PRO-CHOICE VS. PRO-REGULATION: WHAT TERMS DESCRIBE THE CONFLICT AND WHAT ARE THE GROUNDS FOR THE DISCUSSION?
Pro-life. Pro-choice. The two self-chosen terms for the respective sides of the struggle do not provide an equal playing field. Which side will a casual observer of the debate (especially a young one) identify with? There is, of course, no contest. No one wants to claim to be anti-life. The term “pro-life” shuts down discussion, pulling the issue out of a disagreement between two competing value systems by seizing the moral high ground. The name implies that there is only one life here, that of the fetus, and we are defending it.
There is, of course, an equally compelling case to be made that the true pro-lifers are the ones who support the life of the female – the living being, rather than the potential one. Women will need abortions, legal or illegal, and if we once again outlaw them, many will once again die from unsafe procedures. That was the reality in the United States before Roe v. Wade. What about the lives of the children who grow up without a mother, their mothers having died from unsafe abortions? What about the cases where women will die if forced to carry a fetus to birth? In these cases, pro-life is clearly on the side of reproductive rights. “Pro-life” can as easily mean reproductive rights as it can mean anti-choice. However, if one side claims the pro-life position, it denies the moral legitimacy of the opposing position.
The conflict of values is strikingly similar to that waged over the issue of slavery. Difficult as it may be today to imagine a moral case being made for slavery, that in fact was the moral position in the 1830’s. Similarly seizing the moral high ground, the pro-slavery advocates declared themselves to be on the side of God, the law and public opinion. Anti-slavery opponents were labeled Godless, man-stealing destroyers of the social order. Ministers of all denominations, North and South, justified slavery on the grounds that it was a God-given institution. Their proof was the Bible, as one Southern minister asserted:
The same God who gave Abraham sunshine, air, rain earth, flocks, herds, silver and gold blessed him with a donative of slaves. Here we see God dealing in slaves, giving them to his favorite child, - a man of superlative worth, and as a reward for his eminent goodness.
Chivalrous, gentleman, classy- all these words are given as labels to people through the same pattern of delicate and thoughtful movements. Those labels state that a person was not loud, was not unhygienic, was distinguished. There was never a point when boisterous, larger-than-life people were given such a title. They were distinguished, but not refined. Terms relating the epitome of social behavior follow a very thin line. A person only has to behave a certain way to obtain these labels. Being genuine may receive praise from a rigid society that demands so much from everyone, but it isn’t always associated with class. One person’s
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
The Help, written by Kathryn Stockett, is a story set in the early 1960 's about three women in Jacksonville, Mississippi, Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. The story shows how these characters progress and face their inner demons as they struggle to make a statement in a world of hate and segregation and give voice to the black maids of Mississippi. Aibileen, a sweet kind hearted women, works for the Leefolt 's as a maid and has been for many years. She creates a strong mother like bond with their baby girl Mae Mobley whom she considers to be her "special baby" (Stockett. 6). Her inner demon is dealing with the death of her young son and although it is not the focus of her
In general, the debate over abortion can be attributed to conflicting opinions about morality. Pro-life advocates believe terminating a potential life is immoral, whereas pro-choice advocates consider restricting the rights and freedoms of a mother is the greater evil. Morality, however, is not the power that rules over this nation – the law is what determines what actions are and are not permitted. Consequently, since the...
The Help is a perfect example of a book that has a lot of strong characters who are being held down by segregation. Specifically this book is talking about the unfair discrimination against colored people in the U.S. in the early nineteen sixties. Many people, mostly those being discriminated against, were angry about the injustices that they had endured and had a breaking point at some part of their lives. This was the point when those people decided that somehow they would change the wrong doings that affected people like them and make others see things their way, “it weren’t too long before I seen something in me had changed. A bitter seed was planted inside a me. And I just didn’t feel so accepting anymore” (Stockett 2). It was a tough time fo...
For this assignment, the movie “The Help” was chosen to review and analyze because it presents a story of fighting injustice through diverse ways. The three main characters of the movie are Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, a young white woman, Aibileen Clark, and Minny Jackson, two colored maids. Throughout the story, we follow these three women as they are brought together to record colored maids’ stories about their experiences working for the white families of Jackson. The movie explores the social inequalities such as racism and segregation between African Americans and whites during the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi.
