Introduction
It is no secret that the problem of the availability of abortions in terms of legal aspects in current socio-demographic conditions in the United States occupies a special place. Today, the polarity of public opinion is becoming relatively contradictory. In general, there is a significant gap in the population’s views on the legality of abortion within the framework of gender, religious and political moments (Hartig, 2022). Nevertheless, recent research has proved that the existing laws do not lead to a decrease in abortions but aggravate the situation and force women to risk their lives and health (Langer, 2021). It becomes evident that forced motherhood is one of the most inhumane actions in the world. Restricting women’s access to termination of pregnancy is a severe step, often with adverse consequences at the micro, meso, and macro levels. Abortion should be acceptable in modern society without being prohibited by laws and policies.
Analysis
Access to Abortion
Based on the student’s subjective opinion, abortion must be considered an allowable procedure for women. Primarily, termination of pregnancy is a purely personal female problem in which no one should interfere. In this case, abortion is one of several medical operations, and, as with every surgical operation, all issues are solved by a healthcare specialist and a patient. Consequently, this intervention should be considered in the spectrum of a constellation of rights to life, equality, privacy, and freedom from cruel and inhuman treatment (Langer, 2021). In addition, modern women, unlike their great-grandmothers, have a possibility of reproductive choice, which their ancestors did not have. Priorities of contemporaries are set differently: career, striving for personal growth, or travel. The world is open to a woman today, and a child’s birth does not always fit her plans. Hence, it often happens that pregnancy comes at the “wrong time,” and abortion will be able to solve some of a person’s difficulties.
Relying on a liberal position, abortion is permissible at any stage of embryo and fetus development since a fetus is part of a mother’s body until birth and does not have the right to life. It is assumed that a human embryo and fetus have no value. Before birth, a child does not exist but appears fully formed out of nowhere at the time of childbirth and can be arbitrarily deprived of life at any time. When an egg is fertilized, some genetic material is obtained that may not become a fetus at all because there is a condition when there is no embryo itself. Still, there are fetal membranes, and it is required to wait for this situation until the seventh or eighth week. From the moment when a woman has a delay in menstruation, and her pregnancy test is positive, it is impossible to assume precisely what kind of pregnancy it is in the future of her gestation. Thus, abortion, to one degree or another, is not considered murder, a sin, which means it is permissible, and it is not the same as going out on the street and demanding permission to kill.
One would like to believe sane people in the country make up the majority. If a referendum on the right to abortion suddenly took place, the idea of a legislative ban would not receive the support necessary for passage. In general, statistics show that the vast majority of American women agree to legalize abortion (Hartig, 2022). Nonetheless, one should remember that misbirth can be a terrible, fatal blow to a female body and, therefore, acceptable, but not in all cases. Accordingly, this intervention should be cautiously approached to avoid potential risks and undesirable results.
A Legal Issue
In this case, abortion is perceived more as a legal but not a religious issue in modern realities. Depending on the position taken in the dispute, the legislation either prohibits abortions (with some exceptions for medical reasons) or vice versa – provides a woman with the opportunity to solve the issues of her motherhood herself. The question of when the right to life begins is within each individual state’s competence. This is because, firstly, the issue of such protection is not resolved in most states themselves, and, secondly, there is no European agreement on the scientific definition of the moment of the beginning of life. For example, after Roe v. Wade, decisions and judgments regarding bans and permits for the termination of pregnancy automatically passed into the category of juridical questions (Bendix, 2022). Death from complications due to such drastic restrictions by the government is a widespread phenomenon; these circumstances could have been prevented at the level of the law (Bendix, 2022). Unlike religious principles and motives, regulations most determine a woman’s decisions and rights to medical care.
Regardless, appealing to ideology and ethics, many forget that there are still economics and sociology, that they exist in society. If a mother finds out she is pregnant, she should receive child support immediately. An embryo is considered a fetus from the 12th week, and those who urge to look at it in such a way that an embryo is directly a person is born with a soul, then it is necessary to recognize its total legal capacity. If any nascent life in the womb is a person, then it is required to pay benefits, recognize his rights, and change all the laws of all countries.
However, misbirth can also be a religious issue based on a woman’s faith. Thus, some Christian subgroups support abortion, and most evangelicals have a negative attitude toward them. Since ancient times, the Church has considered intentional termination of pregnancy (abortion) as a grave sin. Canonical rules equate abortion with murder. This assessment is based on the conviction that the birth of a human being is a gift from God; therefore, from the moment of conception, any encroachment on the life of a future human person is criminal. The Church regards the widespread and justification of abortion in modern society as a threat to the future of humanity and a clear sign of moral degradation. The problem of the status of the human embryo is fundamental in the complex issues associated with artificial termination of pregnancy, as well as several ethical problems that have arisen with the use of the latest biomedical technologies based on manipulations with human embryos. Whether the embryo is treated as “already a person” or as “not yet a person” is a question to which there is no unambiguous answer at the level of public consciousness.
Conclusion
Summarizing the information mentioned above, it is necessary to state that the acuteness of discussion of abortion problems persists, even though this issue is “as old as the world.” The concern of abortion concentrates on relations between people at the level of not only religious but also legal consciousness. However, abortion today is a legal rather than a religious issue. As practice shows, the legislation on abortion is increasingly violated and does not demonstrate its effectiveness. According to the student, abortions should be allowed for every woman within the framework of respect for human rights and eliminating undesirable consequences for a woman’s health. Therefore, the prohibition of abortion is presented as a “violation of freedom,” violence against a woman, and her free will. Artificial pregnancy termination is still one way to solve a wide variety of problems.
References
Bendix, A. (2022). How life-threatening must a pregnancy be to end it legally?. Web.
Hartig, H. (2022). About six-in-ten Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Web.
Langer, A. (2021). The negative health implications of restricting abortion access. Web.