...Undoubtedly, abortion is one of the most controversial topics on the planet. It is mostly controversial because it covers a grey moral area in which there is no clear right or wrong answer. Depending on individual beliefs and perspectives, opinions on whether abortion is right or wrong will vary greatly. Some people believe it is a clear case of murder while others maintain that it is every woman’s right to have control over her own body. Given that this is such a grey area, there is a huge chance that you will eventually have to write an essay on abortion at one point or another during your academic career. A good essay on abortion should start off by explaining why abortion is so controversial. For instance, abortion is such a hot topic because since it’s legalization in 1973, groups have continuously fought in order to have it banned or access to it increased. A well thought out essay on abortion could cover some of these groups and highlight why they feel abortion is right or wrong. Typically, an essay on abortion will highlight two major camps on the issue which are pro-life and pro-choice. People who are pro-life fundamentally believe that abortion is morally wrong because it involves taking a life. They believe that an unborn fetus is still a human. However, a majority of people who are pro-life are open to making exceptions in the case of extreme circumstances such as rape. People who are pro-choice believe that it is every woman’s choice what she does or doesn’t...
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...first point out the fact that abortion is one of the most controversial issues in the United States. The progressive left stands strong on the argument that women deserve the sole right to decide on abortion. As for the conservative right they base their judgment of abortion on religious aspects than on women’s rights. Whether your stance on abortion is pro or anti it is a legal operation in the United States. In the year 1973 abortion laws were decided by the states. Most of the states banned legal abortion unless the woman’s life was at risk. The controversial case Roe v. Wade changed the outlook on abortion. “In that year, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the controversial case Roe v. Wade. The Roe decision acknowledged both a woman’s ‘fundamental right’ to terminate a pregnancy before fetal viability and the state’s legitimate interest in protecting both the women’s health and the ‘potential’ of the fetus. It prohibited states from banning abortion to protect the fetus before the third trimester of a pregnancy, and it ruled that even during that final trimester, a woman could obtain an abortion if she could prove that her life or health would be endangered by carrying the term”(Gordon, 214). This ruling gave woman the ability to make a decision of aborting a child based on their own rights and beliefs. As of 1973 to the present year of 2003 abortion is a legal procedure but is unfortunately looked upon by some, as murder. My standpoint on abortion is developed by both the progressive...
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...There have been many debates on the topic of abortion from small talks to classrooms and even leading to court rooms or political talks. Abortion has become a highly controversial issue in many parts of the world such as the U.S., India, China, Europe, Africa and etc. Although the literate covers a wide variety of issues leading to abortions, the review will focus on two major themes which emerge repeatedly throughout the literature reviewed. These themes include: abortion is against right to life and the rights a woman has on her own body. Although the literature presents these themes in a variety of context, this paper will focus mainly on whether it is morally right to terminate a pregnancy before normal childbirth. “Pro life” is people who strongly go against abortion, suggesting anyone who supports abortion are “anti life”. Gale (2010) argues that people living together in a society have rights, and if a fetus is a person just like you and me, then it too has rights, ultimately the right to life. He states that many believe that life begins at conception, when an ovum is fertilized by a sperm cell. However, Judith Jarvis Thomson (1971) contends that the development of acorns into oak trees can be used to describe why a fetus is not a person yet, because it does not follow that acorns are oak trees, similar goes to the fact that it does not follow that fetus are persons. Some countries even go to the extent of legalizing abortion given that it is done within 12 weeks from...
