Abortion
"Can a woman forget her infant, or be without tenderness for the child in her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I forget thee"? - Isaiah 49:15
No social issue in America since slavery has been more controversial than that of abortion. Abortion is an issue of global significance, which introduces a conflict of concepts and values. There can not be a universal rule to tell us what is ethically right or wrong, because of the many different cultures and religions beliefs, along with knowledge sources (such as the internet, books, and talk shows) which expose different view points. Abortion is considered a social problem because it affects the whole society (whether it is positively or negatively). Abortion is a visceral issue, what one side views as a women's right, the other sees as a murder. This issue is considered a "circular debates because they are not right or wrong, they're about what people believe, and values are non-moving" (Zinko). It has been 33 years since the Roe v. Wade descion and this issue still remains as divisive as ever.
Abortion was legal in the United States from the time of the earliest settlers. Abortion has been performed for thousands of years in every society that has been studied (National Abortion Federation). Beginning in the mid-to-late 1800's laws were being passed in many states making abortion illegal, to protect women's lives. Many ancient tribes would have a pregnant women endure excessive horseback riding, forcing the baby to be born prematurely, and if the baby was not born dead, they would then kill it (National Abortion Federation). During the 1800's all surgeries (including abortion) were extremely risky due to unclean primitive medical practices. With legal abortions being prohibited from the 1800s until 1973 it is estimated that the number of illegal abortions performed was around 1.2 million per year (National Abortion Federation). Although no accurate records were kept, it is estimated that...
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