Throughout history, there have been many topics that have caused disagreements among citizens of the united States. Abortion is one issue that has caused a lot of controversy between Americans. Abortion Is the deliberate termination of a pregnancy, which can happen in several different ways depending on how far a woman Is In her pregnancy. Many of these methods have been considered unethical by different groups of people. Over the years, court cases, religious groups, and the government have tried to resolve this controversy.
However, Americans have so many different opinions on abortion that it makes it hard to resolve. According to a Marxist Poll conducted in December 2011, 79% of Americans do not support the current abortion-on-demand policy, saying abortion should be legal only in some circumstances (68%), or illegal in all circumstances (11%) (MCCALL). It’s a concern to many Americans because it affects people socially, economically, politically, and religiously in many different ways. There are many causes to what has sparked controversy within the Idea of abortion.
United States abortion laws have been changed many times throughout history. In the early sass, It was discovered and hat “life begins at fertilization and not when the mother ‘felt life. ” (Fox News). Because of this, In 1869 the Offenses Against the Persons Act was passed which made any abortion at any time of a pregnancy a felony. As years progressed Into the mid sass, abortion became a state-regulated issue. Some states like California, and Colorado had legalized abortion. However, many states in the 1 sass still stated that abortion was illegal.
In the sass, the historical case of Roe vs.. Wade was brought to the Supreme Court regarding abortion. Roe (who’s real name was Norma Newcomer) was a single, regnant woman living in Texas who wanted an abortion. She had many reasons for wanting one, but money was a huge issue for her. Abortions were illegal in Texas at the time when she became pregnant. Roe’s argument was that the Texas state law on abortion violated her right of privacy, violated the right of doctors to give medical care, and was unconstitutionally vague (Law).
The state of Texas’ mall argument against Roe was that there was no “right to an abortion” In the constitution, therefore the state could regulate the issue however they wanted to. After months of arguing n both sides, the Supreme Court voted 7-2 in favor of Roe. This made abortion legal in all 50 states at any time of a woman’s pregnancy, and that late term abortions needed the approval of a licensed physician to Judge the procedure necessary to protect the mother’s health. The case of Roe vs.. Wade caused mixed feelings in the citizens of the United States, and also sparked many other cases.
It made many religious groups very angry. In the Catholic Church, life is considered to begin at conception. Therefore Catholics believe that abortion Is a sin, because you are in a sense killing a human life. The decision of Roe vs.. Wade caused a lot of protest within the Church, because the Church believed that this court decision showed that the united States government was saying that murdering a human life was acceptable. Roe vs.. Wade also caused a lot of pro-choice groups to start. Margaret Ganger planning clinic in Brooklyn, New York (Plenipotentiary 1).
After the case of Roe vs.. Wade, a lot more advertising, and more centers for Planned Parenthood appeared across the United States. They also received funding from some states that supported abortion and family planning. Bill H. J. REST. 973 introduced by Mr.. Hyde states many things regarding abortion. First, it states “With respect to the right to life, the word ‘person’ as used in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, applies to all human beings, including unborn offspring at every stage of their biological development”.
This means that the Constitution will now define the start of life at conception, because it includes unborn offspring at every stage of development in the mother’s womb. Next, it states “Abortions may only be performed in the case of an emergency when a reasonable deiced emergency exists that the continuation of pregnancy will cause the death of the mother, or in the cases or rape or incest”. This means that abortions are only legal in the case of rape, incest, or when the mother’s health is at risk because of a pregnancy. Rape is defined as any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person.
The bill is stating that it would be okay to abort a pregnancy resulting from rape, because the woman who was raped was extremely violated, and clearly does not want to be impregnated by her rapist, because it could be a constant reminder of scarring time in her life. Incest is defined as the crime of having sexual intercourse with a parent, child, sibling, or grandchild. If a woman became pregnant as a result of incest, the baby could develop major health problems physically and mentally. Therefore the bill is stating in this case abortion would be allowed.
The last case where abortion would be legal is if the mother’s health is in danger. Sometimes during pregnancy, a women’s life is put at risk and she can acquire major health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure. These problems can lead to even bigger problems and complications for the mother later in the pregnancy, which could ultimately put her life in great danger. According to the bill, abortion would also be okay in this case. There are a few other options that women could consider before having to face the choice of abortion.
