Abortion - Life or Choice - Article Example

Abortion- Life or choice There are certain issues that have a moral taboo attached to them and in general the community makes efforts to shun the topic because the debate is not only considered wrong but has complications that hinder any feasible answer. Abortion is one such topic that has surfaced up in the twenty first century but the debate has not come up with a definite answer. The issue is linked with aspects of morality, motherhood, religion and also legal laws. One needs to keep every aspect of the issue in mind when discussing something that has an effect so wide. Abortion is a topic that cannot be swept under the rug as it was previously done so and now, it is an era where more legal and firm answers are needed to either justify it or denounce it. According to the United States Legal.com, abortion is an act defined as the ending of pregnancy by different methods which include surgical procedures, prior to the fetus of the female in question is able to sustain independent life. The legal definition of it not only seems clear on the ground of termination of life before it can sustain itself as an independent being but also points out that for it to be carried out there are other ways besides medical procedures. The state allows termination of pregnancy in the first trimester but has more legal complication and restrictions on the second and third trimester. In the third trimester of pregnancy, the state has the power to rule out abortion apart from the exception when the life of the mother is in danger (US Legal.com). The paper discusses the moral and legal perspective of abortions and highlights whether or not it should be a matter of state interference or only the individual should have the right to take the decision. The state intruding in the matters of abortion also reflects on another question that whether or not the state is taking a step too deep in the matter of an individual’s personal life. Abortion and the grounds on which females get their babies aborted have various reasons. It is an issue that is linked with various other topics including morality and politics not to mention religion, and so looking at it from a single point of view would not be sufficient enough to provide an answer. Understanding the debate from the start is necessary to gain enough background knowledge and know which side to support. The society we live in today is advancing at a rate that not every issue that was so easily swept under the rug can be done so now. Abortion, like many others has a conservative and a liberal side as well. Conservative individuals who tend to be on the pro-life side tend to argue that a fertilized ovum is already a developed person with senses that every living individual has and demolishing its life is wrong in the moral as well as legal sense. Liberals or individuals who believe in pro-choice means that they encourage abortion if deemed necessary, argue on the basis of the fact that even infants are not fully developed persons, and so can be aborted. This is in context of a fertilized ovum which has not seen a glimpse of the world and hence, destroying it would not be wrong. These two perspective whether or not to consider a fertilized ovum an individual is a debate on its own. The argument put forth by the two groups gives us a glimpse into the situation (Garfield and Hennessey 3). This is just a moral peek into the situation. Another issue that deeply complicates the general topic of abortion is religion. Different religions hold different viewpoints relating to the termination of life when it is in its fetus state but at large it is seen that they all condemn the act. It is seen that those holding orthodox beliefs condemn the act and also combine it with a language that shows damnation and guilt mixed together (Crum and McCormack 90). After the religious perspective, there are legal aspects of the issue as well where both the major political parties of the United States that is the conservatives and the liberals often rigorously engage in the debate. The case of Roe v.Wade is one of the historical legal case put forward on the basis of which many theorists argue. Roman Catholic Church condemns abortion and so has the United States put legal limit on the time span during which one can get an abortion that is after twenty weeks into pregnancy. After the twentieth week has passed, the state has the right to deny a female an abortion based on the ground that the fetus can feel pain (Kumar). Laws have been passed which regulate abortions and have put restrictions on it. For example, the United States law allows abortion during the second trimester of pregnancy only if the woman’s health is in danger or there are complications to the health of the mother during or after child birth. This includes the danger while carrying the fetus in the womb. The third trimester has more legal restrictions on it and the state can rule any woman out for abortion only not at the expense of the life of the mother (US Legal). This shows the fact that the state has an authority over regulating and controlling abortion in the United States. Also legally thirty five states in the United states require a woman to have a compulsory counseling session before getting an abortion and some also enforce the viewing of an ultrasound to ensure that the woman wants to go on with the act of aborting the baby. This only proves that the state not only intrudes directly in an individual’s personal matter but imposes restrictions by making it necessary to go through procedures in order to be sure that you are ready for the abortion. This, however, is against the policy issued by WHO that was released this year. (Kumar) Abortion has been a matter of attention for the religious groups where most religious conservatives still hold onto the ideals that a life is a life and the abortion of a fetus (life) at its most vulnerable stage is not only a sin but a crime as well. There are liberals on the other hand who publicly