Abortion
An abortion is a medical procedure that deliberately ends a pregnancy
This medical procedure has raised many ethical concerns which have led it to be a major political issue in American politics. In 1973, the supreme court case Roe vs Wade legalized abortions in the United States, which allows all women the choice in getting an abortion.
On one side, there is the Pro-Choice movement which advocates for legalized abortions and the right of women to choose to have an abortion.
On the other side, the Pro-Life movement claims that abortion is the murder of future children.
The Pro-Choice movement claims that legalized abortion is vital for multiple reasons:
If abortion becomes illegal, women who want to end a pregnancy will rely on unsafe methods to end a pregnancy in a non-medical setting. Keeping medically practiced abortion legal is protecting the safety of women.
Women who are unable to financially support a child, need an option to end a pregnancy because ultimately it is better to not have a child than to raise a child in poor conditions. Women who are raped should not be forced to go through with a pregnancy and should have an option to end the pregnancy.
The government should not get involved in a woman's personal and medical life, and restricting one's right to an abortion is unconstitutional.
The basis of the Pro-Life argument depends on the controversial question about when life begins for a fetus or baby.
Many in the Pro-life movement believe that life begins at conception, meaning that ending a pregnancy (having an abortion) at any time would take the life away from a child, which is unethical.
Others believe that life begins at the first heartbeat of the child (roughly 6 weeks into pregnancy). Therefore any abortion after 6 weeks is taking a life, which is unethical in their view.