The Two Sides of Abortion

In this world there are at least two sides to every story. The opposite sides are not necessarily good or bad, but different from each other. One of these “stories” is the story of abortion. Abortion is defined as the destruction or termination of a fetus while still in the mother's womb. However, abortion is so much more then just the definition. There are consequences. There are two sides: pro-life and pro-choice. There is controversy over which is the correct way to go. Personally knowing people who have chosen opposite sides on this one particular topic makes it one that truly means a lot to me as a writer.

Many people believe abortion is not only a moral issue, but a constitutional issue as well. Several cases have been fought for the right to choose. Many of these cases have been hard cases with extremely personal feelings attached to them. One of the most important cases that involve abortion is Roe vs. Wade. This case took place in 1973. The state of Texas had outlawed abortions. The Supreme Court declared the law unconstitutional. On January 22, 1973, The Supreme Court voted that the right to privacy included abortions. Another major case took place in 1976. Planned Parenthood vs. Danforth (Missouri) ruled that requiring consent by the husband and the consent of a parent if the person is under the age of 18 is unconstitutional.

The people that hold a “pro-life” point of view argue that a woman who has an abortion is killing an innocent child. There are many arguments against abortion claiming how unethical it is. Three of those arguments are the following: First, it has been proven that embryos bond to their mother during the first trimester or early in the second trimester (Fletcher pg.3). Second, a mother that has terminated her pregnancy early on has not had adequate time to think about her decision (American Life League 136). Finally, not only is the mother killing that one person, but she is also killing every other human being that would have existed due to that baby being born. (Ronald Reagan Speech-1983) When a person has this point of view towards abortion there is only one option, not having an abortion. Pro-lifer’s feel abortion is morally wrong, and that is equivalent to the murder of a living, breathing human being.

In contrast, people who hold a “pro-choice” perspective do not believe that this is the case. A fetus is not yet a baby. It does not possess the criteria derived from our understanding of human beings. Philosopher Mary Anne Warren has proposed the following criteria for “person-hood”: 1) consciousness, in particular the capacity to feel pain.