...The issue of abortion is one that has been at the recent forefront of many political discussions in the United States and around the world. There are people spread across both sides of the argument whose opinions vary in intensity and depend on different sources of information to back up their points of view. For the purpose of this paper, abortion will be defined as the deliberate termination of human pregnancy. It is my opinion that abortion, completed early enough in a pregnancy, is not an unethical act and should not be considered to be a decision that is immoral. My argument is based on ideas that are rooted in both utilitarian and deontological ethics as I will show throughout the essay. One of the few religions to condone acts of abortion is Hinduism. This is not to say, however, that Hinduism is blindly accepting of all kinds of abortion. In Hinduism, the belief is that one should make a decision based on what kind of effect it will have on all those involved. This is a very utilitarian way of looking at abortion because it looks at the decision and determines which choice will cause the least amount of harm to the mother, father, fetus, and society (BBC, 2013). Traditionally in Hindu culture, when considering circumstances where abortion is a possible solution to a problem, it is usually found that the procedure is not the appropriate response to the situation and aborting the baby would have negative social and spiritual consequences. I believe this is important because...
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...The Fight Against Abortion: A Research Proposal Heather Fox English 102 Timothy Broyles 3/31/12 Heather Fox English 102 Timothy Broyles March 31, 2012 The Fight Against Abortion There are approximately 1.5 million abortions performed each year in the United States and at least 46% of Americans will have an abortion at some time in their lives. (Stotland) When it comes to abortions, nearly 3 out of every 100 women between the ages of 15 to 44 have abortions. (Stotland) These statistics seem to be growing each year and has begun to look like an alternate use of contraceptive. My previous research has shown that people are abusing their privileges, and turning to the cruel act of abortion under any circumstance. Is abortion ever an acceptable approach or should abortion be outlawed in all states for every situation on hand ultimately considering it murder? My overall research will support my thesis that abortion is never the true answer provided the many alternatives available to everyone and therefore should be illegal in the United States. Through my research, I hope to provide information that will show the complications and consequences of abortion. I plan to give the reader enough knowledge on abortion so they will become aware of how important it is to avoid this option. To accomplish this, my research will show how vital it is to take the proper steps to prevent unwanted or unplanned pregnancies. In order to truly change people’s minds the...
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...Sabrina VanDerwarker Elisabeth Rutledge English 1302_71 25 November 2014 Researched Argument Audience Analysis: Abortion 1. Who is your audience? What is the name of the person or group for whom you are writing this argument? Why have you chosen this person or group as your target audience? Why will your argument have exigence for your audience? My audience would be to pregnant women. I have chosen my audience to be pregnant women because women who get pregnant are often asked if they know all their options. 2. How open is your audience to your argument? Is it undecided or hostile? Keep in mind that the more hostile your audience is, the more time you will need to spend establishing common ground between you and your audience. My audience would have to be more towards hostile because abortion is a sensitive subject to some people. 3. How will you organize your argument to accommodate your audience’s level of openness to your position? Will your argument have a classical structure? Will it have a Rogerian structure? Will you be presenting your reasons and evidence before directly stating your thesis? Why, based on your knowledge of your audience, will your argument have the organization you will be using? I will give both of the sides of the argument and keep an open mind when presenting both sides. My argument will have a Rogerian structure and my thesis will come after all the evidence is presented. 4. What are your audience's priorities and goals? What...
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...Health Ethics Paper #1 Mary Pluski Case Abortion, which is the termination of pregnancy by the removal of an embryo or fetus, has had an extensive history of controversy. The controversy has been centered on whether or not abortion should be legalized. In Mary Pluski's case, I do not think it is morally wrong for her to want to have the abortion. She wants to have the abortion, because she's not ready to have any children. She was not having sex for the pleasure of it, she was raped and that is believed to be the cause of the pregnancy. I personally feel that a women should be allowed to choose if she wants to have an abortion or if she wants to keep the baby. I believe in pro-choice, which means that a woman should have complete control of her decision to either continue with the pregnancy or terminate the pregnancy. In the Mary Pluski Case, she was raped, became pregnant and does not want to have a baby. She is not ready to take care of a baby and she does not want to bring a baby into the world while she is not ready to make that change into her life. In some cases of rape, abortion can be seen as a method to free the woman of the pain and trauma the victim may have received. For plenty women, giving birth to a child that resulted from a rape can be just as brutal as the rape itself. I believe the ethical theory my argument reflects would be Act Utilitarianism. The person that may or may not have the abortion is making a decision for a certain reason....
