Abortion Philosophy

Abortion has been a known practice among women for thousands of years. It has been legal in the United States since the first settlers crossed the ocean centuries ago. There was legislation in the nineteenth century that made abortions legal in some states, but ever since the revolutionary Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade, women are given the right to decide to have an abortion or not. In recent years, abortions have become a safer way to terminate one’s pregnancy, and involve much less risk than in the past. Women abort their fetuses for numerous reasons, including lack of money, cases of rape, and illness among other things. Medicine has developed safer ways to have an abortion, and it gives probable mothers another option when dealing with pregnancy. Abortion is morally permissible because women have the natural right to control their own bodies, and make respectful decisions for the good of themselves, their body, and their health. First off, the United States Supreme Court Case Roe vs. Wade gives rights to women on abortions. The decision clearly outlines that “states were forbidden from outlawing or regulating any aspect of abortion performed during the first trimester of pregnancy, could only enact abortion regulations reasonably related to maternal health in the second and third trimesters, and could enact abortion laws protecting the life of the fetus only in the third trimester” (McBride). The supreme governing body of the United States gave the full right to women to decide what is best for their bodies during pregnancy. Any people who believe this is an issue need to look at the precedent set by those Supreme Court judges back in the 1970s. To go against the ruling of the Supreme Court is going against the given autonomy of the people of the United States. It is their right to decide, and that right should not be challenged nor changed.
Additionally, abortion is morally permissible because fetuses are not considered human beings while in the wound.