Christina Humbert PHL 210 Dr. Pierce Paper 3 Comprehensive Debate Over The Issue of Abortion The issue of abortion is has been widely debated for many years and still continues to lead headlines today. It sparks debates in classrooms, courtrooms, and family rooms across the country as the issue is so complex, there are a variety of views and responses to its morality and legality. To understand the current debate over the issues concerning abortion we must not look at this issue from a black and white perspective of what is right and what is wrong , but rather we must take a comprehensive approach which analyzes the complex questions and factors tied to the morality of abortion. By looking at the responses to the question of abortion, as discussed by Mary Anne Warren, Judith Jarvis Thomson, and Don Marquis, we might better understand on how to respond to this issue in terms of what we think and why others assert the view that they do. A comprehensive understanding of the many issues tied to abortion allows one to most successfully defend their beliefs on this complex issue. The first issue often debated concerning abortion is the status of the fetus, and at what point in human development does a fetus become a person. This question can only be answered by understanding and defining what it is to be a person or personhood. Mary Anne Warren responses to this topic in “On The Moral and Legal State of Abortion and Postscript Infanticide” where Warren believes that a
Throughout her article "On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion," Mary Anne Warren breaks down her reasoning as to why abortion, at any stage of pregnancy, should be morally and legally permissible in society. Warren bases her article upon her point of view of the moral community so as to diminish doubts that readers may have on the notion that abortion is morally acceptable. Throughout the course of this essay, I will endeavor to explain Warren's view of the moral community as well as how it influences her beliefs on the matter of abortion. Furthermore, I will attempt to refute some of the statements made throughout this article.
In Mary Anne Warren’s “The Abortion Issue,” children are not persons in the empirical sense. Warren believes that prior to a certain point in a pregnancy, the child does not have “the capacity to understand” the ramifications of what an abortion would be, therefore the abortion does not infringe upon the rights of the unborn fetus. She states that: “…in the ways that matter from a moral point of view, human fetuses are very unlike human persons, particularly in their early months of development”(152). In essence, personhood as defined by Warren can only come after the first trimester. Before that time, the fetus does not have the sentience that would make it a person. Warren’s main criteria for
Activist outsider claimsmakers such as the Republican and Democratic party have opposing views on whether abortion should be legalized. The Democratic party mostly supports the insider claimsmaker’s “Pro-choice” movement, which is for abortion. While the Republican party mostly backs the insider claimsmaker’s “Pro-life” movement, which opposes the abortion laws (David). The Pro-life movement advocates that the abortion laws pose a grave threat to society, thus deeming them a social issue. The Pro-life movement uses women’s abuse of the abortion law and lack of consistent regulation from the clinical procedure itself to education on the procedure throughout the United States as grounds for the abortion laws being deemed a social problem.
The Controversy surrounding abortion remains a hot topic of discussion. The question remains whether choosing abortion is murder. What is the rationale behind what leads a woman to terminate her pregnancy? What are the challenges and situations women face that make giving birth to a newborn such an impossible task? A pregnancy that takes place at the wrong place, and time can have a lifelong impact on a woman’s ability to raise her children, and support the family. It seems to be inconceivable that the only way out of an unplanned pregnancy and an impossible-to-negotiate future (Probe Ministries).
To begin with, there has always been a huge issue with the topic of abortion, why? Well, it’s a tough subject and can get extremely emotional and very defensive. Honestly, people just need to open up their eye’s and understand that it's murder and not just a choice. It is murder because two can create a blessing and the choice of aborting it, is more like a sacrifice for the reason a mother can’t carry a baby for nine months. Whether a person is a teen, young adult, or an adult and is in a horrible situation that believes they cannot proceed with the pregnancy, they should know there are other options. Teens aborting an unborn baby is not a choice and should be banned because it is wrong without parental consent, the rights of a child, and
Mary Anne Warren’s argument on the legal status of abortion stands on a concrete understanding and realization of an individual’s personhood. Now Mary Anne Warren’s unyielding argument on the basis of personhood is that, “If we assume that an entity is a person just because it happens to belong to our favored biological classification, we stand convicted of speciesism, close cousin to racism. There are properties that do qualify an entity as a person, but simply being human is not one of them” (124). To first be able to argue why the abortion of a fetus is permissible she needs to give a clear distinction of what can be established a decisive factor of personhood. To distinguish a line between a fetus and a human and if abortion is to be morally
American suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton once said, “When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit” (Jenson). The pro-life vs. pro-choice abortion debate has always been a controversial topic in politics as well as the field of women’s health care. Many on the pro-choice side of the issue cite a woman’s right to make decisions for her own body as justification to continue the practice of abortion. The pro-life argument is that a woman and her child are separate entities and should be treated as such. Although legally and socially accepted in the United States, abortion asserts that a mother’s right to terminate
Traister wrote of speaking out for those unable to have access to the proper resources to bring another life into the world saying, “should some medical, economic, or emotional circumstance,” change the “fate” of her baby then “[her] rights, [her] health, [her] consciousness, and [her] obligations to others” take precedence over that of the “unborn human inside [her].” Traister continued by mentioning that the discussion surrounding the topic of abortion has become distorted with the issue passing total privilege to the fetus and giving no cause for concern over the mental, physical or otherwise well-being of the adult woman. Traister illustrates this by stating “the ‘personhood’ of the
Many outsiders see the United States as a place of peace and harmony. But for those who live within it, know that it is the complete opposite. The United States has numerous amounts of worldwide problems from the economy to obesity to even pollution. Although some are more important than others doesn’t mean the small issues should go unnoticed. Abortion, the termination of pregnancy is considered a problem by many but also reflected as nonfactor to others opinion. In my opinion, I believe abortion is a growing problem and the people of the United States fail to apprehend it. The actual termination of the pregnancy could leave the mother suffering from a serious illness or even be fatal.
