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Structural Functionalism And Abortion Essay

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Structural Functionalism And Abortion Essay
Back in 1973, The Supreme Court made an unforgettable decision on abortion rights titled Roe vs. Wade. Previous to Roe vs. Wade, the State law entailed that one can only get an abortion if the mother’s life is in jeopardy. Today’s abortion laws declare that it is forbidden to regulate abortions during the first trimester. During the second trimester, abortion regulations can only be enacted if the mothers’ health is threatened and the third trimester is when regulations are enacted to protect the fetus. Since this court ruling, abortion rights have become a prominent social issue that has divided our nation because of the two antipodal opinions on the matter.

Pro Life vs. Pro Choice are the two different takes on the matter. Pro Life people are against abortion while Pro Choice people believe that you have the right to choose to get an abortion or not, not necessarily that one is 100% going to do so. If one was to apply a sociological perspective to the debate of Pro Life vs. Pro Choice, you would get similar results. From a Structural Functionalism Theory and a Social Conflict Theory point of view, abortion is necessary for society to function. Symbolic Interaction theorists look at abortion on more of a case by case basis.
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The theory behind Structural Functionalism is that everything in society is connected and each aspect feeds off of another to work. This is a very broad outlook on society and it does not take human emotions into account. Everyone has a job and everyone must do their job. This theory may support abortion because it provides jobs. A woman in need of an abortion must pay the doctor to perform the surgery. If abortion was illegal, it would not stop them from happening but it would stop doctors from making money off of

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