Essay, Research Paper: Abortion

The true meaning of abortion has been pondered by many. The true argument at hand is that each individual child giving life should be wanted; with beliefs held that every child conceived should bear a name and lead a healthy life. Religious groups and individuals have all formed opinions and thus created a heated controversy. The 14th Amendment has given women the opportunity to use abortion to remove an unborn child from the womb. However, many people feel abortion is a violation of the unborn child’s constitutional rights. In 1973, Harry A Blackmun wrote the majority of the opinion that it is a woman’s own right to have an abortion. The case of Roe v. Wade legalized abortion. Rights were given to the people and abortion was approved, but the case will never truly close. Violence has held the case wide open as pro-life activists carry a strong argument and push their beliefs. Pro-choice believes are also strong, they believe that the child inside them is their property and that it’s life does not begin until birth. It was decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1973 that a child in a mothers womb was the property of the mother, and that it was the choice of the mother wither she would abort or not. This decision of the Supreme Court is the foundation to the terrible statistic that nearly one of every three babies conceived in America is killed.
The United States Constitution has given women the choice to abort a child. The 14th amendment was developed so that women will be able to make a decision based on their lifestyle and preferences. The state is not allowed to interfere with the private lives of its citizens. Without the right to choose, the 14th amendment would have an insignificant meaning to women. Pro-choice activists feel that since a man can withdrawal from a pregnant relationship with a woman, that a woman should also be entitled to withdrawal from her pregnancy. It is also felt by Pro-choice activists that since no contraceptive is 100% guaranteed that abortion is an “accepted” form of contraceptive.
Allowing abortion to be legal is thoughtless and immoral. A child in the womb is just that. A child should never be referred to as a “product of pregnancy” but a miracle of life. The cries of a young child in the womb are unheard and are drowned out by demands of “rights”, but what about the rights of the unborn. More and more women have come to the realization that they are in control of their own bodies, however it is too often they forget of the child they bear inside, and forget that it too, has rights. The courts have never allowed an individual to kill someone for their own personal gain, social advantage, or financial reasons. With conception, the specific DNA of an individual is generated, and will never again be duplicated. It is possible to say that as soon as an egg is fertilized, the human beings characteristics have been determined. Without a fertilized egg, we would never have the magnificent thing we call life.
It is ridiculous to think that a woman would want to give up an opportunity towards motherhood. A woman certainly would not want to be referred to as a murderer. It is these two fundamentals that should influence the female to retain the growing embryo and to nurture the young being inside of them. Only in very specific cases should an abortion be considered. The ability to choose is acceptable when the female was forced into intercourse by rape or other means such as parental molestation. In these cases the opportunity to give birth still remains an option, but due to the intense anxiety and long-term emotional damage it may be in the embryo and mothers best interest to abort. In many cases the victim of the sex crime will still choose to have the child, and allow it to be adopted. This allows for the child to live, and relieves possible strain on the mother.
A women’s right to choose can justify abortion, but it should be banned because it’s immoral and life and begins at conception. Women have been given the right to abort. The right hasn’t been given without heated debate. It can be seen from many views whether abortion should or should not be performed. To be performed as an eraser to a mistake is appalling, but to be done as post-rape procedure can be justified. Society has not yet determined a single socially acceptable standard at this time, thus abortion will remain a hot topic for years to come.


Word Count: 777