a person. On the other end, there is another group that argues against the pro-lifers, claiming that it is a woman’s freedom and right to abort her child. Because of its ethical, religious and political implications, abortion laws have taken on many different forms around the world.