Abortion:Murder or human rights

Abortion is the most controversial issue having no grounds of agreement

among two polar aspects. The argument is life and death though the uncertainty of
complication makes it difficult. I don’t believe in abortion because it’s murder we
are not the ones that can decide whether the person that a woman gives birth to
should live or die. Abortion is a life or death matter, having equal supporters on
both sides. Yet those supporters have one goal in common: decreasing the number
of abortions and making abortion safer. Abortion is defined as the “removal of the
embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy” (Dictionary.com).
Abortion is surrounded by many questions such as: Does the constitution defend a
right to abortion? Does this include confidentiality? Is a developing fetus a being?
Should the law allow abortions for rape or incest?
The Constitution permits abortion legalization. It’s not in the Bill of
Rights or the Constitution, but the right to privacy and reproductive rights is
an “enumerated right.” “The Supreme Court in 1973, Roe vs. Wade,
legalized abortion in the first trimester. Since then, over 35 million women
have had legal abortions”. Twenty-four percent of pregnancies are aborted
and forty-one percent of the abortions are teenagers in America. Just
because abortion is legal doesn’t mean it’s okay. Slavery was legal over 150
years ago but that didn’t mean it was right. Moreover, in the recent years, several
countries have begun to legalize abortion. However, last year, in USA a slew of
states across the US in legalising an anti-abortion measure.

In the first months of this year, nearly 30 states introduced some form of an abortion
ban in their legislature. Fifteen have specifically been working with so-called "heartbeat
bills", that would ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.

These bills are part of a wider movement of anti-abortion measures sweeping the US.

Earlier in May, Alabama lawmakers passed a bill to ban abortion outright.

And Missouri's sole remaining abortion clinic remains embroiled in a legal battle to keep
its operating license from the state health department. If the provider loses, Missouri will
become the only US state without an abortion clinic.

What are these bans - and why now?

"Heartbeat bills", as the term implies, seek to make abortion illegal as soon as what
anti-abortion supporters describe as a foetus' heartbeat becomes detectable. The
American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says the name is misleading,
and that what is being detected is "a portion of the foetal tissue that will become the
heart as the embryo develops".

In most cases, this point is at the six-week mark of a pregnancy - before many women
even know they are pregnant.
"We have never seen so much action around six-week abortion bans," said Elizabeth
Nash, senior state issues manager at the Guttmacher Institute - a pro-choice group that
researches sexual and reproductive health.

"But we now have seen a shift in the composition of the US Supreme Court."

President Donald Trump has placed two conservative Supreme Court justices and, Ms
Nash says, making it seem more amenable to revoking abortion rights.

"Because of this, we are seeing state legislatures looking to ban abortion as a way to
kickstart litigation that would come before the [Supreme] court, and the court could then
roll back abortion rights."

Other legislators are also responding - in January, New York signed into law a bill
safeguarding abortion rights after 24 weeks in certain cases, reigniting discussions
about the controversial procedure.

Illinois is the latest Democrat-led state to protect abortion rights, passing a bill in June
repealing a 1975 abortion law that required spousal consent, waiting periods,
restrictions on facilities and penalties for doctors.

The new measure changes the definition of viability to survival outside the womb
without extraordinary medical measures and allows for abortions after the viability point
to protect the mother's health.

Vermont also passed legislation affirming abortion rights, and Maine's Democratic
Governor Janet Mills signed a bill allowing health care providers who are not physicians
to also perform abortions.

A backlash from business

A growing number of public figures have threatened to divest from the states enacting
anti-abortion legislation.

Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, says Georgia's six-week ban would make it "difficult" to
keep filming there.

Georgia has become a popular destination for Hollywood producers who flock to the
state for its generous tax breaks for films. It offers a 20% incentive on productions of
$500,000 or more and a further 10% if the film includes Georgia's logo in its credits.

Blockbusters like Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame were recently shot in the
state.

However, Mr Iger said "many people who work for us will not want to work there" should
the law go into effect.
 Disney may quit Georgia over abortion law

"We will have to heed their wishes," he told Reuters.

Earlier this week, streaming giant Netflix said it would "rethink" its operations in the state
if the law goes into effect. Netflix series Stranger Things and Ozark are both shot in
Georgia.

But the threats to leave Georgia if the law should take effect are unlikely to be realised
in the near future.

