...Abortion An abortion is a medical or surgical procedure that ends a pregnancy. It is a highly controversial issue in the United States. Although the procedure has been legal in the country since 1973, the abortion rights battle rages on with supporters and opponents struggling to gain ground in public opinion, legislatures, and the courts. Behind the battles are divergent views on when human life begins, the rights a woman has over her own body, and government interference in the private lives of individuals. Medical Issues Some of the issues concerning abortion are related to the safety of the procedure. Despite the fact that abortion was illegal in the United States before 1973—except in extreme circumstances involving the health of the mother—many women were able to find someone who would help them end their pregnancy. Often performed by untrained individuals in unsanitary conditions, these illegal abortions harmed women physically, increased the risks associated with future pregnancies, and even resulted in death. Complications are possible with any type of medical or surgical procedure. The most common medical issue associated with abortion is infection, a potentially serious and life-threatening problem. Abortion can also cause excessive bleeding and damage to the uterus, the female organ in which the fetus develops. These dangers are greatest when abortions are performed by untrained individuals, but they are rare when performed by professionals under proper conditions...
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...Pope’s Issue with Abortion One of the most controversial political and social issues in the world has been the morality of abortion. At what stage human life begins is one of the main arguments of abortion between the pro-choice advocates and the pro-life advocates. The taking of an innocent life, especially at it's beginning or end, is considered gravely immoral. Although Pope John Paul II argues his disagreement with abortion quite well, those in support of abortion say his claims are not strong enough and have many inconsistencies within them. Pope John Paul II view’s on the topic can be considered by many as pro-life, for the simple fact that he disagrees with all forms of abortion and believes that even fetus’ have the same right to life as any other human. The Pope defines procured abortion as, “the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth” (Timmons 276). The decision to have an abortion is often painful and tragic to the mother. Not only is she ridding herself of the fruit of life, but a part of herself, too. It may be that the mother's health, or the child's welfare after birth is a factor in this decision, but, “these reasons and others like them, however serious and tragic, can never justify the deliberate killing of an innocent human being” (Timmons 276). Since life is considered to begin at the time of fertilization, the new life...
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...A persons Religion is like their home. When looking at it from the outside, we can only imagine what it looks like on the inside. Unless we are invited in or take the time to visit, this is only speculation or conjecture. Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, today I would like to discuss with you my previous ethnographic study, and my investigations of perceptions of the community of Maryborough, as to the Islamic religion, specifically in relation to the wearing of the traditional Burqa. In this study I wish to identify theories and perceptions of the General Maryborough population regarding this particularly controversial issue, and compare these perceptions to the realities exist within the Religion, as outline by their sacred text. The Burqa, a sacred piece of clothing to the Islamic faith, is worn by women for many deep and spiritual reasons, including to shield one face in public as an act of modesty, or even to display a certain religious devotion to their God, Allah. These particular practices are fairly common in nations that are predominantly Islamic, unfortunately many of which are extremist eastern nations such as Afghanistan, whereby the Burqa is enforced by harsh religious policies legislated by those of higher dictating powers of Authority. This can lead to confusion when this particular practice is introduced into a typical western society, and conflict between belief can occur. In this study we are focusing on the population of Maryborough which I will use...
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...Abortion has always been and will probably always be a controversial subject. Deciding whether or not to have one is a matter of conscience and has emotional consequence for women faced with the dilemma. You are probably wondering what is an abortion? An abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. Women in the United States have not always had the right to an abortion. Before 1973, individual states were allowed to decide whether abortion would be legal within their borders. In a landmark decision that the right to an abortion was part of womenś right to privacy. Roe vs Wade, 410 U.S. 113, is a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of...
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...I think abortion is the most important social issue. Abortion is a wide spread controversy amongst the people and different religions in the United States. I believe abortion is murder and should be outlawed. Those who believe abortion is okay believe this because they think it is the woman’s right to choose. They might also believe the baby is not a human until it is born. I feel life starts at conception. When someone is pronounced dead they don’t have a heart beat or have any brain activity. Although, when in the womb, a baby’s heart will start beating and the brain will start to develop around 4 weeks. With this scientific fact how can anyone say that the little baby in the womb is not indeed alive. The baby in the womb can also feel...
