Reproductive rights: Pro-choice vs. pro-life For more than 30 years, reproductive rights have been a controversial topic in the United States pushing people into opposing views as pro-choice and pro-life . In 1973, Roe v Wade granted the legal right for women to abort fetuses before they are viable (Gostin & Reingold, 2016) . However in 1992, Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v Casey gave states more rights to regulate abortions in a way to protect the mother and fetus (Gostin & Reingold) . Gostin & Reingold stated that the 1992 law could protect and define the viability to terminate pregnancy, but states could not make it difficult for women to obtain an abortion if they wanted one . Although the issue has gone through years of legal battles, abortions still lie as personal issues for individuals in society and the medical system . The variability in moral stances about abortion in the medical system and the right of patients to receive fair care can be skewed despite the laws in place (Birnbaum, 2014) . This paper, explores the ethical implication that abortion carries including woman’s rights and how they specifically apply in nursing . What is the ethical dilemma? Pro-choice is generally the belief that an individual has the right to get a legalized abortion . While Pro-life is the complete opposite, opposing abortion and euthanasia . According to Mikolajczak and Bilewicz (2015), “Due to moral, religious, and cultural sensibilities, the topic of
Pro-Life believe that women should not have the right to have abortions while Pro-Choice believe that women who become pregnant should have the choice to have an abortion. When a survey is done asking Americans if abortions should be legal, illegal, or legal under certain circumstances most people said legal under certain circumstance. “There are variations within each group depending on how liberal or conservative one’s opinions are; some individuals who are pro-life believe that in cases of rape or incest abortion should be allowed, and some pro-choice groups favor waiting periods and other restrictions on abortion” (Arguments for and Against Abortions). Pro-Choice believe that the “fetus is a human being from the moment of conception; this means abortion is murder, which is immoral and should be illegal. While Pro-Life believe that“The fetus is not yet a human being because it cannot survive outside the uterus on its own” (Arguments for and Against
human being. It is not a being, it is a potential human being. A fetus is not
Abortion policy has been shifting throughout American history as American views have simultaneously transitioned from more conservative to more liberal. Doctors, specifically regular physicians, have surprisingly guided the discussion surrounding abortion in the most influential way. Their power, in particular, their medical expertise, has allowed them to take hold of the issue and push against abortion from a medical stance. As a result of the change in traditionalistic views, the power the doctors held for a long time was taken by women, and abortion simultaneously became not an issue of health, but one questioning morality as well as a woman’s right to choose: pro-life and pro-choice. In America, abortion policy has transitioned from an issue of health and morality to one of women’s rights over time due to the power shifting from doctors to women as a result of modernization and the change in how Americans saw religion; this shift in turn impacting how the abortion issue’s sides are defined and how the issue is argued.
The foundation of the American Government is built on two ideologies; first, that the majority of the people govern through democratic election and second, that the power of the majority is limited to ensure individual rights. As defined by the American Heritage Online Dictionary a mother is a woman who conceives, gives birth to, or raises and nurtures a child. This paper will discuss the right of privacy of the mother versus the governments’ right to protect the unborn fetus in regard to Abortion.
With recent developments in Northern Irish legislation for ‘on demand abortions’, the debate between pro-life and pro-choice has been thrown back into the media and the morality of abortion scrutinized under the eye of third wave feminism, which has reclaimed the 1970’s slogan of ‘The Right to Choose’. The following essay intends to discuss how abortion is always an option and never a morally wrong act, as it is the mother’s choice to do with her body what she wishes and such the fetus has no right to leech off the mother when the host is not willing. In this discussion one shall, as Thomson did in ‘A Defence of Abortion’(1971), accept the stance that a fetus is a person from conception, to avoid that issue all together.
Women’s rights have always been underestimated. One aspect of women’s rights that receives a lot of attention is reproductive rights. Often times, people think of reproductive rights and automatically think of abortion, but, reproductive rights can include many things like abortion and birth control/ contraceptives, etc. Although reproductive rights are for both men and women, women often have a harder time exercising their rights. The famous 1973 case of Roe v. Wade made history in women’s reproductive rights by legalizing abortion, its efforts for abortion to not be criminalized were reached and allowed women to receive abortions without being criminalized. Yet, since 1973 there has been many efforts that set up undue burdens which have strained the rights of many women. There have been many social groups that work towards both side of the spectrum of reproductive rights like: Pro-Choice and Pro-Life. Campaigns, which work as political or social organizers that strive towards achieving a particular thing or area, have made the efforts to fight for the reproductive rights that they believe in. Furthermore, there are many key campaigns that work towards a specific aspect of reproductive rights. For example, Planned Parenthood Action typically fights for birth control, while NRLA usually fights for the rights of women to be able to decided if they want the abortion or not, the National Right to Life (NRLC) fights for abortions to be illegal and tries to influence people into
Pro-life are individuals who are not in support of abortion and pro-choice are those who are in favor of women having the right to have control of the decision concerning her body.