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...Is Abortion Moral? (From a Biblical Christian Perspective) Name of Author College Abortion refers to the removal of the pregnancy tissues, which includes the fetus and the placenta from a pregnant woman's womb. The other terms that are similar are termination of pregnancy or elective abortion among others. There have been several arguments on whether abortion is morally right or not. The argument follows the opinions generated from the religious followers who are mostly against abortion. Child abandonment, infanticide, and abortion were allowed under the Roman law during the times of Jesus (Bokenkotter 1990). It is surprising to find that Jesus never addressed the case since for Christians to read. Even if He did, it was never documented. This concern can make a Christian fail to know whether abortion is condemned by God or not. From the Bible, there is no clear evidence on whether abortion is moral or immoral. However, drawing lessons from some of the verses in the bible clearly indicates that the practice of abortion violates the moral obligations. A good example is from the book of Jeremiah in the Bible, in chapter one from verse four to five, which say that before the birth of Jeremiah, the Lord had consecrated him. The Load had already chosen prophet Jeremiah to be a famous prophet to the nations. God Himself new Jeremiah as a human being before birth and considered him to live in order to carry out His mission. God could not have allowed Jeremiah to die. Biblically it is...
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...stability. Battle lines had been drawn and the Liberals and Conservatives were ready to duke it out on a number of issues. One of these debates centers on a woman's right to have and abortion. According to the Webster's dictionary and abortion is defined as a miscarry, something misshapen or unnatural. An abortion is a procedure in which an embryo or fetus is prohibited from developing by artificial means. One could argue that this is next to murder. How can we as a society sanction the murdering of developing babies? Also it can equally be stated that abortion is unnatural and a health hazard to women who have undergone the procedure. Whatever the case, abortion should be outlawed because it is immoral and mothers should face the responsibilities of their actions. Many arguments can be used in order to put an end to abortion or at least in order to establish dialogue. One of the oldest arguments against abortion is the religious standpoint. Western society (Canada & U.S.A.) is historically a Judeo-Christian culture with Judeo-Christian values. Although in recent times we have become an increasingly pluristic society the Old World thinking is still at the heart of our social relations and laws. The Bible says "Thou shalt not kill" thus prohibiting people from harming others or themselves. Abortion and its advocates violate this law. They seek to change one of the most fundamental values of our...
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...Is Abortion Moral? (From a Biblical Christian Perspective) Name of Author College Abortion refers to the removal of the pregnancy tissues, which includes the fetus and the placenta from a pregnant woman's womb. The other terms that are similar are termination of pregnancy or elective abortion among others. There have been several arguments on whether abortion is morally right or not. The argument follows the opinions generated from the religious followers who are mostly against abortion. Child abandonment, infanticide, and abortion were allowed under the Roman law during the times of Jesus (Bokenkotter 1990). It is surprising to find that Jesus never addressed the case since for Christians to read. Even if He did, it was never documented. This concern can make a Christian fail to know whether abortion is condemned by God or not. From the Bible, there is no clear evidence on whether abortion is moral or immoral. However, drawing lessons from some of the verses in the bible clearly indicates that the practice of abortion violates the moral obligations. A good example is from the book of Jeremiah in the Bible, in chapter one from verse four to five, which say that before the birth of Jeremiah, the Lord had consecrated him. The Load had already chosen prophet Jeremiah to be a famous prophet to the nations. God Himself new Jeremiah as a human being before birth and considered him to live in order to carry out His mission. God could not have allowed Jeremiah to die. Biblically it is...