The study of psychology began as a theoretical subject a branch of ancient philosophy, and later as a part of biological sciences and physiology. However, over the years, it has grown into a rigorous science and a separate discipline, with its own sets of guidance and experimental techniques. This paper aims to study the various stages that the science of psychology passed through to reach its contemporary status, and their effects on its development. It begins with an overview of the historical and philosophical basis of psychology, discusses the development of the various schools of thought, and highlights their effects on contemporary personal and professional decision-making.
Pro choice vs pro life has divided people for numerous reasons. Abortion is expected to date back to the 1800s, it is now seen as taboo and inhumane to some. Fact of the matter, whether abortion is wrong or not it is the fight for giving a woman a natural right to her own body. For decades, legislators that are full of man have created laws and regulations on abortion. Abortion ideally ought to be pro choice for women everywhere for the victims' own protection, expanding young girls life opportunities, and individual freedom.
Pro Life and Abortion, has been a controversial subject ever since the case between Jane Roe and Henry Wade (Roe vs. Wade) in 1973. The reason for this case being so debatable is the topic on whether or not it is morally right and to some aspects religiously, for women to have abortions. While people argue about being either "pro-life" or "pro-choice" the issue is still at hand. People argue on wether or not it's legal or if it's not depending on which state you live in or the what the law says. Abortion is still taking the life of a human being regardless of the circumstances that has taken place, according to (www.operationrescue.org), "1.21 million abortions take place per year" and that's what why the Roe vs. Wade case has been a huge milestone in history and is still talked about today.
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
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior. In psychology, and all of the other sciences, relying on opinions is abandoned in order to find out which explanations best fit the evidence or data given. Science continually forces us to question our findings and conclusions. Over time, psychology has advanced greatly and a main reason for such progressiveness is because of the change in the research model used.
Throughout the story, the African-American maids are treated unfairly in several different ways and Stockett does a great job of making the readers picture that in their mind as they progress through the story. She made sure to show that when people take a stand and make their voices be heard they can make a difference. When someone wants to be heard they will be heard if they try hard enough. So, with a bit of courage and hope anything can be achieved if you really want it to. Through this compelling story, it is seen that writing does have the power to make forceful yet positive changes, on individuals and a community as a whole, even when society has such a strong outlook on what is right and
Those who adamantly oppose abortion are regarded as pro-life and those who are supporters of abortion are considered pro-choice by contemporary standards. Even among those who advocate abortion, there are discrepancies in their views such as up until what point in the pregnancy is abortion morally permissible. In my opinion, abortion is morally permissible at any stage in a woman’s pregnancy. This is ethically acceptable because a woman should have the right to control what goes on within her body. Along with this, fetuses are still far from personhood (having the qualities of a human being); therefore, we cannot liken abortion to any variety of murderous activity.
Pro-Choice advocates believe that abortion should be legalized because they feel it is necessary to empower women with choice. They have strong opinions that women are not subordinate, so they ought to be allowed to make moral decisions and should not be forced to have a child, but why should the child have to suffer for the wrongdoings of his mother? Since only women can get pregnant, male legislators have no right to vote on anything abortion-related because it doesn’t affect him personally. If an innocent woman is raped and later becomes pregnant, should she be forced to have the baby? Well, according to pro-choice believers, she should have the right to decide for herself if she wants an abortion. An innocent unborn baby definitely should not be punished for the crime and poor decisions of his father. The mother must stick out the tough nine months that it takes to be pregnant in order to save the life of the faultless developing child inside of her. Adoption is always an option, and a much better alternative to murder. Yes, a woman does have a choice, but there is always one morally right way to go when con...
Aibileen was the first maid to come forward to tell her story about what it's like to live in a small town of Mississippi down South. See in her mind she hates those white women because her son got taken away from her, and in her place she blames all white men and women. But toward the end skeeter put her own perspective in there she said she wanted to write what is was like for her growing up having an African American raise her for her to get fired for getting old.