Georgia's new law - like others in the anti-abortion movement - are intentionally
unconstitutional. Anti-abortion supporters anticipate resulting legal challenges and hope
the appeals will reach the US Supreme Court to allow them to re-visit federal laws
protecting the procedure.

As of yet, despite the wave of abortion bans, it remains legal in all 50 US states.
Meanwhile, stars including Amy Schumer, Ben Stiller, Christina Applegate, Laverne Cox
and Alec Baldwin wrote to the governor saying they would "do everything in our power to
move our industry to a safer state for women".

Actor Jason Bateman, who stars in the Netflix show Ozark and in HBO's The Outsider,
which are both currently filming in Georgia, told The Hollywood Reporter: "I will not work
in Georgia, or any other state, that is so disgracefully at odds with women's rights".

So, how did we get here?

The US movement against abortion began in the 1800s, spearheaded by physicians
who saw non-medical professionals providing abortion services as both a threat to their
industry and harmful to women's health.

By 1900, every state had banned abortions entirely - with exceptions granted only at the
discretion of a licensed physician.

The issue arose again in the 1960s, when women began advocating for reproductive
rights. Colorado changed its anti-abortion law in 1967, followed soon after by California
and New York.

Amid these efforts to return the choice to women, the anti-abortion movement as we
currently see it was born, led largely by Catholics and other conservative religious
groups. The oldest such group in the US, the National Right to Life, was founded in
1968.

Most funding for the movement still comes from religious conservatives - including
wealthy donors like the vocally pro-life DeVos family.

In 1973, the Supreme Court issued the landmark Roe v Wade ruling legalising abortion
in all 50 states.

Roe v Wade protects a woman's right to an abortion only until viability - that is, the point
at which a foetus is able to live outside the womb, generally at the start of the third
trimester, 28 weeks into a pregnancy.

What's happening in Missouri?

In Missouri, the battle over abortion rights is centred on the state's last remaining
abortion clinic, which is in jeopardy amidst a standoff with state officials.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services refused to renew the licence for
the clinic unless its physicians agree to interviews about what it calls "potential deficient
practices".

Planned Parenthood, which runs the clinic, has refused, saying it could mean doctors
who perform abortions face criminal charges.

It won a court order last month to keep the clinic open on the day it was due to close.

"Today is a victory for women across Missouri, but this fight is far from over," said Dr
Leana Wen, president of the reproductive health organisation.

If Planned Parenthood ultimately loses the case, Missouri could become the first state
not to have a legal abortion clinic since 1973.
 Missouri's last abortion clinic wins reprieve

What does the anti-abortion movement want?

For Karen Swallow Prior, a professor at the evangelical Liberty University who is a proponent of
banning abortion outright, these six-week bans are "a good faith effort" to restrict abortion.

"These bills and the pro-life [anti-abortion] movement are not about punishing women for
having sex, they are about preserving a human life that already exists," Prof Prior says. She
emphasised it was not a religiously motivated viewpoint, but one based on science and human
rights.

In addition to these six-week bans, anti-abortion activists have fought for

restrictions on abortion methods, rationales (such as sex or race or abnormality)
and trigger bans that would end abortion if Roe v Wade is overturned.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 18 states have laws that would

restrict abortion in the absence of the federal law, while 10 have laws that would
protect abortion in the same scenario.
But some activists are focusing instead on changing infrastructure they view
as promoting abortion, rather than seeking to immediately criminalise the
procedure.

Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa, founder of New Wave Feminists, says her

organisation wants to make abortion "unthinkable".

"We're arguing about autonomy - which is more important, the woman's or

the child's? As a pro-life feminist, I believe we have to take into account both."

She is not opposed to the bills, but says her own activism focuses on
women's empowerment.
 "We know statistically it's a decision made on financial constraints, lack of
access to healthcare, things like that," she says. "Let's get to the real root as to why
women feel they have to have an abortion in the first place."

What about the other side?

Reverend Marie Alford-Harkey says the right to have an abortion goes hand
in hand with the right to follow one's own values and morals.

Rev Alford-Harkey, who is a Christian pastor and the president and CEO of
the Religious Institute, a national multi-faith organisation working for sexual,
gender, and reproductive justice, says the notion of reproductive justice, a term
created by black women in the 1990s, is behind her pro-choice views.

"It's the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, to have children,
to not have children, to parent in safe and sustainable communities," Rev Alford-
Harkey explains.