Both of these groups come down to individual interests and views. Pro-life is the conservative belief that the government has the absolute decision to preserve all human life, regardless of the circumstances. While pro-choice is the liberal view that it is the individual woman’s choice on whether or not to abort the unborn fetus. The main point of conflict is whether the unborn fetus is truly a human being and ultimately who has the choice to terminate its life. The United States government is also having trouble choosing a side of the argument; they have to be careful with the separation of church and state. It is unlikely there will
Thou shalt not kill; one-tenth of what may arguably be the most famous guidelines of morality in the western culture, and also the main driving force for pro-life advocates. The argument supporting their beliefs typically starts with the premises that a fetus is a person, and to destroy or to kill a person is unethical. Therefore abortion, the premeditated destruction of a human being, is murder, and consequently unethical. I deny the fact that the fetus, what I will refer to as an embryo up to 22 weeks old, has the right to live. The opposing argument is invalid because a fetus, although perhaps a part of human species, is not formally a person. This leaves it simply to be a part of the woman?s body, whose fate lies solely in the
In 1973, the United States Supreme Court voted to uphold the legality of abortion. In the period immediately after the decision, small steps were staring to be made to make basic women’s healthcare available to all women in the country; regardless of race, religion, or income bracket. The role of pro-choice activists, however, quickly began to need to shape itself around countering antiabortion initiatives. At the front of the conservative agenda is the restriction of affordable contraception and pregnancy care. In the current political climate, for the first time since Roe v. Wade, for many women of all backgrounds, it is hard to receive an abortion safely and privately. Modern laws and policies have so greatly
There have been many questions that have surfaced in today’s world that has piqued my interest. People have wondered out loud should hip hop music be banned. Others have questioned should marijuana be legalized? A friend of mine once asked me should there be a curfew for teenagers under the age of 18. Any of those questions can be seen as sufficient and important but one question that truly piques my interest is about abortion. Should women be allowed to have an abortion? Politicians have used this question to enhance their candidacy for office year after year. Even though I am not running for office I do have a strong opinion about this topic. Due to social factors, economical factors, and personal factors I believe
Abortions happen to be one of the most discordant social issues in the world, raising political and ethical debates for years. The two main groups involved within the abortion debate, are pro-life and pro-choice. The pro-life, meaning anti-abortion, members believe on ethical grounds that abortions are murder, while pro-choice, meaning pro-abortion, members believe that it is a woman’s right to have an abortion, and should not be governed by anyone. I believe in the latter of the two, therefore I am pro-choice. I feel that regardless of governmental convictions, religious standpoints, and health risks, it is a woman’s right to choose what she does with her body.
On January 22, 1973 the United States Supreme Court made a 7 - 2 decision to legalize abortion in most of the fifty states. Although abortion was not legal in the past it was being preformed on women since the fifteenth century all over the globe, but, most women did not survive the surgery. That is the biggest reason it was preformed in secret because it was taking so many lives. Thanks to modern day medicine and technology the success rate for women is nearly one hundred percent. Today, the decision that was made in 1973 has caused American citizens, mostly women, to debate wether abortion is considered murder or just a simple act of not wanting to bring an unwanted child
There is a basic contradiction involved in permitting abortion while at the same time prohibiting prenatal harm. (1) This contradiction can be stated in personhood terms and in terms of the woman's rights. I'd like to elucidate that contradiction and examine three solutions which rise out of current literature; I'd like then to propose a somewhat new, fourth solution.
Although abortion was legalized in 1973 by the Roe v. Wade case, legal is not equivalent to moral. The Roe v. Wade case has had many disputes against its ruling, but the ultimate decision still remains the law. According to Butts & Rich (2016), the following 41 years after the case decision was made, 57 million abortions were performed. This only includes abortions that were registered. Legalizing elective abortions gave permission for women to end a pregnancy for any given reason. This author does not believe that it is moral for an abortion to be done because the mother is scared or feels like it is not “the right time.” The pro-life view simply acknowledges the rights of an unborn fetus. Unless the mother’s life is threatened by continuing the pregnancy, abortion is not a solution. No matter the case, a nurse must consider their own beliefs on this matter in order to provide competent care.