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All Just about DivorceThe Abortion Debate
by:
Peter Kennedy
One of today’s most debatable topics, the abortion debate pits the rights of a parent against the rights of a fetus. The most common, clear-cut stances on the issue are “pro-choice” and “pro-life,” which hinge on legal and moral considerations. Another common viewpoint is a much blending pragmatist view, which states that abortion should be prohibited except for specific cases.
"Pro-choice" advocates stress a woman's right to choose whether and once
to terminate her pregnancy. In their view, a woman should have absolute control over her own body and, by extension, over the survival of the vertebrate
inside
her. The "pro-life" camp argues that life begins at conception and any termination of physiological condition after the formation of the embryo is equivalent to murder.
One may reckon abortion immoral, but makes that necessarily mean it should be illegal? As with many an moral debates, there is an underlying and mayhap much significant legal debate raging, especially in the United States. Roe v. Wade was a landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling that is still relevant today. The Court voted 7-2 to overturn all state laws forbidding abortion. The Justices ended that such laws violate a woman's constitutional right to privacy. Since then, the moral debate has taken on political significance.
Alternatively, if abortion is virtuously
permissible, makes that mean it should be legal in all cases? In response to this question, there exist else viewpoints in addition to the clean cut “pro choice” and “pro life” positions. Indeed, proponents of each argument vary by degree.
For example, several pro-choice advocates believe abortion is no longer virtuously
permissible after the second trimester. Similarly, several pro-lifers allow abortion in extreme cases, such as rape or incest. Roughly two per centum of pregnancies occur under these conditions.
The abortion debate lends itself to a larger, predominant question: once
must the government intervene in citizens' personal lives, and once
must it avoid doing so?
Just about the author:
OpineTree is a journal
website that encourages debate on today’s most debatable political topics, including abortion, affirmative action, cloning, the death penalty, euthanasia, gay marriage, gun control, health care, societal security, stem cells, as well as else debate topics. Visit http://www.opinetree.com/abortion.htmlto join the abortion debate.
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