"Justice is a very Christian concept, and this particular framework grew out
of communities that were not being served."

Rev Alford-Harkey recently began working as an abortion doula,

accompanying women into the exam rooms, speaking with them before, after and
sometimes even during the procedure.

"I've been asked once or twice if I think God would forgive them and I say, I
don't think there's anything for God to forgive. What I think is a sin is that we've
taught people that God won't forgive them for doing what's best for their own
bodies, their own lives."
What has Trump said?
President Donald Trump broke his silence last week on the recent
restrictions across the US.

Mr Trump, whose position on abortion has shifted dramatically over the

years, posted a series of tweets outlining his views, saying he was against abortion
except in cases of rape, incest or a "serious health risk" to the mother.

Trump breaks silence amid US abortion row

"I am very strongly pro-life, with the three exceptions - rape, incest and
protecting the life of the mother - the same position taken by Ronald Reagan", he
said.
The president added that judicial measures, such as his appointment of conservative
Supreme Court judges Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, had helped to make abortion
laws in various states more restrictive.
Mr Trump's views on abortion have evolved considerably over time.

In 1999, he said: "I'm very pro-choice. I hate the concept of abortion. I hate it. I hate
everything it stands for. I cringe when I listen to people debating the subject. But you
still - I just believe in choice."

But in March 2016, he clarified that his position was "pro-life with exceptions".

In May, he tweeted that Republicans must unite to "win for life in 2020".

Abortion in Northern Ireland is now legal. As of midnight on Monday 21

October, women and girls can legally access abortions and seek medical aftercare,
and the UK government will fund journeys to England for the procedure.

The UK Offences Against the Person Act ruled that “procuring a

miscarriage” was against the law in 1861. The Abortion Act legalised abortions in
some cases in 1967, but not in Northern Ireland, where the procedure remained
illegal even in cases of rape, incest and when the fetus is unlikely to survive.

As a result, many women in Northern Ireland travel to England and Wales

for abortions. In 2018, 1,053 women made the journey, 192 more than the previous
year. It isn’t known how many of those unable to travel may have bought abortion
pills online.

In 2015, Belfast’s High Court ruled that abortion laws in Northern Ireland
breached human rights legislation. Four years later, in July this year, MPs voted in
Westminster to pass a law that lifts the ban on 22 October if the Northern Ireland
assembly didn’t reconvene before then. Unionist politicians, who oppose
liberalisation of abortion laws, used a petition to recall the assembly, but they were
told yesterday that the assembly couldn’t take any action until a speaker was
elected.

From today, ongoing prosecutions, such as that of a mother who bought

abortion pills for her 15-year-old daughter, will be dropped. Local abortion
services should be in place by 31 March 2020.

“Today marks the first step in getting women in Northern Ireland equal
rights with their counterparts in England and Wales,” Stella Creasy, the Labour
MP for Walthamstow who tabled the abortion amendment, said in a statement.
“When it comes to being able to make decisions over their own bodies, women and
girls in Northern Ireland will no longer be threatened with the criminal law.”

“This interim guidance, which comes into effect today, is helpful in

providing women and girls with safe and compassionate abortion care,” Carolyn
Bailie, chair of the Northern Ireland committee of the Royal College of
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said in a statement. “We are working closely
with colleagues in the UK to ensure relevant training and support is available to
enable our clinicians to deliver safe abortion care services within Northern
Ireland.”

In the United States and the world in general, abortion remains widespread.
The United States Supreme Court ratified the legalization of abortion in an effort
to make the procedure safer; this was done through the Roe v. Wade decision of
1973.

However, abortions are the most risky procedures and are responsible for
over 75 thousand maternal deaths and over 5 million disabilities annually. In the
United States alone, between 20 and 30 million abortions are conducted annually,
and out of this number, between 10 and 20 million abortions are performed in an
unsafe manner (Berer, 2004). These illegal abortions are conducted in an unsafe
manner; therefore, they contribute to 14 percent of all deaths or women; this arises
mainly due to severe complications. This has led to increasing controversy citing
the large numbers of abortions that are conducted annually. However, there is a
hope since the improvement in the access and quality of medical services has
reduced the incidence of abortion because of easier access of family planning
education and the use of contraceptives (Jones, Darroch, Henshaw, 2002).
However, the large numbers of abortions, more so, the illegal abortions continue to
be alarming. Despite the introduction of more effective contraceptives, and their
widespread availability, more than half of the pregnancies conceived in the United
States are considered unplanned. Out of these pregnancies, half are aborted. Thus,
abortion remains an issue in the society.
 Conflict theorists emphasize that coercion, change, domination, and conflict
in society are inevitable. The conflict standpoint is based on the notion that the
society is comprised of different groups who are in a constant struggle with one
another for the access of scarce and valuable resources; these may either be money,
prestige, power, or the authority to enforce one’s value on the society. The conflict
theorists argue that a conflict exists in the society when a group of people who on
believing that their interests are not being met, or that they are not receiving a fair
share of the society’s resources, works to counter what they perceive as a
disadvantage.

