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Theoretical Perspectives Of Abortion

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The Three Theoretical Perspectives on Abortion

Abortion has been a highly debated topic for many years. Until 1973, when abortion was legalized in the U.S., women were obtaining very dangerous abortions that often killed them in the process. Although abortion is legal now, members of society still do not agree on whether it is “right.” There are pros and cons of abortion, which can be examined by the three theoretical perspectives; Structural Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Postmodern Theory. This essay explains what the three theoretical perspectives are and how they view the social issue of abortion.
Structural Functionalism states that everything in society serves a purpose, whether it is positive or negative. Structuralists look …show more content…

Over the years, more people have become pro-choice because of the many circumstances under which a woman might need to have an abortion. Pro-Life and Pro-Choice supporters are almost 50/50 in the U.S., now. Today, many government officials are in the process of trying to shut down Planned Parenthood, which is where many women, and even men, go when they cannot afford to see another physician, or just because Planned Parenthood gives exceptional health care. If this business shuts down, many lower income individuals will have no way of seeing a doctor if they think they are pregnant, need an STI screening, need to have an abortion, etc. While these people will have no way of paying for a doctor, middle and upper class individuals will still be able to afford going to another doctor for these types of issues. This means the middle/upper class would have less unwanted babies, allowing them to push off having a child until they are financially and emotionally prepared, while the lower class will have higher numbers of unwanted babies because they could not afford an abortion. It is possible that some type of dialectical model could be created that would appeal to both groups, but as the conflict theory states, there will always be some disagreement.

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