Is Abortion Morally Right Or Wrong - 1833 Words

Merriam Webster defines abortion as â€Å"a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy and cause the death of the fetus.† Although that statement seems clear cut, there is a lot of controversy over whether or not abortion is a morally permissible thing to do. Those who refute abortion claim that it is the a violation of a fetus’ right to life. However, the opposite view is that forcing a woman to have a baby is a violation of the right to her own body. The question ultimately comes down to more than whose right is more important and becomes more complicated when certain situations are brought up. After much debate this issue is no longer â€Å"is abortion morally right or wrong or should it be legal† but more of â€Å"is there a middle ground where both†¦show more content†¦The Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision prohibited any state from banning abortion during the first trimester, and only allowed the state to limit abortions during the se cond trimester (Vaughn, 295). Since the Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion, there are now two proposed compromises on limiting or allowing abortion: those based on the reasons for abortion and those based on fetal development at different stages of pregnancy. The first compromise would allow abortion for cases which would include rape, incest, or risk of the life or health of the pregnant woman, but not for the cases which include financial hardship, inconvenience, possible birth defects, or failure of birth control. Compromises of the second type would allow abortions, but only until a given stage of pregnancy, which is usually during the first trimester. Although these compromises can limit abortion, it is still allowing abortion which to Pro-life activists, even though the limitations are understandably strict are still not their goal of banning abortion at all costs. I think these limitations are fair as a Pro-life activist but as a middle ground it may not suffice. Although the law has incorporated compromises, many depend on time-based compromises instead. This idea is more realistic and practical than banning abortion altogether which would entail many women who would be forced to go an illegal route