Abortions Should Remain Legal

1410 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The impact of the federal state system on abortion rights

Abortion has been preformed for over thousands of years. It was first started for the fear among the “native” Anglo-Saxon women. They believed that the population would be dominated by the children of the incoming immigrants, who had higher birth rates at the time. In the mid-to-late 1800s, states began legalizing abortion but antiseptics were unfamiliar, hospitals were not common, and doctors did not have the knowledge to understand abortion. As years went on, the scientific method began to take over medical practice, technology and it increased the prevention of infection. Abortion procedures became more effective and much safer. The only problem was the states that were anti-abortion, led women who needed abortions to get them from illegal practitioners or get “back alley” abortions. About 1.2 million women received illegal abortions per year. To get an abortion was a dangerous and deadly procedure which resulted getting debilitated or killed. In 1973, there was an important defining moment in public health history. A Supreme Court case, between Jane Roe and Henry Wade, made it possible for women to get safe and legal abortions from trained medicals practitioners. Roe, a 21-year-old pregnant woman, was representing all women who wanted abortions but could not get them legally or safely. Texas, at the time, was anti-abortion state unless it was to save a woman’s life, which was supported by Wade, a Texas Attorney General. The Supreme Court ruled that Americans have the right to privacy; this includes the right of a woman to decide whether to have children without state interference. Many communities were enraged and did not agree with the court’s decision to legalize abortion. Soon after, anti-abortionist began working to prev...

... middle of paper ...

...fo/misconce.shtml

There is no scientific consensus as to when human life begins. Personhood at conception is only a religious belief. Abortion has positive benefits for women's lives and health. Laws have never stopped abortion, but only made it unsafe for women. Legal abortion helps parents limit their families to the number of children they want and can afford.

Abortion ProCon.org. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://abortion.procon.org

The debate over whether or not abortion should be a legal option continues to divide Americans long after the US Supreme Court's 7-2 decision on Roe v. Wade declared the procedure a "fundamental right” on Jan. 22, 1973

Roe v. Wade | LII / Legal Information Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/410/113

Gonzales v. Carhart. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.endroe.org/gonzales-v-carhart.aspx

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of Abortion And The Hyde Amendment

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    Abortion, is a safe and legal way to terminate a pregnancy. According to the Guttmatcher Institute (2015), abortions are common, and approximately three in ten American women have an abortion by the time they reach the age of 45. Additionally, a broad array of women in the United States have abortions. Yet, abortion is a controversial issue and has been for decades. It is a topic that many people hold strong feelings for or against. The conversations surrounding the topic of abortion has resulted in protests, dangerous, unfair policies, and violence. The abortion debate heightened in 1973, when the U.S. Supreme court overturned state laws that banned or restricted women’s rights to obtain an abortion during the

    Read More

  • Abortion Should be Illegal in the Untied States

    2279 Words  | 5 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Essay On Abortion In The 1800s

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    Abortions have been performed for thousands of years. In the 1800s abortions began to be outlawed. The reasons for anti-abortion laws varied for each state. Some people did not want the world to be dominated by newly arrived immigrants. Abortion in the 1800s were very unsafe due to the fact that the doctors had a limited educations and hospitals were not common. The outlawing of abortions from 1880 to 1973 led to many woman attempting illgeal abortions. (add author). Almost two hundred women died from attempting illegal abortions in 1965. Between two hundred thousand and one million illegal abortions were given each year. In states where local laws restrict the availability of abortion, women tend to have the lowest level of education and income. Additionally, in those states, less money goes toawrds education, welfare, fostercare programs, and adoption services. (Anderson, 5).

