Morality of a Fetus

Is It All About the Morality of the Fetus? Today in the United States as well as all around our world, one of the most contested and debated issues, that everyone has some sort of opinion on is the subject of abortion. There are many different thoughts, ideals, and opinions on whether or not abortion is right, wrong, or even morally sane to do. There are clinics and hospitals that perform the procedures and at many of these locations there are groups who will hold protests against the operation as well as those who support it. But all of those issues are not what this essay is going to be about, this is going to inform you about whether or not all arguments about the subject abortion come down to the question of what is the moral status of the fetus. To first examine whether or not all arguments come down to the moral status of a fetus, we must first know what the definition of moral status is. The argument of the moral status of a fetus involves whether or not the fetus has the same standing or has the same legal status as a born and living human being. The moral status of any human can be legally developed and justified but does a fetus carry this same status with it? In this essay I want to show that not all arguments about abortion come down to the moral status of a fetus, although it can be one on the forefront, it is not the bottom line and where all arguments can come down to. One of the most prolific examples of arguments about abortion is the Roe vs. Wade lawsuit in the state of Texas. Prior to this court suit, it was illegal, in most states, for a woman to receive an abortion during the first trimester of a pregnancy. “The Roe v. Wade decision held that a woman, with her doctor, could choose abortion in earlier months of pregnancy without legal restrictions, and with legal restrictions in later months, based on the right to privacy” (Lewis, J). Ultimately it was decided that most laws against abortion violated a constitutional right to

Cited: Lewis, J.J. “Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision.” Web. 18 Jan. 2013. Retrieved from http://womenshistory.about.com/od/abortionuslegal/p/roe_v_wade.htm http://www.answers.com/topic/moral-status#ixzz2IM8JfrRr