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...Abortion is defined as: "the termination of pregnancy and expulsion of an embryo or of a fetus that is incapable of survival." However, if only the debate over the abortion issue was as simple as the definition provided above. Much like every aspect of human life, a statement is neither right nor wrong, but simply left open for interpretation. There is no black and white in life, only gray areas. Some issues tend to provide us more gray areas than others. Abortion is a prime example of that. Those who refute abortion claim that it is the murder of a helpless baby who has not yet had the chance to live and function as a human being. However, the debate opposite it is just as fervent: it is a woman's right to choose what happens to her body, and if she decides that she is not capable of bringing a child into this world, than she shouldn't be forced to out of nature. Where do we draw the line between humane and inhumane, necessitated death and murder? When does a woman's right over her internal reproductive organs become that of the government's? Is abortion wrong or is it right? Are rape, incest, and potential fatality to the mother exceptions when abortion is "okay"? Are there truly any at all? So many questions are raised by such a fervent debate, that we must look at both sides of the issue to better understand it in a general, but yet thorough approach. As expected, there are...
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...The medical ethics topic that I have researched is the issue of abortion. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a pregnancy. In the UK, every year around 200,000 women abort unwanted pregnancy. Abortion was legalised in the UK in 1967 through the Abortion Act which allows women to have a free abortion on the NHS if signed off by two doctors. It is a highly controversial issue due to many people showing that it is highly necessary but others say that it’s too easy to have. It was legalised to avoid issues such as back street abortions from occurring as many women were killed or severely injured by them. There are three main methods which are used to abort a foetus; an early medical abortion which can be used up to twelve weeks of pregnancy, vacuum aspiration which is used between seven and fifteen weeks of pregnancy and surgical dilation and evacuation which is used from fifteen weeks of pregnancy. Central to the theological debate are the different views as to when life begins, whether abortion is murder or should it just be seen as another form of birth control? Roman Catholics believe that life begins at the point of conception and preserving life is a ‘primary precept’ whereas the Islamic view is that life begins at 120 days of gestation. These different viewpoints show that abortion is even controversial within different religions. Another clear point of controversy withinthe topic is whether abortion is classified as murder. Albert Schweitzer developed the idea of...
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...Since Roe v. Wade, abortion has headlined evening news, front-paged Sunday’s papers, and discussed around the Thanksgiving dinner table. The Supreme Court has voted on a number of cases, altering the course of abortion in favor of pro-life and pro-choice ideology. Abortion has also become a staple to Presidential candidate and party platforms to win elections. Anytime there is a new bill introduced in the legislator, it is always controversial and under the microscope across various media outlets. Under Trump’s administration, abortion will remain controversial to all branches of government, to both sides of the issue, and favor a pro-life theology. For the pro-choice idea of abortion, the next four years under the Trump administration is going to be very difficult....
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...Abortion - termination of pregnancy before birth, resulting in the death of the fetus. Abortion is one of the most controversial issues of today’s society. Many women feel it is their right to choose, but some feel the exact opposite. Some believe that if a woman has been raped, a victim of incest, or if the woman’s life is in danger, abortion should be used. Abortion can be performed for many reasons. The main reason if the woman’s health is at risk. However, some people abuse this right and use it has a form of birth control. There are a variety of drug-based abortion methods, all of which need to be monitored by a physician. In a method commonly referred to as the “morning-after pill”, a woman is given large doses of estrogen within 72 hrs of unprotected sexual intercourse and again 12 hrs later. Depending on where a woman is in her menstrual cycle, the estrogen will either inhibit or delay ovulation or it my altar the uterine lining. This will prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg. However, several side effects may include, nausea, headache, dizziness, or fluid retention. There are more dangerous forms of abortion. In one procedure, a drug called Misoprostol is used with an anti-cancer drug called Methotrexate, to induce abortion. First, a physician injects a pregnant woman with methotrexate. About a week later the woman takes misoprostol to induce uterine contractions and expel the fetus. Both of these drugs combined effectively end pregnancy in 95% of...
