The topic of abortion has been and more than likely will forever be an extremely controversial and typically heated debate. The Supreme Court made the landmark decision in 1972 in the Roe vs. Wade case making abortion legal and on demand for all American women. Throughout the years, however, new appointed Supreme Court judges say the abortion issue should be a decision for the individual state to decide and not a federal matter. The abortion debate houses two sides: pro-choice and pro-life. The group made up of pro-choicers decide to look back throughout history and the years of struggle women had to seek an abortion. They believe that the right to have an abortion should be equivalent to a constitutional right, almost like the right to vote. Pro-choice believers also consider what it takes to make a fetus as a person. Philosopher Mary Ann Warren claims that a being must have a consciousness and ability to feel pain, a developed capacity for reasoning, self- motivated activity, the capacity to communicate messages of an indefinite variety of types, and self-awareness in order to be considered as a person. With this reasoning, Warren believes that even the most developed fetus does not qualify as a person. Another philosopher named Judith Jarvis Thomson, who is slightly …show more content…
The utilitarian concentrates on the consequences of abortion. The pro-choice utilitarian will seek justice for all the illegal and unsanitary abortions that will occur, while the pro-life will demand for rights of the unborn children. The deontological perspective deals mainly with the issue of rights. For example, the pro-life deontologist will defend the fetus’s life and rights while the pro-choice deontologist will claim that the woman’s right overcome the rights of the
Judith Jarvis Thomson and Don Marquis both have extremely strong views on whether or not abortion is permissible. Judith Jarvis Thomson’s pro-choice standpoint defends a woman 's right to do what they want with their body. Don Marquis’s pro-life standpoint defends that a fetus is a person from the time of conception and it has a right to a future. Different situations come into play when it comes to abortion from rape to the mother 's life at risk that affect choices. A woman 's right to choose what to do with her body should absolutely never be taken away.
Roe vs. Wade is the highly publicized Supreme Court ruling that overturned a Texas interpretation of abortion law and made abortion legal in the United States. The Roe v. Wade decision held that a woman, with her doctor, has the right to choose abortion in earlier months of pregnancy without legal restriction, and with restrictions in later months, based on the right to privacy. As a result, all state laws that limited women 's access to abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy were invalidated by this particular case. State laws limiting such access during the second trimester were upheld only when the restrictions were for the purpose of protecting the health of the pregnant woman. Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in the greater United States, which was not legal at all in many states and was limited by law in others.
Both sides of abortion debates are all basically on morally perspective. Pro-choicer and anti-abortion people seem like to have a standoff during the debate. For example, anti-abortion side claims that fetus has the process of being a human or just they look like babies, (Marquis,1989), on the other hand, fetus is not a rational being,
Mary Anne Warren establishes a belief that a fetus’s right to live is overruled by an expecting mother’s right to an abortion because it is not a technically a true person until it is born. Warren supports her argument by saying that a nearly full-developed fetus is no more significant than a small embryo because “…it is not fully conscious… it cannot reason or communicate message… and has no self-awareness” (Warren, page 499). In contrast, our text states that “…some fetuses develop the capacity to survive outside the womb…” after nearly being two-thirds fully developed; this means that a fetus is ultimately capable of communication and awareness through it’s movements (Munson and Lague, page 469).
“On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Roe v. Wade, a challenge to a Texas statute that made it a crime to perform an abortion unless a woman’s life was at stake. The case had been filed by “Jane Roe,” an unmarried woman who wanted to safely and legally end her pregnancy. Siding with Roe, the court struck down the Texas law. In its ruling, the court recognized for the first time that the constitutional right to privacy “is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy” (Roe v. Wade, 1973).
The Right to Abortion On January 22, 1973, in a 7-2 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down it’s landmark decision in the case of Roe v. Wade, which recognized that the constitutional right to privacy extends to a woman’s right to make her own personal medical decisions — including the decision to have an abortion without interference from politicians (Planned Parenthood). There are many moments in history when Roe v. Wade has been so close to being overturned, yet it is still in place. Abortion should stay legal, or not overturned, for the health of women everywhere. First, this important case took place at the time of abortion being illegal in most states, including Texas, where Roe v. Wade began.
Until the public becomes more aware of these pressing questions abortion will still remain legal and constitutional. Both sides have legitimate arguments to defend their beliefs and neither group should be looked down upon by the other for having different values and beliefs. Abortion to this day is still a very controversial topic and one of the most debated issues. There will forever be differing views on the topic because everyone has the right of their own opinion
Patrick Lee and Robert George assert that abortion is objectively immoral. One of Lee and George’s main reason for coming to this conclusion is that human embryos are living human beings. This essentially validates that abortion is indeed the process of killing a human. Another main point said by the two is a rebuttal to a common argument used in favor of abortion, which states that a potential mother has full parental responsibilities only if she has voluntarily assumed them. The rebuttal to this was that the potential mother does indeed have special responsibilities to raise the child.
Her well-developed and valid premise holds value and presents a strongly reasoned argument, backed by extensive research she conducted. Premises and Rationales Tanya Luhrmann upholds her evidence behind every premise regarding abortions, the unfair treatment of the fetus, and “Pro-Life” beliefs. She explains that, “...the issue that provokes such anger surrounds the fetus’s right to life--its status as a potential human being” (Luhrmann, 1979, p. 1). Luhrmann addresses the importance of legalizing and creating safe procedures during abortions
This, however, does not mean that she agrees that in all situations the choice to have an abortion wouldn’t be self- centered or callous. To begin, she gives examples for why the right to life of
There are two sides to this debate in which individuals identify themselves as either “pro-choice” or “pro-life.” Supporters classify themselves as pro-choice, and argue “that choosing abortion is a right that should not be limited by governmental or
The Court ruled that the states were forbidden from outlawing any aspect of abortion performed during the first trimester of pregnancy, could only enact abortion regulations reasonably related to maternal health in the second and third trimesters, and could enact abortion laws protecting the life of the fetus only in the third trimester (McBride). At the time Roe was decided, most states severely restricted or banned the practice of abortion. My thoughts on the abortion debate fall in between conservative and liberal views. I believe that women have aright to have an abortion under certain circumstances. If the mother needs an abortion to live it should be legal.
For the last couple of years, americans have been deeply polarized over the issue of abortion. They debate has been cast in terms of “ pro-life” views and “pro-choice” views. The legality of abortion was confirmed in 1973 when the United States Supreme Court struck down a Texas
The issue of abortion creates questions such as whether or not abortion is morally justifiable, rights of a fetus, and explores the criteria necessary to be proven as a person. To summarize, Mary Ann Warren believes the choice of abortion is always the mothers choice. Warren continuously supports this statement through the argument that a fetus is not a person unless they exhibit a sense of moral being, demonstration of the five traits of personhood, and secures the rights that true human beings rights prevails the rights of fetus, regardless of potentiality or value of any
Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory, and it is the idea that the only thing that makes an action right or wrong are the consequences resulting from that action. In other words, the action is only right if it produces the greatest net well-being, or happiness, for all parties. Deontology is the concept that there are at least some other factors of an action that determine if it was right or wrong, not just it's consequences. These are two conflicting ethical standpoints, which can cause disagreements, when applying them to a scenario. We can take a look from both views and determine how we would act in a certain situation and compare the results.