Prior to 1973, abortion was illegal in the United States, unless in situations
where a woman’s health was at stake. If the doctor indicated, a woman had the
option of choosing to terminate her pregnancy, and the doctor would carry out the
abortion without any of them violating the law. However, in March 1970, Jane
Roe, an unmarried woman from Dallas County, Texas, initiated a federal action
against the county’s District Attorney. Roe sought a judgment that would declare
the Texas criminal abortion legislation unconstitutional on their face, and seek an
injunction, which would prevent the defendant from implementing the statutes.
Today, abortion is a big issue concerning women because for years it
had been said that abortion should not be legal. Many people feel
aborting an unwanted child, or killing an unwanted child should be
against the law. Many people don’t’ know what abortion is, who can
receive abortions, and why people would even choose to get them. I
feel as though a woman’s body is her own to do with what ever she
wants. Therefore, on the topic of abortions, I am pro-choice.

First of all, before a person makes a decision about abortions, they

should know exactly what it is. The dictionary defines Abortion as: The
termination of pregnancy and expulsion of an embryo or of a fetus that
is incapable of survival. This simply means, inducing birth to …show
more content…
If it is later, then she has to have the baby surgically removed from her
body. If it is too late, then she will be unable to have the procedure.

Second of all, not everyone is able to receive abortions. As earlier

stated, if a woman were too far along into her pregnancy, she would be
considered unable to have an abortion. Often times, doctors will
recommended girls under the age of 16, and over the age of 35 not
have an abortion because at those ages, it might prevent them from
ever having more children.

Third, not everyone gets an abortion for the same reason. Some
women did not protect themselves properly before engaging in the act
of sexual intercourse, become pregnant, and explore the option of
abortion. Some women have fetuses diagnosed with birth defects, and
choose them abort them so they won’t have to raise a child with a birth
defect. Then, there are those women who were abused, and raped,
who got pregnant, and had to abort the baby because they were
traumatized, or baby because the baby’s father, or lack there of.

Today, abortion is a big issue concerning women because for years it

had been said that abortion should not be legal. Many people feel
aborting an unwanted child, or killing an unwanted child should be
against the law. Many people don’t’ know what abortion is, who can
receive abortions, and why people would even choose to get them. I
feel as though a woman’s body is her own to do with what ever she
wants. Therefore, on the topic of abortions, I am pro-choice.

First of all, before a person makes a decision about abortions, they

should know exactly what it is. The dictionary defines Abortion as: The
termination of pregnancy and expulsion of an embryo or of a fetus that
is incapable of survival. This simply means, inducing birth to …show
more content…
If it is later, then she has to have the baby surgically removed from her
body. If it is too late, then she will be unable to have the procedure.

Second of all, not everyone is able to receive abortions. As earlier

stated, if a woman were too far along into her pregnancy, she would be
considered unable to have an abortion. Often times, doctors will
recommended girls under the age of 16, and over the age of 35 not
have an abortion because at those ages, it might prevent them from
ever having more children.

Third, not everyone gets an abortion for the same reason. Some
women did not protect themselves properly before engaging in the act
of sexual intercourse, become pregnant, and explore the option of
abortion. Some women have fetuses diagnosed with birth defects, and
choose them abort them so they won’t have to raise a child with a birth
defect. Then, there are those women who were abused, and raped,
who got pregnant, and had to abort the baby because they were
traumatized, or baby because the baby’s father, or lack there of.

In conclusion, I feel it should be a woman’s decision whether or not she

wants to keep her baby. I don’t condone the fact that many women do it
because they were careless and risky when it came to having sex, but
should be an option for those women who were raped and abused.
Therefore, when it comes to