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...Abortion has been practiced for many years now, yet till this day it is a controversial ethical issue in our society. The question is should abortion be legal or illegal? We all have different viewpoints to different topics, what may be ethical to some people may not be ethical to others and that is where all the debates come from. For abortion, there are two principal views to this topic which are “pro-life” and “pro-choice”. Pro-life people believe women should not have the right to decide if they want to keep going with their pregnancy and actually give birth. Meaning abortion should not even be an option. Those who are pro-choice believe the opposite, and that is that women should have the right to decide to whether keep going with their...
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...Abortion is defined as the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first twenty-eight weeks of pregnancy (dictionary.com, 2015). Many people argue that it is the mother’s body, therefore, making it ultimately the mother’s choice to abort the pregnancy. Others argue that the fetus within the mother has a beating heart and should have his/her own rights to life. Planned Parenthood has been argued to provide easy access to abortions and this has become an uprising ethical issue within the United States. Of all the ethical issues that come to mind when thinking about abortion, the main idea is whether or not abortion is considered to be taking another human being’s life, and who is responsible for the decision...
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...My topic for my my plan of development is abortion. Evolving moral standards of society, abortions are becoming more and more justified. Abortions have become a huge controversial issue in American society. I made my decision of doing my report on abortion because there is so much to learn from it. It is such a big controversy in our world and I love seeing the statistics and facts that come with it. There is not a certain age group that abortion applies to because it can potentially affect anyone. There are a lot of pros and cons but the big question is whether you support pro-life or pro-choice. Over years, things have changed tremendously. There is so much things to learn about including the types of abortion, abortion preparation,...
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...Tina McCray Professor Williams English 111-800 November 14, 2013 The Need to Address Social Issues Affecting Abortion Abortion discussion in the public domain has most often centered on the policy and failed to address the major causes, which are the social issues. There is minimal focus on social reasons why 1.3 million women abort each year in the United States (Finer and Benshaw 15). Most of the reasons for carrying out abortion are addressed on two pillars alone: health complications and rape or incest. A third and a much bigger pillar, social reasons, have been ignored. Statistics show that a whopping 93% of abortions are due to social reasons (Finer and Benshaw 13). More attention should be focused on addressing the social aspects affecting abortion in contemporary society. The social reasons that make women want to abort include poverty, fear of heavy emotional and financial responsibility, and Incrimination of Teen pregnancy and unwanted pregnancy. Poverty trims down a mother’s capability to provide for a child, increasing the incentive to abort. As much as this may be reduced by existing social or welfare aid programs, abortion is still stigmatized as the problem of the poor. The less money one has, the less likely one will be able to afford bringing up a child, making abortion the only plausible option. This is made worse by the heavy emotional and financial responsibility to provide for children with little resources that poor people possess. Statistics show that...
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...‘A relativist approach to the issues raised by abortion leads to wrong moral choices.’ Discuss. One could indeed present the argument that a relativist approach to abortion could lead to the wrong moral choices. For example, in subjective ethical relativism, although one may be able to make a moral choice completely by themselves, there are no clear guidelines in which they have to adhere to. This may lead to corruptible behaviour, as people might delude themselves into thinking certain things that are wrong; are in fact right. Additionally, conventional ethical relativism, which considers society’s values, would most likely disregard the needs of the individual, rendering them to feel pressured by society to follow cultural tradition. This may lead to the wrong moral choice being made. For example if a woman would mentally suffer with the pregnancy, but is not allowed an abortion (such as in Uganda), this would be the wrong moral decision that has resulted from a conventional relativist approach to ethics. On the other hand, a relativist approach could also lead to the correct moral choices. For example, subjectivism allows the individual to make their own choice, which ultimately can be regarded as a good thing. Only the mother herself can really know if she wants an abortion, or if she would not be able to cope with the pregnancy both mentally and physically. A relativist approach to abortion allows for the individuals needs and circumstance to be considered, rather...
