Roe v. Wade
Period 4
Civics and economics honors
Roe v. Wade court case
“No woman can call herself free who does not have control over her own body.” – Margaret Sanger. No issue in comparison to the women’s rights movement has aroused such passion, conflict, and controversy as much as the right to an abortion. Roe v. Wade is a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion that has prompted an across the nation debate that continues today about the extension of an abortion’s legality. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy that dates back to ancient Egyptian times of the early 1550’s BCE. The issue of an abortion is so problematic because it is formed upon a person’s basic faiths, values, and beliefs of where the beginning of life starts and whether the termination of an unborn child is the equivalent to murder. The debate of abortion has become so nationally recognized that people have made and chosen sides; the opponents of abortion labeled “Pro-life” (Republicans), and the supporters of abortion and Roe labeled “Pro-choice” (Democrats). The government does not have the right to impede on a woman’s right to decide whether or not to continue a pregnancy or interfere with any woman’s right to do with her body as she wishes. It is no one’s place to make such an important life decision for someone else. By the government respecting the personal integrity of all the women in the United States and their choice to make profoundly personal decisions about their own reproductive lives without unwarranted government intrusion, they are able to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to make these decisions life-altering decisions individually. Honoring women means honoring their choices, including the choice of whether and when to have a child. Before Roe v. Wade, an estimated 1.2 million women annually resorted to illegal abortion despite the known hazards of
Civics and economics honors
Roe v. Wade court case
“No woman can call herself free who does not have control over her own body.” – Margaret Sanger. No issue in comparison to the women’s rights movement has aroused such passion, conflict, and controversy as much as the right to an abortion. Roe v. Wade is a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion that has prompted an across the nation debate that continues today about the extension of an abortion’s legality. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy that dates back to ancient Egyptian times of the early 1550’s BCE. The issue of an abortion is so problematic because it is formed upon a person’s basic faiths, values, and beliefs of where the beginning of life starts and whether the termination of an unborn child is the equivalent to murder. The debate of abortion has become so nationally recognized that people have made and chosen sides; the opponents of abortion labeled “Pro-life” (Republicans), and the supporters of abortion and Roe labeled “Pro-choice” (Democrats). The government does not have the right to impede on a woman’s right to decide whether or not to continue a pregnancy or interfere with any woman’s right to do with her body as she wishes. It is no one’s place to make such an important life decision for someone else. By the government respecting the personal integrity of all the women in the United States and their choice to make profoundly personal decisions about their own reproductive lives without unwarranted government intrusion, they are able to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to make these decisions life-altering decisions individually. Honoring women means honoring their choices, including the choice of whether and when to have a child. Before Roe v. Wade, an estimated 1.2 million women annually resorted to illegal abortion despite the known hazards of