The Controversial Issue of Abortion

Giving a human being life is wrong and taking a life from a human being is wrong. The controversial issue of abortion is a major topic in America. Abortion is the removal of the fetus from a pregnant woman, therefore, instantly terminating her pregnancy. The history of abortion laws led to the construction of present laws today. The opposing viewpoints of various groups have led to enduring debates pertaining to the laws on abortion. The struggle to educate society on each group's viewpoints is an ongoing battle sees no end in sight.

The definition of abortion is the removal of an embryo or fetus at any stage of a pregnancy, whether the cause of termination took course through natural stages or the physical removal by a licensed medical physician. The procedures vary by the gestation of the embryo or fetus. Natural abortion is the "premature expulsion of a nonviable fetus from the uterus," known to many as a miscarriage, which can occur during any time of a pregnancy. A contraceptive abortion is the use of drugs that stops the flow of oxygen and other important nutrients to the fetus, thus, killing it. The baby will expel from the womb with the help of another drug that assists in contracting the uterus, this procedure works best before the third month of pregnancy. The surgical abortion is another form to the termination of a pregnancy. The performance of this method proceeds with the surgical removal of a fetus. This type of abortion occurs within the first fourteen weeks of a pregnancy. The execution of a surgical abortion is the cutting up of the fetus and extracting the parts using suction or scraping the remains into a basin. One last method to abortion procedures is the dilation and extracting of the fetus. Normally the procedure takes place in the mid to last stages of pregnancy. The order to this procedure is as follows, the killing of the fetus is the first step, and the uterus can begin to dilate. After the uterus fully dilates, the abortionist proceeds to rip the fetus apart using forceps or a pliers-like instrument. Crushing and extracting the skull is one of the final steps in this procedure. Taking the placenta from the uterus is the final step to this process. The Supreme Court's ruling deems these procedures legal in the United States.

Legalizing abortion will always be a long-standing debate. Abortion laws date as far back as the early 1800's. During that time America was still under British rule, therefore, the current laws came from the British Parliament. The first known abortion law was the "Offenses Against the Persons Act", which forbid any woman from terminating her pregnancy. The punishment for terminating a pregnancy was a felony. By the late 1800's, the present states began passing their own laws against abortion. The new laws were affecting the population, by prohibiting abortion. Abortionists still providing their services after the passing of new the laws got the punishment of a varying length of jail time. Up until 1967, laws went unchanged. The first states to have legal abortions were California and Colorado. New York became the first state to pass the "Abortion on Demand Law," in 1970, thus, becoming the sixteenth state to allow abortion. A majority of the states that allow abortion had restrictions. The mother is subject to the decision of an abortion if the pregnancy was due to rape, incest, the possibility of a severe fatal handicap, and the life of the mother was in danger. All previous laws changed in 1973, when the Supreme Court gave its ruling on the Roe vs. Wade Case. Abortion was imposed throughout the United States. The Supreme Court's ruling came from under the Fourteenth Amendment; any woman has the right to determine the health of her body, under any circumstances she cannot be under scrutiny by the state because of her privacy rights to her health. The Fourteenth Amendment states, "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Therefore, an unborn fetus is not protected under the Amendments because it is not a legal citizen of the United States to be on record with the census bureau. The presenting argument on behalf of the State of Texas fell apart. The Amendment that was assisting their defense came back around to them. The famous Supreme Court ruling of 1973, has given groups two opposite sides to debate.

There are two main groups on the issue of abortion; there are "pro-life" groups and "pro-choice" groups. Pro-life groups do not support abortion. Pro-choice groups support the decision of a woman and her choice for abortion. The opposing viewpoints on abortion led to the development of these two contradictory groups. The scrutiny of pro-life groups rely on the credence that abortion is morally wrong. The oppositional group, pro-choice, strongly supports a woman's freedom to choose whether she wants an abortion or not. Supporters from each group educate others on the implication of their cause. Religion, morality, convenience, population and the changing economy contributes to the foreground on debates. Pro-life groups believe an unborn fetus did not receive a fair chance to life. An unborn fetus cannot vocalize its choice; therefore, terminating a pregnancy is murder. Pro-life groups warn individuals of the wrongdoing to terminate the life of a fetus. They believe that "God will judge their decision and they will be sent to realms of Hell." Informing society on abortion procedures will help pro-life groups on their effort to ban abortions. Publicity attacks on abortion laws create a visual image for the support to ban abortions. Members of legislation support the efforts of pro-life groups; therefore, by using their political influence they earn the support of liberals. Legislators use their efforts to dispute the current laws on abortion "unconstitutional." Introducing bills into congress give hope to pro-life groups of an effort to ban abortion. However, opposing arguments arise from the groups that support the decisions of a woman to terminate her pregnancy. Pro-choice groups disagree and oppose the views of the pro-life groups.