Abortion misc13 Essay Example For Students

Abortion misc13 Essay Many people believe abortion is a moral issue, butit is also a constitutional issue. It is a womans right to choose what she does with her body, and it should not be altered or influenced by anyone else. This right is guaranteed by the ninth amendment, whichThe ninth amendment states: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not beconstrued to deny or disparage others retained bythe people. This right guarantees the right to women, if they so choose, to have an abortion, upRegardless of the fact of morals, a woman has the right to privacy and choice to abort her fetus. The people that hold a pro-life view argue that a womanwho has an abortion is killing a child. The pro-choice perspective holds this is not the case. A fetus is not yet a baby. It does not posess the criteria derived from our understanding of living human beings. In a notable defense of this position, philosopher Mary Anne Warren has proposed the following criteria1) consciousness (of objects and events external and or internal to the being), and in particular the capacity 2) reasoning (the developed capacity to solve new 3) self-motivated activity (activity which is relativelyindependent of either genetic or direct external control)4) the capacity to communicate, by whatever means, messages of an indefinite variety of possible contents,but on indefinltely many possible topics. 5) the presence of self-concepts, and self-awareness,either individual or social, or both. (Taking Sides Several cases have been fought for the right to choose. Many of these have been hard cases with very personal feelings, but the perserverance showed through and gives us the rights we have today. Here are some important cases: 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut upheld the right to privacy and ended the ban on birthcontrol. Eight years later, the Supreme Court ruled the right to privacy included abortions. Roe v. Wadewas based upon this case. 1973 Roe v. Wade: The state of Texas had outlawed abortions. The Supreme Courtdeclared the law unconstitutional, but refused toorder an injunction against the state. On January 22, 1973,the Supreme Court voted the right to privacy included abortions. In 1976, Planned Parenthood v. Danforth (Missouri) ruled that requiring consent by the husband and the consent from a parent if a person was under 18 was unconstitutional. This case supported a womans control over her own bodyJustice William Brennan stated: If the right to privacy means anything, it is the right of the individual, married or single, to be free from unwanted governmental intrusion into matters so fundamentally affecting a person as the decision to Abortion is one of the most controversial issuesin the world today. Everyone has their own individual opinion. A womans body is hers and hers alone. Nobody has the right to make her do something thatshe does not want to. The Supreme Court has statedit is the womens right to have an abortion, if sheso chooses, according to Roe v. Wade. In later cases however, the Court has upheld Roe in Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania v. Casey (1992). In the same ruling, though, the Court gave states new powers to restrictaccess to abortions. (Hardy, pg. 189). Abortion deals with ones private life and should have nothing to do with the government. However, abortion should not be used as a means of birth control, but if a fetus will be unwanted, it is better to be aborted than to Many people try to force their beliefs on others and judge them for their actions. These people needto judge themselves before they start to judge others. The bottom line is no matter what anyone thinks the laws speak for themselves. It is a womansright to privacy to control her reproductive system Although there are some restrictions on abortion, due to the states rights, it is still ultimatelythe womans choice. It is not a requirement for some states to fund for abortions, therefore, especially in these states it should be the womanschoice. Abortion is an issue of women, and so it should be the womans right to choose. She has thefree will to consider others views and opinions suchas that of the father, but it is her ultimate decisionBibliography:Dana PentoneyKare n SipesJen RoaneGovernment in Americaby Richard J. Hardycopyright 1994page 189Taking Sides on Clashing Views of ControversialBioethical Issuesby Carol LevineVolume 3 copyright 1991pages: 4-8