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...a) Explain how a follower of Natural Law theory might approach the issue surrounding abortion. The Natural Law Theory has developed over time since the era of the ancient Greeks, and it is not necessarily based on one single theory. Natural law is the belief that God has created the universe to work in certain ways. The structure of Natural Law is not accidental; it is deliberate and has important implications to the human race (this can also be used to argue the existence of God in the teleological argument). Humans have a duty to conform to Natural Law. If they do not conform it is morally bad. St Thomas Aquinas linked his idea of Natural Law with Aristotle’s view that people have a specific nature, purpose and function. Aristotle said that not only does everything have a purpose, but also it achieves supreme good when it fulfill its purpose. Aristotle stated that the supreme good for humans is to achieve happiness, which can be related to mill’s utilitarianism where our aim is to gain happiness by avoiding pain and gaining pleasure, but Aristotle did not follow the consequentialist nature of utilitarianism. Aristotle said we were to achieve the final goal by living a life of reason based on what we experience, and this follows the deontological nature of Kantian ethics. Aquinas said that humans beings have an essential rational nature given by God in order for us to live and flourish, even without God reason can discover laws that lead to human flourishing, this is...
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...Abortion: The Beginning and End of Life [Author] [University Affiliation] Abortion: The Beginning and End of Life Abstract In the United States, more than 6 million pregnancies are unwanted annually, with 40% of these opting for an abortion (CDC, 2012). Eight women die every hour worldwide due to unsafe and illegal abortions. The women who go for the unsafe abortions are normally from very poor backgrounds and have no relevant know-how regarding the various family planning methods available. Half of the pregnancies reported annually are unplanned for, and if a woman decides to abort, then the damage is mild. However, making abortions legal worldwide helps reduce the total number of lives of the women who die as a result of unsafe abortions. When a woman dies from undergoing an unsafe abortion, it is a double loss to society because both the mother and the fetus are lost. An abortion carried out by doctors when the woman’s life is at stake has no effect on the society, as it is both ethical and legally accepted within the societal framework. 1.0 Issue- Introductory Analysis It is after a life is lost that abortion begins to intrigue various essential variables. Abortion is a bioethical issue with the attached effects affecting the society at range, in every perspective. Many lives been lost by the women and the fetus; however to be able to synchronize the issue requires analyses of the factors surrounding it. There are some factors that...
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...demonstrations held every day, yet somehow abortion is still legal in the United States. In the decision of the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, it was ruled that women have the right, given to them by the Constitution, to have an abortion in the early stages of pregnancy (Infoplease). Hundreds of protesters gather outside clinics that offer abortions and try to present their position on the issue, but it seems as though their cries and complains are never heard. The main question that we must decide on is this: is it just to take away human life before it even has the chance to be lived? Several countries around the world have outlawed the practice of abortion. When deciding the abortion issue, its women’s rights as citizens of the United States versus the religious beliefs of a majority of citizens. What is more important, the sanctity of life or allowing murder on the basis of one’s right to choose? Given the abortion procedure allows women sexual and reproductive freedom, it has unconsciously led to a trend where abortion is being used as a method of contraception. In the United States, 49% of the pregnancies are unintended and American women used abortion as a tool to terminate almost half of these pregnancies (Infoplease). Abortion was not meant to be used in accidental pregnancies, but its purpose was to cease pregnancies that could possibly result in the death of the mother or if the baby had major genetic defects that could possibly be fatal. Abortion was never meant to be used as...
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...| Abortion | A Social Problem | | Raven Sutton | 8/1/2012 | | Abortion Abortion is a social problem. The important ways of looking at the issue of abortion are most easily categorized into five major points, legal precedence, birth control issues, human rights, religion and when life begins. In all of these categories there are issues with abortion that people that based on both empirical and moral claims, a wide spectrum of views supporting either more or less legal restriction on abortions has emerged in America. Advocacy groups define the issue through its constitutionality and its moral views represented by their constituents, but politicians define the issue by party lines, generally with liberals as “pro-choice” and conservatives as “pro-life.” The media defines the issue morally, presenting to the nation the views of various “pro-life” and “pro-choice” organizations with little empirical evidence from both sides. Ever since the landmark Roe v. Wade, abortion law has continued to protect the woman’s right to choose. Supreme Court cases have placed the woman’s right to choose under the right to privacy and therefore they have considered it protected by the US constitution. Also, when Norma McCorvey (also known as Jane Roe) tried to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision in her 2005 Supreme Court Case, McCorvey v. Hill (2005), the Supreme Court denied the case thus supporting the statute that Roe v. Wade had created. The precedent set in Roe v. Wade has...
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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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