Abortion is a subject which is continually contested in the worldwide media, stimulating passion and controversy. Abortion still raises fundamental questions about human existence, such as when life begins and what it is that makes us human (United Nations, 2002).
Abortion is probably one of the most controversial issues, which is not easily handled in the world today. However, with almost everyone choosing one side or another, the laws and ideas behind abortion are argued by both sides, while some people are conservative also known as pro-life advocates, they are involved in the abortion debate against the practice of abortion. They view abortion as a wrong choice, as well as the intentional termination of human being. Pro-life advocates, think that women do not have a right to choose whether or not to continue their pregnancy. They want to stop abortion by making it harder and inaccessible as it would be illegal. “I do not believe the promises of the Declaration of Independence are just for the
Abortion is dividing America. Without a common understanding of abortion, this issue will always be divisive in America. Throughout the history of America, abortion has been an issue that has generally separated people into two camps, those in favor of abortion and those against abortion. However, these two groups, more often than not, have not approached their understanding of this issue from the same perspective. Generally speaking, those in favor of abortion see the issue of the personal rights of women. However, those against abortion, view the issue of the rights of the child. As a result, these two perspectives will never gain unity or a common understanding of abortion. The purpose of this paper is to not only give a clear understanding of both sides of the issue, but to argue that this issue will never be a unifying issue in American culture.
Soon the Supreme Court will hear the most controversial abortion case they have in a decade. The 2013 Texas House Bill 3994, was challenged due to indications that it may be unconstitutional and violate the “Undue Burden Clause” in the US Constitution, which states that a law cannot be restrictive or burdensome of one’s fundamental rights as a human and US citizen. With roughly half of the total 41 clinics closing after the law passed in 2013, women are now waiting longer and paying more for abortions (Goodnough, 2016). The Law, which went into effect January of this year, requires doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic and mandates that all clinics must be considered ambulatory surgical centers, meaning more equipment and higher costs (Hoffman, 2016). Those advocating for the law say they are only looking out for the safety of women. This statement stems from Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia doctor who was convicted in 2010 and charged with murder in 2013. The charges were the result of involuntary manslaughter in the case of a late-term abortion at a clinic that had not been inspected in 16 years. This new law hopes to combat such tragedies by requiring admitting privileges at local hospitals. Through the extensive process, unqualified doctors would be identified and those fit would be reviewed regularly (Hoffman, 2016). Unfortunately, this law appears to be somewhat unnecessary and burdensome. The new requirements put stress on the
For over two centuries abortion has been one of the most controversial topics debated. Depending on how you view a fetus or when conception really begins, people’s views differ on whether it should be legal or illegal. Through this paper, both sides of the argument will be reviewed in attempt to prove that facts stand stronger in the view that abortion should be illegal. Finding support for arguments defending both sides has helped prove the stronger debate; abortion should be illegal. Firstly, it is necessary to dissect and evaluate arguments on the opposing perspective.
The topic of abortion has been in the forefront of controversial issues for a long time. There are many groups and people who have differing opinions on the issue, some feeling it is okay and some feeling there is no place for it in society today. I take the stand that is entirely up to the expectant mother to make her decision whether she wants to abort her future child or not. I don’t feel that only rape victims should have the opportunity to abort their child; abortion is an opportunity any women can take advantage of no matter their circumstances or ages. In all, I do not feel that any excuse is necessary for a mother to want to abort her child. If a woman is not ready for a child to enter her life, at a particular point in time,