Abortion: Defending a Right to Choose
Abortion: Defending a Right to Choose
In the beginning long before Roe v. Wade, opinions regarding abortion were prevalent in regard to pro-life ideals to include the original Hippocratic Oath that states, “I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly, I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy,” however, in today’s society many changes have occurred and pro-choice has become a staple among many who believe a woman has the right to choose which can also be reflected in the 1964 revision of the Hippocratic Oath by Louis Lasagna which makes no reference to abortive remedies for women.
There are several different arguments in relation to when a fetus can and should be considered a human being. The question of when life begins is never more profound than when it becomes relevant to this issue of abortion. From a pro-choice point of view, the status of a fetus is a matter of individual opinion. In retrospect, we must understand that regardless of whether a fetus is human or has rights, women will have abortions anyway, even if it means breaking the law or risking their lives. The Catholic Church opposes and condemns any and all direct abortions even those resulting from rape, incest, and those that present a danger to the life of the mother. However according to the NAF (National Abortion Federation), women who obtain abortions represent every religious affiliation with 13% of abortion patients describing themselves as born-again or Evangelical Christians; while 22% of U.S. women are Catholic and 27% of abortion patients say there are Catholics ( Guttmacher Institute, 2003). This is why we should leave the decision up to women’s moral conscience, and make sure that they are provided with safe, legal, and accessible abortions. Because the status of a fetus is a matter of subjective opinion, and the only opinion that matters is that of pregnant women. For example, a happily pregnant
In the beginning long before Roe v. Wade, opinions regarding abortion were prevalent in regard to pro-life ideals to include the original Hippocratic Oath that states, “I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly, I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy,” however, in today’s society many changes have occurred and pro-choice has become a staple among many who believe a woman has the right to choose which can also be reflected in the 1964 revision of the Hippocratic Oath by Louis Lasagna which makes no reference to abortive remedies for women.
There are several different arguments in relation to when a fetus can and should be considered a human being. The question of when life begins is never more profound than when it becomes relevant to this issue of abortion. From a pro-choice point of view, the status of a fetus is a matter of individual opinion. In retrospect, we must understand that regardless of whether a fetus is human or has rights, women will have abortions anyway, even if it means breaking the law or risking their lives. The Catholic Church opposes and condemns any and all direct abortions even those resulting from rape, incest, and those that present a danger to the life of the mother. However according to the NAF (National Abortion Federation), women who obtain abortions represent every religious affiliation with 13% of abortion patients describing themselves as born-again or Evangelical Christians; while 22% of U.S. women are Catholic and 27% of abortion patients say there are Catholics ( Guttmacher Institute, 2003). This is why we should leave the decision up to women’s moral conscience, and make sure that they are provided with safe, legal, and accessible abortions. Because the status of a fetus is a matter of subjective opinion, and the only opinion that matters is that of pregnant women. For example, a happily pregnant