One option would be birth control method of contraception. This is a preventative form of pregnancy. The most common form of birth control is the pill, in which women take one a day to prevent pregnancy (NY Abortion). Each package of pills contains twenty-one hormonally active ills that a woman would take every day, followed by seven days of taking a placebo pill. The pills contain estrogen and protesting. This form of birth control prevents ovulation (the release of eggs from ovaries), therefore a woman would not be able to become pregnant if she is using the pill correctly.
If the pill is taken correctly and perfectly every day, only one in one thousand women will become pregnant in a year. This is another method of solving the abortion issue, because the pill prevents pregnancy all together. If a woman did not want to become pregnant in the first place ND be faced with the challenge of an unwanted pregnancy, she could acquire this form of birth control in order to protect herself against pregnancy. Another method for solving the controversy of abortion is adoption.
Adoption is a legal process where a person becomes a lawful member of a family different from his or her original birth family (Law Info). In the case of adoption, adoptive parents would receive full the problem of abortion, because it gives mothers another option to consider besides terminating a pregnancy. They could contact an adoption agency where someone loud help her find the right family that could adopt her baby. In many cases of adoption, family’s that want to adopt cannot have a child of their own, so mother’s who do not wish to have a baby would be really helping them.
I am for the bill H. J. REST. 1973 proposed by Mr.. Hyde. Lines nineteen through twenty-two of the bill states “With respect to the right to life, the word ‘person’, as used in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, applies to all human beings, including unborn offspring at every stage of their biological development”. This means that the United States government will now have a definite time period for the start of a life, which is at conception. I completely agree with this.
It has been scientifically proven that the life of a human begins at conception. DRP. Alfred M. Abandoning, the professor of pediatrics and obstetrics at the University of Pennsylvania stated “l have learned from my earliest medical education that human life begins at the time of conception. I submit that human life is present throughout this entire sequence from conception to adulthood. This is human life at every stage. (PM 1). The fact that a doctor who studies childhood development before and after birth stated that human life begins at conception completely supports the bill by Mr..
Hyde. I also support lines twenty-three through twenty-six of the bill, about legal exceptions of abortion. It is saying that abortion is okay only in the cases of rape, incest, or if the mothers life is in danger. I agree with this part of the bill because in the cases of rape and incest, an illegal act caused a pregnancy. In the cases of rape and incest, the woman involved could be dealing with a lot of psychological problems as a result of the acts that have occurred.
These psychological effects can include postgraduates stress disorder (PITS), depression, flashbacks, and personality disorders (RAIN 1). These are all mental disorders, brought on by a traumatic event (in this case rape or incest). These disorders that result from traumatic events can cause extreme emotional and psychological pain daily for the victims. In some cases of rape and incest, a pregnancy may occur. If a woman becomes pregnant resulting from a rape or incest incident, the pregnancy loud become a huge trigger to the mental disorders previously mentioned.
In most cases of rape and incest, the woman lost control of her body and was taken advantage of. The pregnancy was therefore clearly unwanted. Therefore a woman in this situation should be given the opportunity to terminate the pregnancy, in order to regain control of her body. This could also be a huge part of the healing process, because the woman is getting rid of a constant reminder of a traumatic event in her life. Lastly, I agree with the part of the bill that states abortion is legal in the case here the pregnancy is endangering the life of the mother.
Sometimes, when a mother is older, overweight, underweight, or if the mother has a previous medical condition that is unknown, it puts her pregnancy at high risk. It is generally accepted by the public that a person has the right to defend their body when they are in danger, and that they may use violence, or even kill in extreme circumstances, in order to protect themselves (BBC 1). In the case of a high risk pregnancy, where the doctor makes it clear to the mother that continuing to full term with her pregnancy o terminate her pregnancy.
Over the last several decades, the debate over abortion has become a huge growing issue within the United States, as well as the world. People’s ethical and moral values come into play, and sides with disagreements will always be taken. No matter what type of sanction is put on the legal, or legalization of abortion, 100% of Americans will never be satisfied. This will hold true in any debate within the United States and the world. People will always have their different opinions, and as Americans all we can do is respect them to keep peace.
