Locate an article on a controversial subject where the author makes an argument you do not agree with - Essay Example

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Locate an article on a controversial subject where the author makes an argument you do not agree with

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Subject: Other
Type: Essay
Level: High School
Pages: 1 (250 words)
Downloads: 2
Author: greeneaston

Extract of sample "Locate an article on a controversial subject where the author makes an argument you do not agree with"

The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime Abortion has been and remains one of the controversial issues in the human society. Some of the arguments surrounding this issue include the impacts of its legalization on abortion rates and, death rates among girls and women. But one article I found so controversial and which I do not agree with is one written by John Donohue and Steven Levitt published in 2001 in the Quarterly Journal of Economics. The article was about the impact of legalized abortion on crimes.

Using reliable data as their support, Donohue and Levitt argued that the legalization of abortion reduces crime rates. The data they used to defend their position was that of crime rates in the US in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Truly, the crime rates for 1970s and 1980s were high compared to 1990s. The two authors claim that the reduced crime rates in 1990s was due to the legalization of abortion in the US in 1973. To them, legalization of abortion led to reduction of unwanted babies. They based their claims on the ground that males of ages 18-24 are most likely to commit crimes.

By 1990s, babies born from 1973 were 17 years and above. A reduction of crime rates in 1990s therefore meant that most of those who commit crimes are people originating from unwanted/unplanned pregnancies. I dispute the above claims. First, the rate of murder of 14-17 year in 1993 was 3.6 times that of 14-17 year olds in 1984. The first lot was born during the high-abortion period of 1975-1979 while the second lot was born during the pre-legalization period of 1966-1970. This means legalization of abortion had little impact on crime rates among those born post-legalization period.

Secondly, if legalization reduces crime rates, a decline in crime should therefore have started from the youth. Contrasting to the above fact, reduction in crime was first recorded among the older people, those born pre-legalization period. Thirdly, it is also a fact that legal abortions from 1973 were just replacing illegal abortions of the pre-legalization period. Reduce crime rates can be linked to other logical facts like improved crime detection prevention and control methods. It can also be linked to improved intervention measures like education and employment, and rehabilitation of offenders which have reduced re-offense rates.

Abortion itself is a crime. It is murder just like any other murder. So it is ironical to say an addition of crime A has led to a general reduction in crime. References Donohue, J. and Levitt, S. (2001). “The Impact of Legalized Abortion on. Crime Quarterly Journal of Economics (2) pp 379-416.

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