    Read More

  • Abortion Is A Touchy Subject Like Politics And Religion

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    Contrary to common beliefs, abortion has been a hot topic 200 years prior to 1972 Roe vs Wade. According to an article by Brian Young, “Life before Roe”, “the first US law against abortion, adopted by Connecticut in 1821, criminalized the administration of poison or of any "destructive substance" to induce a miscarriage…In 1840, however, Maine became the first state to pass a law that expressly protected all babies…” In 1859 The American Medical Association did their own investigation on how to protect the unborn fetus. From 1821 to January 1973 when the Supreme Court handed down the Roe vs Wade there were many laws passed and many laws amended. However, after many disagreements, laws and amended laws by 1973 abortions was the law of the land. Although an abortion was law, there was another huge organization that stirred up even more controversy, Planned Parenthood. According to an article, “Ex...

    Read More

  • The Reproductive Right Debate

    2552 Words  | 6 Pages

    Until the mid 1800s, abortion was unrestricted and unregulated in the United States. The justifications for criminalizing it varied from state to state. One big reason was population control, which addressed fears that the population would be dominated by the children of newly ...

    Read More

  • Abortion: Perspectives, Consequences and Legalities

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    Wade by NEH Hull and Peter Charles Hoffer they state “thus before abortion because the object of law it was a subject of everyday life” (Hull & Hoffer 12). Meaning that any female that found out she was pregnant was able to get an abortion but then suffered the consequences of something going wrong. In the United States around eighteen hundred abortions became illegal, due to the lack of medical education, procedures and surgeries because they were very dangerous. As time came later medical advancements were made but women still had to rely on the back alley abortions which resulted in harming thousands of women. Abortion or premature termination of pregnancy can be accidental or on purpose. Both types of abortions can be legal or illegal. If the ongoing pregnancy becomes a medical threat, abortion is not illegal. Legal developments along with health care services are intertwined with each other. The American Medical Association stated that abortions were wrong and unsafe which made the National Abortion Federation make abortion into a “physicians- only” practice because they could be performed legally in order to save a women’s life. (National Abortion Federation NAF) It wasn’t until 1973 that abortions were made legal in the United States due to the “Supreme Court’s decision in Roe vs. Wade ruling that Americans’ right to privacy included the right of a woman to decide whether to have children, and the right of a woman and her doctor to make that decision without state interference” (NAF). In 1965, almost 300 deaths occurred due to illegal abortions, and of all pregnancy-related complications in New York and California, 20% were due to abortions. “If the US Supreme Court found constitutional grounds to extend the birth control cases’ logic that women’s bodies belonged to the women themselves, the concept of choice would become a core value in constitutional law.” (Hull & Hoffer

    Read More

  • Abortion: Pro-Life and Pro-Choice

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    Abortion cannot be discussed unless you know the origin of the debate. In December 13, 1971, the argument of abortion surfaced (“Roe v. wade,”). The class action suit was brought by a pregnant single woman who challenged the constitutionality of the Texas criminal abortion laws, which proscribe or attempting an abortion except on medical advice for the purpose of saving the mother’s life (“Roe v. wade,”). Proceeding Roe v. Wade, abortion was illegal in almost every State. In 1973, the courts ruled and abortion became legal again.

    Read More

  • The Two Sides Of Abortion

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    Abortion may be one of the most controversial topics in America today. Abortion is defined as “the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus” (cite dictionary). There are really only two sides on people’s opinion on abortion; pro-life which means abortion should be outlawed and pro-choice which means a woman should be able to decide whether she wants to keep her baby. Thousands of protests and riots have begun due to the fact pro-life activists believe abortion should become illegal. Both sides bring valid points to support their decision that could sway any person’s thoughts. The Roe v. Wade law has allowed abortion to be legal in the U.S since 1973 (Chittom & Newton, 2015). The law “gives women total control over first trimester abortions and grants state legislative control over second and third trimester abortions” (Chittom & Newton, 2015). Ever since the law was put in place, millions of people have tried to overturn it and still

    Read More

  • Abortion should be illegal

    359 Words  | 1 Pages

    The words of an unborn baby are ones that almost no one ever thinks of, or hears. One of this country's most controversial topics is abortion. However, if one sees the constitutional infringement to women by the restriction of abortion; the torment to the unwanted child; and the anguish society has to sustain, then this topic would not be so debatable. Too many people do not see the effect that abortions cause. It is a very dangerous offence that affects the mother, father, the community, and most importantly, the fetus, and that is why abortion should be illegal in Canada. First, abortion is against God’s law in many Holy books such as the Bible and the Quran. Secondly, abortion does not only affect the individual, but the community as a whole, and the rights of those people are infringed on. However, abortion does nothing in the cases of rape, or women’s rights, which is the constant argument people in favour of abortion argue. And lastly, abortion should be seen for what it is, murder.

