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Ethical debate on abortion
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Jenny Yang
Mrs. Haedtler
AP English Language and Composition – Period 3
4 February 2014
Abortion
Anger and heated debate have long fueled the controversy over abortion. Whether pro-life or pro-choice, both sides of the argument are convinced of the righteousness of their beliefs. There is, however, some confusion surrounding the term “pro-choice” – it does not directly pertain to the spread and use of abortion, but rather, “pro-choicers” advocate the continued legalization of abortion in order to make the choice available and to ensure that women’s fundamental rights are not subjugated. The stance that abortion should be available has its roots in economic concerns, psychological evidence, moral dilemmas, and the Constitution.
Abortion refers to the termination of one’s pregnancy, resulting in the removal of one’s fetus to prevent it from being born. While the concept is simple enough, the crux of the argument lies in the morality of this procedure and whether or not a woman should be allowed to sacrifice a fetus to better her own life. Abortion must continue to be legalized in order to ensure that women have that choice.
Abortion, like any other medical procedure, carries some risks. When one considers, however, that “the risk of death associated with childbirth is about 10 times as high as that associated with abortion” (“Know the Facts”), the threat of abortion suddenly does not seem as perilous. Additionally, contrary to popular misconception, abortion does not contribute to future infertility or development of breast cancer. It is therefore safer and more prudent to have an abortion than an unwanted pregnancy.
Many who seek abortions are financially insecure. In a survey conducted by the journal Perspectives on Se...
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...ions over her own body; whether it is parenthood, adoption, contraception, or yes, abortion. After all, it is entirely plausible for people to be personally pro-life but politically pro-choice – this suggests that they respect each individuals’ rights over his or her own body and recognize that each woman should be allowed to have options. Regardless of whether or not she chooses to have the child, it is the fact that she has a choice that is crucial, and it is imperative that each woman have the freedom of individual autonomy. In order for this to occur, abortion must continue to be legal. Ultimately, being pro-choice is not necessarily advocating the use of abortion – it is about ensuring that abortion is legal so that women may have the option to exercise their right to individual autonomy and make the decisions that best reflects their stance in life.
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
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...
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.
The article “Abortion Harms Women” suggests supporters of legalized abortion downplay the health and mental risks associated with abortion. Research has indicated there is short and long-term physical and mental harm related to abortion (“Abortion Harms Women”). Abortion can cause many physical complications for the women, such as infections, excessive bleeding, and blood clots. They can even be life-threatening in some cases. In the article “Abortion Harms Women” the writer points out abortion is surprisingly the fifth leading cause of death maternally in the United States. There are certain complications, including infection, hemorrhage, pulmonary embolism (blood clot), and complications from anesthetics that are responsible for a woman’s death (“Abortion Harms Women”). Also, there is a greater risk of mortality the further along a woman is when she has an abortion. Along with the physical risks associated with abortion, there are the psychological risks. Abortion can cause women to feel ashamed or guilty, resulting in an increase in emotional pain. In the article “Abortion Harms Women” the writer explains many emotional problems that can affect women after an abortion. Some women experience an increase in the use of alcohol and drugs. Studies have shown that 34% of women are at a greater risk for anxiety and depression. Also, there is a 60% increase for women to
Abortion has been the topic of controversy for many decades. Many people believe that when a woman terminates a pregnancy, she is committing murder and others argue that a woman has the right to choose life or abortion. There are different procedures to choose when having an abortion, depending on the gestational age and the woman 's health a pill form abortion may be used up to 9 weeks gestation (mifepristone and misoprostol), but for women who are over 12-weeks gestation (late-term abortion), surgical abortion is used (Berer 25). In 1973, the supreme court ruled that abortion was to be legalized, Roe vs. Wade. Women were given the legal right to choose to terminate their pregnancies and make the correct arrangements for their decisions. Different states have different restrictions to accessing abortion procedures, making the woman 's choice to terminate pregnancy less accessible. Restricting a woman 's access to appropriate abortion clinics limits her right to choose.
He concluded three out of every four women said the reason for an abortion was because a child would get in the way of education or professional goals. Seventy-three out of one hundred women said the reason for an abortion was because they were financially unstable, and nearly one out of every two said it was because they did not want to be a single parent, or because she was having problems with her spouse. One out of every three said they were not ready to have a child. Younger women sought abortion because they are just starting their life and they are not prepared to transition to motherhood, while older women did not have the time to be responsible for their upcoming child (Finer 110).
