Abortion

4 Pages 1077 Words

We live in a nation built on the idea of freedom, freedom of choice and freedom of expression, yet we are not free. The oppositions of society create restraints for women seeking abortions. The pro-choice view of abortion believes that every woman has the right to an abortion. In addition, women have full control to make decisions concerning their bodies. From this standpoint, it is believed that life does not begin until birth. Pro-choice activists do not encourage abortion in any way. Rather, they acknowledge the implications of an abortion and imply a certain flexibility depending on each case. Before 1973 abortion was illegal in this country forcing millions of women to obtain illegal abortions. Between 1946 and 1972 it is estimated that there were “anywhere from 11 million to 32 million” (about.com) such abortions. That resulted in the deaths of over “7,000 women” (about.com) nation wide. In addition, women were denied their constitutional rights to privacy and liberty. However, ever since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, abortion has changed its course in society. The case recognized abortion as a fundamental constitutional right and made it legal in all states. Due to the moral, social, and medical dilemmas the abortion issue poses, abortion has been the most debatable subject of controversy in the United States for the past two decades. One who is pro-choice believes that every woman is entitled to the right of privacy in dealing with her own body; if women are to be denied this right, history will repeat itself jeopardizing the lives of millions of women.
Contrary to the Pro-choice view on abortion, Pro-lifers believe that human life begins at contraception and that abortion is the intentional killing of a human life. These activists believe abortion is immoral and simply define it as murder. Pro-lifers base their arguments primarily on every human being’s right to life, which is stated in the Declara...