    Read More

  • Abortion, Public Policy, & Texas

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1973, in what has become a landmark ruling for women’s rights, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a woman’s right to an abortion. Ever since, individual states have adopted, altered, and/or mutilated the edict to fit their agendas – Texas included. However, the decision made by the justices in Roe v. Wade didn’t set clear cut, inarguable demarcation lines, which has allowed the fiery debate to consume the nation. Rather than establishing a legal ruling of what life is, or is not, the Supreme Court has remained silent on the issue.

    Read More

  • Abortion Should Not be Banned

    674 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main problem in the world is inevitable abortion. Because it is about morality; which people tend pay more attention. Nowadays, Abortion is a controversial problem as people think of appropriateness. However, Abortion is necessary in many cases. Three main reasons why abortion should be banned are condition that women are not pregnancy, health problem in mother, and social problem.

    Read More

  • History Of Abortion

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    Abortion has been performed for thousands of years, and in every society that has been studied. It was legal in the U.S. until the mid 19th century. In 1900, abortion was prohibited by law throughout the U.S. The only way a woman was able to have an abortion was if two or more physicians agreed that the procedure was necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman. In the late 1960s, state legislatures recognized changes in public opinion and began to reconsider the abortion legislation. In 1973, the U.S Supreme Court, in Roe v. Wade, ruled abortion as a sight under the United States Constitution.

    Read More

  • Abortion should be Banned

    410 Words  | 1 Pages

    A mother kills her unborn child because it is unwanted, but she's not charged for murder. Is it right? There is about 46 million abortions per year worldwide, and approximately 115,000 per day, but why? Is it because rape or incest, health problems with either the mother or the child, or just because the baby's unwanted or inconvenient at the time? (The Alan Guttmacher Institute.) Abortion should be banned because too many babies are being killed from abortion, if you don't want a child you could always put it up for adoption, and most mothers don't understand the consequences that occur from abortion.

    Read More

  • Abortion Should Be Legal

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through every choice in life, there is a decision that must follow. Abortion is a woman’s individual choice; therefore, must be a legal part in todays society. Individual rights have an outstanding role in the controversial topic, on whether abortion should become legal in the United States . The individual rights for abortion show rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. As well, women should be able to have the choice to choose to have an abortion for several important reasons. The right to make these decisions should lie in the hands of the “mother” to make decisions concerning their own to make decisions concerning their own bodies. In addition, women should be given the choice to have an abortion if they are too young and unable to take care their child financially or emotionally. Additionally, the right to have an abortion is if the pregnancy negatively affects the woman's or the baby's health. Without abortions as a choice for the “mother” to resort to while she is going through hardship on deciding whether to keep the baby or not, the endless possibilities could negatively influence the mother to put her and the baby in a dangerous positions.

    Read More

  • Abortion Should Be Illegal

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    Abortion has been accepted by the United States of America ever since the monumental Roe vs. Wade case in the early 1970’s, but is still a very controversial issue. Many people are for and against abortions. Some people say that the child inside its mother’s womb deserves the opportunity to live, while others believe that a mother has the right to choose whether or not her fetus can live or die. Other advocates for abortion claim that abortion helps keep the threat of overpopulation down. They also say that in many extreme cases, it is in the best interest of the mother and the child that the fetus be aborted. Abortion helps keep the crime rate low, so it should remain legal, they also say.

    Read More

More about Abortions Should Remain Legal

Open Document