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...Abortion Abortion is defined as an early termination of a pregnancy, willingly. It is one of the most controversial issues that is brought up because there are so many different views. This ethical issue today is usually split in two groups, one of these views being pro-choice, giving the option to have an abortion to the family of the fetus. The other main view today is pro-life, which states under no circumstance may a life be taken away. There are many concerns with abortion, the biggest being is the fetus an actual person yet? Many of us will never know the answer to that question. Two views I will go deeper into is the view of Immanuel Kant and the view of a Utilitarian. Immanuel Kant is a firm believer that every person has rights and that no one has the right to infringe on them. To Kant all actions should be done with doing the right thing in mind. The only problem with that is what is right to him is not necessarily correct to somebody else. Kant would believe that under no circumstance would an abortion be justifiable because it would be murder to him, tying back to the idea that no person has the right to interfere with another person’s right to life. Kant would believe it does not matter the way the women got impregnated, it is irrelevant. In other words everything Kant believed involved “Human Worth”. Killing a fetus would be destroying “worth” which goes against everything Kant stood for. His view would be that the fetus was brought into this world through...
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...Running Head: AIMS OF LAW Controversial Laws in US [Name] [School] Author Note This paper was prepared for , Section , taught by Professor Abstract What do we mean by the “Aims of Law”? At one end, the aims of law are oriented by the common good while at the other end they may be restricted by the fact that exercise of authority is involved in the use of law. To the extent that the law can be used to promote common good, we should not use it since there may be certain limits as to how the authority should be exercised even for valuable goals. Sometimes, attempting to achieve valuable goals through the law results in failure due to the way law used which may be self defeating. Authoritative character of law places a burden in human life of choosing for oneself and binds them. This should be avoided to the far extent possible. There may be some aspects of the common good that cannot be realized effectively using authoritative legal rules which implies that law is not a good tool for all purposes. Thus, the aspects of common good supported by authoritative rules are the appropriate aims of law. This object of this paper is to examine five controversial laws in US that restrict or regulate behavior and present a philosophical argument for or against why such laws advance a proper aim of law. Controversial Laws in US Due to their sensitive nature, there are several topics which are highly disputed. Since prudence and emotions never go hand-in-hand, it becomes...
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...that are available on the Multimedia page of the University Library: * Issues & Controversies * Issues & Controversies in American History * Global Issues in Context What is the first topic that comes to mind when you think of world-wide controversial issues? For me, the biggest and most wide-spread issue is that of abortion. What is right and what is wrong? Are there exceptions to when abortion is okay? Do sexual offenses against a victim make abortion a “fair” decision? What about genetic testing that shows serious medical problems for a fetus? “Abortion is the most often topic written about in School. Abortion is the most often topic debated in School. Abortion is the final outcome of one out of every three pregnancies in the U.S. Abortion divides our country, our religions, our family, our society and our politics.” – This quote comes from the home page of abortioninfo.org and sums up most of the reason why I have chosen this topic to write about. This topic can keep a feminist talking and is the baseline for many political campaigns which are dependent on whether or not the elected official is pro-abortion or not. Feminism ties best into the subject of abortions because women have rights to their own bodies and the freedom to reproduce and keep the child or to abort the fetus.” Feminist movements have campaigned and continue to campaign for women's rights, including the right to vote, to hold public office, to work, to fair wages or equal pay, to...
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...Abortion in the United States Valora Hawkins, Tracy Avila, Timothy Easter, and Veronica Holifield BCOM/275 June 18, 2012 Les Colegrove Abortion is one of the most controversial topics to date in the United States. Because of the complexity and issues involved, there are those individuals who are for abortion, and those who are against. There is neutrality that extends between the two, with those who are one the fence depending on circumstantial situations. In this paper our group of four peers debate the topic, and base a conclusion on weather women in the United States should have the right to abortion, based on the arguments themselves. Today, the reference of for and against, is better known as pro-choice and pro-life. Pro choice (abortions) refer to the political and ethical view that a woman should have complete right over her fertility, and that she should have the freedom to decide whether she wants to continue or terminate her pregnancy (Bose, 2012). According to pro-life advocates, women who demand complete control of their body should also shoulder the responsibility of preventing unwanted pregnancy, and that the result of an unplanned pregnancy, rape or incest, aborting the embryo is equivalent to punishing the unborn child (Bose, 2012). The position that Valora has in this debate, is that it is the woman’s choice to decide whether or not to have an abortion, but also to understand that it is their responsibility to protect against unwanted pregnancies by...