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...Abortion Essays A01: Explain religious and ethical arguments against abortion. (30) Generally, religious teachings are against abortion – most teachings suggest that protecting the defenceless and protecting human life are important values in religion. Although ethical systems could be seen to allow abortion, the focus is totally on the many ethical arguments that are pro life. Firstly, an ethical argument against abortion could be derived from Utilitarianism, particularly Bentham’s utilitarianism including the hedonic calculus. Take a circumstance where a woman is considering terminating her pregnancy. Combine the potential pain and guilt she would experience and add it to the pain the foetus may experience (which some scientists believe could be as early as 16 weeks) and this would outweigh the pain she would experience putting her own interests aside. It is likely that in this particular instance Bentham would be against Abortion. The hedonic calculus can also be applied against abortion., by applying all 7 factors of the calculus to a certain situation. E.g. If a 15 girl became pregnant the calculus can be applied to argue the pro life stance.. The guilt at having an abortion is immediate (remoteness), having an abortion may reduce her choices and freedom in life as it may reduce her chances of having a baby (Richness), the girl having aborted a child may feel such intense guilt that she cannot enjoy any pleasures (intensity), The lack of freedom from the pain/guilt...
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...Maxwell Husband St. Joseph’s University Moral Foundations T/TR 8:30-9:45 “Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice” Abortion is and forever will be a very controversial topic of discussion. It has been debated for years whether it is morally right or wrong. Abortion is a unique subject in that it involves not only morality but also a large amount of theology, emotion, and law. It is also unique because it forces people to choose one side or the other, there is a very small gray area when it comes to this debate, and the side that I will fall on in this essay is the pro-choice side. In this essay I will attempt prove that abortion is not murdering an innocent fetus and that the arguments for pro-choice are stronger than the ones for pro-life. The main point of disagreement between the two sides is what constitutes life, when does human life actually begin? I believe to construct a sound argument this issue must be examined first. I will then go on to cover other various pro-choice points such as a women’s right to choose, the quality of life for the potential child, and the extreme circumstances that will disprove the notion that abortion is morally wrong. As stated in my opening paragraph, the key issue in the case of abortion is determining the status of the fetus in the sense of its humanity. It is my belief that a fetus does not qualify as a human. I agree with Warren when she states that “human being” is a term that is not often distinguished, she suggests that there are two...
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...Argumentative Essay: Should Abortion Be Illegal? The legalization of abortion has been an issue that has been argued both publically and privately for several decades. In all social circles this subject is very sensitive because of the moral and emotional factors involved. For the religious community, it’s a matter of morality and biblical law. For the lay person or non-religious community it’s a matter of choice. In the political arena it’s a matter of economics. The one factor that stands out the most about this issue is that it is of a personal nature. The question at hand is should we legalize abortion, and should women on government assistance be able to receive an abortion as the expense of tax payers? In order to respond to this question responsibly let’s take a look back history to get a better understanding of abortion. Abortion actually dates back to Biblical times when women consumed an herbal concoction that would induce a spontaneous expulsion of a fetus. Though this practice often resulted in not ending the pregnancy or in the death of the mother and the fetus it was documented (Fox, 2012). Throughout history there have been documented incidents of abortion. In fact, in early American history, abortion was illegal and the death of the fetus was considered to be murder. Since the great legal battle of Roe verses Wade (Profile, 1973), advocates of women’s rights have continued to fight for a woman’s right to choose. This brings Fox, P. (2012). About...
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...There Should be Limits to Abortion I do not believe there should be limitations on abortions. In my personally beliefs the government should not tell a woman what she can and can not do with their bodies. If a female decides to have a baby the choice whether to keep it or not should be up to her and her alone. Who is the government to tell a female she can not have an abortion, or put restrictions on having abortions? What is next are they going to limit the amount of children a female can have like they do in China? Why stop at females what kind of laws they going to be put against men. With the Patriotic law and our government spying on us is that not enough why tell females about abortions. Did the Women’s movement of the 1970s mean nothing at all if men still are going to tell females what to do? I wonder what is next are they going to turn over the 19th Amendment that allows women to vote. The government has entirely to much power over our lives. The Supreme Court decision in Roe V. Wade made it possible for a woman to have an abortion. Prior to the decision many women were dying performing illegal abortions all because they could not have a legal one. Studies show that prior to Roe V. Wade they were many unwanted pregnancies in America. According to The New York Daily News article entitled “Do People agree with Abortion” a staggering 89% of people agree that the government should not put limits on abortions. Another poll shows that 1% of all abortions occur because of rape...