Abortion is a voluminous topic today all around the world. Differing viewpoints on abortion are recognized in politics, religion, and throughout the general population. There is a small amount of people who are nonchalant on the subject. Women have abortions for many different reasons and according to certain groups these reasons are either justified or not. Everyone tends to have their own articulated opinion, and many vocalize tenaciously what they believe. Pro-life individuals along with religion are sanguine that abortion is ethically and morally erroneous. Whereas those who are pro-choice say that abortion is inconsequential and the mother’s choice is more important than the fetus. Reasons to not get an abortion include risks involved in receiving an abortion. In some cases death can occur. However, there are other alternatives to abortion. For example, raising the child and adoption.
How would you feel if someone decided that you should never get a chance at life? That
After all, abortions became legal in only 30 states. In addition, the moral effects of abortions have risen in the past years. Another reason that women should be able to have abortions is in case the mothers are too young and unable to take care of their babies. Unwanted pregnancies can be very stressful for women. Therefore, if women th...
One of the most controversial issues in this day and age is the stance people take on abortion. The two main positions that people take are either of pro-choice or pro-life; both sides, although polar opposites, tend to refer to both the issue of morality and logical rationale. The pro-life side of the debate believes that abortion is an utterly immoral practice that should be abolished. On the contrary, abortion should remain a legal procedure because it is a reproductive right; its eradication would not only take away the pregnant person’s autonomy, but would also put more children in financially unstable homes and the adoption system, and would cause an increase in potentially fatal, unsafe abortions.
The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy is called an abortion. Abortions are a widely debated subject throughout the world. In the United States, abortions are legal due to the Roe v. Wade law. Some would argue that abortions are ethnically and morally wrong, while others assert it is simply a woman’s choice. There are a number of legitimate reasons why a woman would choose to abort her unborn; financial status, age and health are just a few. With today’s technology and a certified doctor, this procedure is harmless to both the mother and her fetus. Abortions are viewed by many as dangerous and immoral acts of humanity against an unborn fetus. But in reality, abortions terminate a pregnancy that could result in a child being born into a family with inadequate finances, irresponsible parenting, and possible health problems. For these reasons, abortions offer a perfectly viable solution in situations that would otherwise result in children being raised under circumstances that are at best, not ideal, and at worst, harmful and potentially dangerous.
Abortion Taking out the trash, or taking a human life? That is what most the argument is with abortion, some believe that abortion is okay because the fetus is not yet a person, and that the fetus will be nothing but trouble. On the other side people believe that even all the way down to the zygote (when sperm meets the egg and earliest stage of pregnancy) there is a human growing in you. A growing boy or girl, with their own little fingers, and toes, their own cute as can be toothless smile, and their functioning organs. To them one day that zygote will turn into someone great, a person just like you and I that needs love just as you and I, a person that deserves to not get taken from our world before it even has a chance to take its first breath.
Abortion has been one of the most talked about topics in society just about anywhere from television, magazines, whether or not it should be the right or wrong thing to do. Abortion is a very sensitive issue to discuss, because of its nature. Many people have said that abortion is a very bad thing to do and it should not even be choice whether or not to abort a living fetus. People think that abortion is committing murder as it is killing the human fetus. However, others feel that a woman should have a voice and have the right to choose to keep the child or not and that it is not murder until the baby is born. Majority of individuals who believe that abortion is bad say that the fetus is human who is partly being formed and to have an abortion is considered to be murder. For the people who think an abortion is ok, say that it’s not considered murder unless the child is born. I believe that abortion should be seen in which the stage the fetus is in. if the fetus is in an early stage of pregnancy it is not considered murder, but if the fetus has already began to develop into a larger fetus then it is indeed considered to be murder. There are times when abortion can be accepted, if the mother is having complications due to pregnancy. For example if the mother is enduring complications in her pregnancy that can harm her, because of the child in that case it is ok to perform an abortion to help save the mother’s life. It is also very important to understand this type of situation. The mother has the right to have an abortion and it is her decision because a mother knows best about her health conditions.
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
Abortion is one of those words that the true meaning depends on the person point of view. For me abortion is a medical procedure to end a pregnancy. This issue is very controversial, many people have different opinions or beliefs for or against it. In my particular case I’ve always been against it. Life begins at conception, unborn babies are human beings with the right to live just like us. An unborn baby is capable of feeling pain, just imagine the amount of pain they feel during abortion. Abortion is murder, why are women killing an innocent human being that is unable to make decisions for themselves. There are many ways to prevent abortion. Besides, this procedure is extremely dangerous, and contains many risks for the mother.