Abortion Prochoice Vs Prolife Essay Research Paper

Abortion Prochoice Vs. Prolife Essay, Research Paper

Abortion: Pro-Choice/Pro-Life

The age-old question, When does life begin. is never more profound then when it is discussed and debated in the context of the abortion issue. In the past forty years the abortion issue has not only been society s problem but a political issue in the United States. Webster s Dictionary defines abortion as, The termination of a pregnancy followed by the death of the embryo or fetus. Pro-Life and Pro-Choice advocates continue to fight for their positions on the house floor and in the courtrooms of America.

The Pro-Choice position does not view abortion as killing an individual human, but as a legal right to terminate a pregnancy. Their position is firmly backed by the Roe Vs. Wade Supreme Court decision. They continue to fight for an America that has legal abortion, because they say a woman has the right to do what she wants with her body. They also believe that unwanted children should not be brought into this world.

The new presidential administration offers a distinct shift from the Pro-Choice policy of the Clinton era. America waits to see the outcome of the renewed Pro-Life era of President Bush and his supporters.

The arguments for the Pro-Life movements are numerous and passionate. They clearly state their position through a Judeo-Christian worldview, a civilized ethics system, and a Hippocratic view of medicine.

A careful juxtaposition of these two views of life will inform on individual s beliefs about abortion

The Pro-Choice movement is backed by the Supreme Court s decision on the Roe Vs. Wade decision. To understand the importance of this one must first be acquainted with the case. Roe Vs. Wade was a legal case, decided in 1973 by the U.S. Supreme Court, which held restrictive state regulation of abortion to be unconstitutional.

In a 7 2 vote the Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s decision that a Texas statement, that criminalizing abortion in most cases violated a woman’s constitutional right of privacy, which the court found implicit in the liberty guarantee of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The case began in 1970 when Jane Roe, a fictional name used to protect the identity of Norma McCorvey, instituted federal action against Henry Wade, the district attorney of Dallas county, Texas. The court disagreed with Roe’s argument of the absolute right to terminate pregnancy in any way and at any time, but attempted to balance a woman’s right of privacy with a state’s interest in regulating abortion.

The court stated that only compelling state interest could justify the regulation of limiting fundamental rights such as privacy. The court stated that legislators must draw statutes narrowly to express the legitimate state interests that are at stake. The court then attempted to balance the state’s distinct interests in the health of pregnant women and in the potential life of fetuses. It stated that a state’s interest in the pregnant woman’s health would allow the state to regulate abortion at approximately the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. The court held that the Texas statute was unconstitutional because of its breadth. (Britanica.com)

With this legalization of abortion the political and moral battle between the Pro-Choice movement and the Pro Life movement became entrenched in our society. Each side makes advancement and has defeats, as each seek to affect the hearts and minds of renewing generations. Though abortion is legal there are still ideological and societal advancements sought by the pro-choice movement. Their desire is for a woman to have complete right over her body no matter how late in pregnancy or advanced in development the fetus is. (abortionfacts.com)

The Pro-Choice movement believes that the woman has the right to control what happens to her body. A woman can have an abortion when she wants and for any reason. This argument is based on the right for a person to have free will. The Pro-Choice movement does not think that the government should have the ability to control what a woman does with her body. They say that to prevent women from having an abortion when she is ten weeks pregnant or nine months pregnant violates her constitutional rights. (Abortionfacts.com)

The Pro-choice movement says that if a woman is late in pregnancy and the doctors find out that this woman has a high risk of dieing if she gives birth then the woman should be able to abort the baby legally. They also believe that if the baby is unwanted then women should be able to abort the baby legally.

The Pro-Choice movement says that if a child is unwanted then it will have a hard life because it is unwanted. It will grow up knowing that the child will know that it is unwanted and will have serious affects on the child and those around him. They say that the child is more likely to be abused and neglected than a wanted child, so if the child is unwanted then it should not be born. Because they believe this they fight for the right to have abortions. They do not want children to come into this world that are not unwanted for the child s sake and for the parents sake. (abortionfacts.com)

One way the Pro-Life movement argues its point is through a Judeo-Christian viewpoint. They use Church Tradition and Scripture to show that God does not conse