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...Zaid Shlah English 118 October 7, 2012 Abortion- Pro Choice Abortion has always been a controversial subject among our society. Whether we are involved directly or indirectly, whether we are for it or against it; it is nearly impossible to find someone who doesn’t have an opinion about abortion. Since 1973 abortion has been an important issue within the United States. 1973 marks the year that the famous Rowe versus Wade case was decided before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that abortion be legal and available to all women. Legal abortions can be performed up to 24 weeks according to prochoice.org after twenty-four weeks most doctors or clinics will not perform the procedure unless keeping the baby presents a medical risk to the mother. I believe that every person is entitled to his or her own opinions, beliefs, thoughts, and rights. Denying women the right to choose abortion in the early stages of fetal development is denying her rights as a U.S. citizen and is also discrimination against her person. The moral question has always been whether or not it should be a woman’s decision to get an abortion. The other side of that question is whether the government should have control over a woman’s body and forbid her to get an abortion. Pro-life supporters believe that abortion is wrong because it involves the death of a human being on the other hand Pro-choice believes in woman’s right to choose. I am certain that abortion is a personal choice, and this freedom should...
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...Should Abortion Be Legal? Jane Doe PHI 103: Informal Logic Instructor: Tanya Martin April 24, 2013 Should Abortion Be Legal? Women have abortions for many reasons; I can accept that these decisions are very private and probably devastating moments for the mother. An abortion should be based on your own situation, beliefs and values. We should respect and support a woman and her family as they face these life-altering decisions whether to have a child. The arguments being that every child born should be wanted and others who believe that every child conceived should be born. Personally, I feel that abortion should be legal, because there are too many things that go wrong. A woman could be raped and need to get one because she doesn’t want to carry the child full term. Many have pondered upon the meaning of an abortion. This topic has been a controversial topic for many years. Abortion is the choice of women whether or not she wants to receive one. The right to choose to have an abortion is again so personal and essential to women’s lives that without these rights, women cannot exercise other fundamental rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. This paper will argues the reasons why the act is sought after and outline the positive and negative outcomes associated with committing the act. When one engages in controversial topics ethically and culturally like abortion, many people tend to latch on the specific idea. One example would be those in favor...
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...Abortion, the intentional and deliberate termination of a pregnancy has been an extremely controversial topic in both religious and secular views for centuries, and is continuously causing discussing regarding the moral and ethical values it impedes on. This method of murdering an innocent unborn child has developed multiple standpoints in many different religions. Specifically highlighting the Catholic Church’s stance as well the stance of Buddhist practices showing the similarities and dissimilarities of each religion. In an increasingly secular world a utilitarian stance will also be evaluated. Catholic church: (200 words) (82) The Catholic Church defines abortion as an unspeakable evil that is a crime to the creator. The Catholic Church...
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...I. On January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court decided one of the most controversial cases in United States history, but the debate was just beginning. The landmark case of Jane Roe v. Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade was not only symbolic of the progress of women’s rights, but an indication of judicial activism and its potentially damaging affects. It began as a fight for an unmarried young woman and her desire to terminate her pregnancy, even though it did not pose serious physical danger to her health. But, in the process of this struggle, an unprecedented judicial involvement emerged. II. This paper will first provide the necessary expository information, highlighting the central characters in this historical case, the political climate of the Supreme Court Justices during the trial, as well as a earlier case, Griswold v Connecticut which preceded Roe v. Wade. The paper will discuss the proceedings of the case at both the District and Supreme Court levels. Following, this paper will debate the surface issues of the abortion controversy, Roe as a precedent for future cases (Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Stenberg v. Carhart, and the breaking news decision of Gonzales v. Carhart), and the implied right(s) of the Constitution. III. In the 1970s, Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington, two hot shot young lawyers from Texas, recruited Norma McCorvey as lead plaintiff under the alias “Jane Roe” in a class action suit lawsuit on behalf of US women everywhere...
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