Social Issue about Abortion - Essay Example

c. Social effects of legalizing or illegalizing abortion This section will discuss how women are affected by making abortion either legal or illegal and cite a case study. It will also give the views of the group opposed to abortion and that supporting it. d. Abortion and the society. This section will discuss how the society views abortion as a practice, and the women who have undertaken it. It will also highlight the social responsibility of women with regards to unwanted pregnancies and abortion. e. Summary This part will give a summary of what is contained in the paper.

The section will also suggest the considerations women need to take before opting to terminate a pregnancy. f. Works Cited This section will give an annotated bibliography of all the sources that were used and consulted in this research. Introduction Abortion is the termination of pregnancy by removal of a developing fetus or embryo from the womb before it reaches an age where it can survive independently (Singer 7). It may occur spontaneously or be induced, and results in loss of the embryo.

When induced, abortion may be either illegal or legal and facilitated by methods like use of sharp tools, traditional means, physical trauma or use of herbs. Contemporary and safer methods are legal under certain circumstances and make use of surgical means and medication to induce abortion. Whether legal or not, abortion presents individuals with a social and moral dilemma, creating an emotional environment (Singer 11). It has easily become one of the most debated and controversial subjects in the United States, placing the law and ethics in conflict.

In the United States, 40 percent of the citizens support abortion, while an equal percentage is against it, calling for its ban with certain exceptions. Those arguing that it is a choice opine that a pregnant woman has the authority to decide whether to terminate her pregnancy or carry it to birth without state interference. They hold the notion that the state has no right to tell anyone what to do with their pregnancies. On the other hand, a second group argues that from the moment a fetus or embryo is conceived, it is alive and the mother and state bear the moral obligation to protect and preserve it.

They equate abortion to murder (Moore 43). This paper will research the social issues regarding abortion and how it is perceived by different groups of people in society, including the reasons they give for their stand. Literary materials will be used to obtain information. Abortion, Ethics and the Law The groups in support of abortion view it as the pregnant women’s right. In 1973, the law legalized abortion in all states and established it as a basic constitutional right. A woman may have an abortion at request in the first trimester without restriction, but the second trimester has several restrictions to protect her own health.

However, arguments against it claim that the human race is based on the principle that under the law, all are created equally (Lee 28). They emphasize the fact that there are no subhuman beings. No single human’s rights may be held superior to other humans. In abortion, the right to life of the fetus is taken away from it by the same law that is supposed to protect it. Ethically, it is the slaughter of the innocent by granting pregnant women the freedom of choice in regards to their choice of the