claim that keeping religion out of context, abortion is the right of the individual and not a state or political matter. It is labeled more as the matter of the conscience of the person and the physician rather than, the church or any other political party stepping in it (Lupfer). It is seen that the moral or living status of the fetus has always been obscure and shady where no side can define actually whether it has a conscience or not. It has been seen that the philosophical, scientific and religious groups are unsure on the claims of a fetus having a conscience and in early times it is seen that the Church did not regard abortion as a wrong act.. Thus, on the status of whether a fetus is a life which if killed is considered homicide or not is a debatable topic on its own which only sufficient scientific data can prove but for all it is known, can easily be denounced by the religious conservative groups (Luker 3). It is easy to argue for pro-life on the basis of religion which condemns acts but it is to be kept in mind that there are acts such as war and suicide that it also condemns but the general public is not keen enough to discuss the issues on open forums. The pro-choice groups on the other hand firmly believe that abortion is an individual matter and the state should not step in the matter. The point of conflict that arises between the two groups is on the basis that firstly whether the fetus is a viable creature that can feel all the emotions that an adult human being can feel. Secondly, if it does then terminating a life at such an early age would be homicide and a punishable crime. This makes pro-life supporters push the government on banning abortions while pro-choice argue on the basis that until it is not out of the body, the decision of termination of life cannot be considered homicide or a criminal act. In the current times, abortion concerns more legal and moral grounds and in every debate it is seen that the issues are widely considered that whether it is morally right or wrong. OThers questions that are raised include whether the human conscience approves of an act, which involves termination of a life that is just in the developing phase and is vulnerable. Then the status of legal limitations and the involvement of legal laws surface up which question whether or not the state be allowed to handle such fragile matters of an individual’s life. The Roe V. Wade debate questions the government involvement and the right to privacy, which as discussed before the government has the right to restrict abortion during the third trimester if sufficient evidence is not available to prove that the life of mother might be in danger. Janet Benshoof argues on the same point that there are certain matters that an individual might not like to disclose to the government or the general public and an individual has the right to have a choice relating ones own body and personal issues. It can be seen that the law over steps and intervenes in the issues relating to both privacy and then dictating its right accordingly. This however, conflicts with not only the ideology of feminism and independence of women but also a deep analysis shows how misleading information or carrying of pregnancy might impact the health of a woman (Garfield and Hennessey, 9). In conclusion, it is seen that abortion is an issue which needs more discussion and solid ground facts when it comes to legal amendments in the law. Moral consciousness of a person might or might not allow an act where a life is stripped away before it even began its course but legal boundaries make the issue more complicated, forcing those who go for pro-choice to opt out of abortion by not providing the facilities and at times imposing strict penalties. There are numerous other practices that can be taken in to account such as contraceptives to prevent abortions but there are cases in which it is a hazard to the life of mother the child and in these situations, abortions are deemed necessary. Morally, there will always be right winged and left winged people who will argue on the fact of religion and science but the matter is of the individual alone. Abortions carried out in the illegal way have far more complications than the legal procedure but the state imposed restrictions have not only made it hard but also very intruding in the personal sphere matter. To make it more specific, the state with time seems to hold more and more power over the right of abortion and medical related issues instead of solely leaving it to the person or the parents of the child to decide for themselves. Everyone holds a personal bias and there might be complications that the state might be unaware of before stating that a person has to go forward with birth and cannot abort the child. If there is any progress to be made into the issue, it is the requirement of leniency of law and also regulation methods that ensure that every participant is responsible for his or her action. Physicians and the mother or the parent of the child should have full knowledge of their action. Pro-life or pro-choice individuals have a set of ideology that is followed and should be respected. Works Cited Crum, Gary, and Thelma McCormack. Abortion: Pro-choice or Pro-Life? Washington, D.C: American University Press, 1991. Print. US Legal.com."Abortion Law & Legal Definition." Definitions.uslegal.com.2015. Web. 15 Feb. 2015. Garfield, Jay L, and Patricia Hennessey. Abortion, Moral and Legal Perspectives. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1984. Print. Kumar, Anu. "Abortion, The States And The World Health Organization." Huffington Post 2012.Web. 15 Feb. 2015.< http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anu-kumar/who-abortion-rights_b_1739748.html> Luker, Kristin. Abortion And The Politics Of Motherhood. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press, 1984. Print. Lupfer, Jacob. "The Religious Politics Of Abortion Are More Nuanced Than We Think (ANALYSIS)." The Washington Post. 2015.Web. 15 Feb. 2015. Read More