Worldwide and Enforceable Human Rights - Coursework Example

In the 20th century, there is much debate over whether there are universal human rights, and if so, which human rights are truly worldwide and enforceable. Explain. The most important issue in balancing individual universal human rights with social responsibility in my point of view is abortion. The law that was passed so that abortions would be legal was a good decision. The anti-abortions have very sound points, but it should be up to the women to make her choice. Abortion has been debated for decades and always will be. Ever since Roe vs. Wade, abortion has been a very hot topic. Apart from this, I believe the human rights which are truly worldwide and enforceable include a right to be called as a free individual and have complete freedom within the practice of one’s religion, living in a country which is democratic by nature and given the basic human rights that are so very important on the part of society to give to everyone. Anti-Abortionists believe that it is against the laws of God to have an abortion. If it is against God’s law, then it is between her and God and she will receive punishment for her decision. Some think it is still wrong to have an abortion if it threatens the mother’s life. Those who oppose abortions believe that if you one does not want her baby then one can give it up for adoption or keep it in certain organizations that can help them. Giving a child up for adoption is a good route if one does not intend to support her baby. Sometimes these unwanted children sit in orphanages until they are eighteen. The tax papers are paying for these children. It is it right for society to pay for the mistake of others? Most people will negate the very fact here. Everyone has a responsibility to society and should be responsible in society. There are many forms of birth control but none are one hundred percent. So if a woman is in a situation in which she wants to terminate her pregnancy, she should be allowed without people yelling at her that she is a murderer. Abortion is a very sensitive topic. There will always be controversy surrounding this issue. Having the right to choose should be a basic human right. This ensures that society would not have to pay for the long term care of unwanted children. If one wants to be a responsible citizen in the society, one should not do anything that would put a burden on society. If keeping abortions legal is a way of keeping the burden off society then it should be the case. From the Christian perspective, one of the Ten Commandments says that one cannot commit murder. So, if one were to consider only this quote then all and sundry would see abortion as fundamentally wrong and any justification for abortion would become a justification for murder itself and hence there would be no justification for murder, which indeed is the ultimate sin. A quote from the bible seems to strengthen this view which suggests that I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations’. This pretty much makes sure of the fact that God is the One to decide the fate of the child before it is born and abortion would prevent the child from fulfilling its potential. This would be fundamentally wrong and would not have any justification, in performing an abortion, a doctor may unwittingly be ending the life of a famous prophet before it has even begun; something which anyone would have to agree is not a good thing. We can replace the word prophet here with a sportsman, a celebrity or a social worker for that matter as well. The Catholic Church holds the view that abortion is wrong. They believe that to justify the killing of an unborn child one would also have to justify the killing of any human being given the same set of circumstances. A fetus has as much right to live as anyone else. There are many Christians who would disagree with this view and they would say that the unborn child has the right to live and that it is preferable that they may be allowed to do so. They would not, however, see this right as being all-important. They believe that there are circumstances in which terminating an unborn fetus is justified. This is demonstrated by the official stance of the Church of England. Even though the church believes that the fetus is to be specially respected and protected, nonetheless, the life of the fetus is not absolutely sacred if it endangers the life of the mother. The anti abortionists using many of the arguments given above contest this view, that the life of the mother is more important than that of the unborn child. The fetus is a human being and so to have an abortion simply to save the mothers life would be to make a decision to kill one person for the sake of another. This is the sort of decision that only God can make and quite rightly so. I think that in times like today, it is widely accepted that the fact of abortion has been a subject of conversation and controversy for many decades. Since the proportion of people who accept abortion as a ‘normal’ procedure is equal to the proportion of those who think of abortion as a ‘crime’, through time a lot of measurements have been taken against abortion but concerning its defense as well. In the end, it is stated here that even though the fact of abortion has been examined through its scientific and religious side, a person has the responsibility to initially examine the whole process related with abortion from an ethical point of view first and foremost and then only comment on it. Indeed in present times, it is a fact that around 40% of the 1.1 million pregnancies of females under the age of twenty annually are terminated by induced abortions. Nearly one-third of all abortions are done on women under the age of twenty. A substantial number and proportion of abortions are obtained by teenagers. In 1981 more than 1 in 4 of the estimated 1,577,340 abortions performed were to teenagers; 6 out of 10 to 15-19 year olds were to teenagers 18-19 years of age. Similarly, talking about this issue tells us that the number of teenage abortions has risen since the Supreme Court decision in 1973, but not as rapidly as the number of abortions to other woman of childbearing age. The increase in number of abortions has been greater for older teenagers. Between the ages 15-19, the number of abortions went from 232,440 in 1973 to 433,330 in 1981, an increase of 86%. Below age 15, the increase was 31%, from 11,630 to 15,240. Teenagers between 18 and 19 years of age have the highest demand for abortion services for women of any age, at 61.8 per 1,000 in 1981. For teenagers aged 15-17 years, the rate was 30.1%. For teenagers below age 15 it was 8.6. The rise in teenage abortion rates has been greater than that for women of childbearing age overall. Between 1973 and 1981, abortion rates for teenagers between 15 and 19 years went from 22.8 to 43.3 an increase of 90%. For teenagers below 15, the increase was 54%, from 5.6 to 8.6. In comparison the increase for all females of childbearing age was 80%, from 16.3 to 29.3. The rising rates of abortion in 1973 reflect a substantial rise in teenage sexual activity. BIBLIOGRAPHY Mohr, James C. (1979). Abortion in America: The Origins and Evolution of National Policy, 1800-1900. Oxford University Press Segers, Mary C. (1995). Abortion Politics In American States. M E Sharpe Rossier, Clementine. (2003). Estimating Induced Abortion Rates: A Review. Studies in Family Planning Vol. 34 Orend, Brian. (2003). Who Should Pay (and How Much) for Realizing Human Rights? International Journal of Politics and Ethics Vol. 3 Forsythe, David P. (2000). The United States and Human Rights: Looking Inward and Outward. University of Nebraska Press Wilson, James Q. (1994). On Abortion. Vol. 97 Frohock, Fred M. (1985). Abortion: A Case Study In Law And Morals. Greenwood Press Wilde, Ralph. (1999). Human Rights: The Essential Reference. Oryx Press Vorster, J M. (2002). Human Rights and Moral Conflicts. The Ecumenical Review Vol. 54 Hussey, Laura. (2004). Does Abortion Access Protect Womens Health? World and I Vol. 19 Word Count: 1,286 Read More