Abortion - Pro Choice - Pro LifeAccording to some, it is unfortunate that not everything that is immoral is illegal. But, there is disagreement among rational people as to what is moral and immoral. By what standard should we judge right and wrong in the case of abortion. The ConstitutionAlthough the Constitution uses the word, it does not define "person" in so many words. Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment contains three references to "person." The first, in defining "citizens," speaks of "persons born or naturalized in the United States." The word also appears both in the Due Process Clause and in the Equal Protection Clause. "Person" is used in other places in the Constitution:
But in nearly all these instances, the use of the word is such that it has application only postnatally. None indicates, with any assurance, that it has any possible pre-natal application. [410 U.S. 113, 158] In fact, the Constitution does not define what is morally right or wrong. Rather, it establishes limits on what areas of human conduct are appropriate for the making of Federal laws. The "Bill of Rights" specifically sets forth areas of conduct for which government is prohibited from taking regulatory action. Although the question of when life begins existed long before the writing of the Constitution, the founding fathers sidestepped the issue. Religious and Secular Views of When Life BeginsMost arguments about when life begins revolve around religious issues. Physical or biological facts appear to be secondary to the more subjective issues surrounding the "ensoulment" of the fetus, indicating when the fetus becomes a living human being.Life Begins at ConceptionThe unique code, DNA, that identifies an individual human being can be found in the fetus. This code remains unchanged throughout life. Others may argue that this code remains constant even in death, and thus is not an indicator of when life begins or ends. Life begins at conception is the official view of the Catholic Church and is held by many non-Catholics. Life Begins Some Time After Conception
Life Begins at ViabilityLife Begins at BirthOne's "personhood" for the purpose of computing age begins at birth. A person is one year old when they have been 12 months outside the womb. We do not celebrate a person being one year old after being only 3 months outside the womb. Some people have proposed an amendment to the U.S. constitution in the form:
Such an amendment could well have the effect of having a child be 4 years old in March, then when the amendment becomes effective, become legally 5 years old in June; the child would begin kindergarten at age 5 in September--one year earlier than expected. People would retire 9 month earlier and begin getting Social Security 9 months earlier. Such an amendment could have profound effects on our culture, and put the U.S. out of step with the rest of the world. No easy resolution of these positions seems possible. Opinions are largely polarized. Many who take one position consider those who take other positions as evil. Many who hold that human life begins at conception view abortion clinics as the equivalent of Nazi death camps. StudiesPublic opinion is hard to quantify. Survey results strongly depend on the exact wording of questions as well as the order in which various survey questions are asked. The most detailed Gallup poll ever done, by James Davison Hunter and Carl Bowman, indicates that 80% of adults believe abortion involves the destruction of a human life. Even so, most surveys indicate that women should have some access to abortion in at least the first trimester. Most say that abortion is always regrettable, but is a necessary evil.Several extensive studies have been done to determine why women have abortions. One 1988 survey
by the Alan Guttmacher Institute interviewed 1,900 women about to have an abortion. Planned
Parenthood reported the results in Family Planning Perspectives, July/August 1988. Women give
the following as the main reasons for their choosing abortion:
It is clear than the major arguments for abortion, health of mother, deformed children, and rape or incest amount to at most 7% of abortions. The vast majority, 93%, are for social reasons. When should abortions be legal? A poll conducted by the Wirthlin Group in November 1993 used the following question with the following results: Many people are interested in what the public thinks about abortion and the law.
I am going to read seven statements and I'd like you to tell me which one most closely reflects
your views on when abortion should be legal.
From the survey, 31% of the people believe abortions should be legal for any reason, some with reservations about the length of pregnancy. Two-thirds (67%) would restrict abortions for cause, including rape, incest, health or life of the mother, or never approve abortions. But, are opinions the only avenue for reasoning about the morality of abortion? No. There are reasoned arguments. There are basically three positions people take regarding the morality of abortion:
Moral AbsolutismThe views of moral absolutism are based on principles. The acceptance of various principles depends on whether the principle is appropriate to the situation. Often the concept of "living human being" is equated to our concept of a "legal person" who has certain specific rights. Personhood -- When is the Fetus a "legal person"? So, the definition of the whether the fetus is or is not a "legal person" or a "living human being" determines what principles to apply. Those favoring the right-to-life position use definitions of personhood that include the fetus as a person. These criteria often include:
These criteria include the fetus as a person having rights, including the right to life. The principles then favor anti-abortion or right-to-life arguments. This argument typically is:
Those who favor abortion include the above criteria for personhood, but often favor additional, more restrictive definitions of personhood that exclude the fetus. Such definitions often include:
Those who favor these less restrictive criteria for personhood favor looking to the rights of the mother. The mother's rights outweigh any rights of the "potential" person that the fetus might become. Alternatives to AbortionThose who favor "right to life" positions often seek to influence women who are thinking about abortion to consider alternatives. If 97% of abortions are for social reasons, then women in these situations need to be reached before they contact abortion clinics whose primary purpose is to "sell" abortions. This can be done through print media, radio, TV, and the schools. The Federal government supports and sponsors recreational sex among our teens through the distribution of condoms at school, the authorization of sexual explicit or suggestive TV programs, and support of abortions after the inevitable. Pro-life advocates insist that the government support concepts such as abstinence until marriage, and support councilling, and safe delivery options. Outlets for these services already exist. There are over 3,000 Crisis Pregnancy Centers in the U.S. that are ready to help women facing uncertainty over their situation. In addition to providing pregnancy tests and counseling, these centers often offer a full range of services, helping women obtain housing, maternity and baby clothes, baby equipment, pre- and post-natal medical care, legal assistance and financial support, information about adoption, and even advice on how a woman in school can continue her education.
The Ethics Newsletter Monthly news about ethics and morals in our world. It's what you need to know. You may be interested in visiting the following sites: Pro-life amendment petition
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