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...Abortion Abortion always has been a touchy subject for people to speak of. There are groups who believe in pro-choice and groups who believe in pro-life. Whichever side is chosen, people are entitled to their own opinions. There are arguments for both sides that support personal, religious, and cultural beliefs. My views on the subject is pro-choice. All women should be able to decide what happens to their bodies and no person or government should be allowed to force that decision upon us. According to the article in the New York Times, “Voters Speak on Abortion Rights,” “Florida voters rejected the proposed amendment to the State Constitution that would prohibit abortion coverage as part of the health plans for state workers and Medicaid recipients” (The New York Times, 2012). By prohibiting abortion coverage, once again the government is forcing their beliefs on women. Without coverage, it will be difficult for women to decide what they want to do with their bodies because they will not have access to insurance coverage and will not be able to afford an abortion. We were born as United States Citizens and we were given the rights to be protected by discrimination. Taking our rights away by not allowing us to choose what happens to our bodies is discrimination against all women. Whether women believe in abortions or not, their rights against freedom of choice is unquestionably violated. The credibility, reliability, and validity of this article is dependable...
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...Abortion in the United States Valora Hawkins, Tracy Avila, Timothy Easter, and Veronica Holifield BCOM/275 June 18, 2012 Les Colegrove Abortion is one of the most controversial topics to date in the United States. Because of the complexity and issues involved, there are those individuals who are for abortion, and those who are against. There is neutrality that extends between the two, with those who are one the fence depending on circumstantial situations. In this paper our group of four peers debate the topic, and base a conclusion on weather women in the United States should have the right to abortion, based on the arguments themselves. Today, the reference of for and against, is better known as pro-choice and pro-life. Pro choice (abortions) refer to the political and ethical view that a woman should have complete right over her fertility, and that she should have the freedom to decide whether she wants to continue or terminate her pregnancy (Bose, 2012). According to pro-life advocates, women who demand complete control of their body should also shoulder the responsibility of preventing unwanted pregnancy, and that the result of an unplanned pregnancy, rape or incest, aborting the embryo is equivalent to punishing the unborn child (Bose, 2012). The position that Valora has in this debate, is that it is the woman’s choice to decide whether or not to have an abortion, but also to understand that it is their responsibility to protect against unwanted pregnancies by...
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...A Defense of Abortion by Judith Jarvis Thomson Abortion can be a very touchy subject for many people for many different reasons. The knowledge that goes along with having an opinion about abortion is sometimes nonexistent; I have heard presentation after presentation about what people’s opinions are without the intelligence that you should have when you are bill boarding those thoughts. Reading A Defense of Abortion by Judith Jarvis Thomson is an article that covers these topics from the most common arguments to her personal thought experiments and it a has a refreshing way of discussing the arguments. I also find that every time I read the article I change my mind about what her feelings about the subject truly are. The most common and the first argument that Thomson discusses is that people believe that the fetus is a human being from the time of conception. Thomson argues this point by saying we are told to think of the development of fetus to birth and through childhood as a continuous life and then we are told to pick a point and draw and line showing "before this point the thing is not a person, after this point it is a person", which in my opinion and I believe Thomson’s as well is just showing the fetus and even the infant is not a person and makes the argument invalid. Then she also goes on to explore the idea that just because an acorn becomes an oak tree it doesn’t mean an acorn is an oak tree, or should just say this is true since we say a fetus is a person? If we...
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...to describe how the doubting game is all about being skeptical and analytical with every decision or idea possible. It is the scrutinizing process to uncover weaknesses in an argument, like hidden contradictions or bad reasoning’s. The believing game however, is the exact opposite of the doubting game. This practice is using the welcoming process to not only hear the ideas that may be different from our own but to actually believe what is being said. Elbow says, “Often we cannot see what is good in someone else’s idea until we work at believing it.” After reading the article, I fully agree with this approach as even an idea that is not one I agree with should be taken at least under consideration as to what is actually being said. If we do that, we could eventually believe it. ProCon.org has listed fifty two pros and cons of the most controversial issues facing our world today. For the sake of argument and research, I chose the topic of Abortion. On the website, the question is posed, “Should Abortion Be Legal?” To be completely honest, I feel as though abortion should in fact be legal. Secondly, as a man, I feel that I have absolutely no say in what a woman can or cannot do with her body. Abortion has zero effect on me personally as it is not my body. Of course, we can make the argument if it was my wife or girlfriend that I should have a say in the matter, and that could be true however, overall, as a man I do not feel like I can tell a woman what to do with her body. I...
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