Abortion

Abortion

The contentious issue of abortion is generally resolved by the ordinary acceptance that human dignity is a delicate matter that needs to involve various protection and cautionary measures across the human societies in the globe. However radical the secular interpretation of more delicate society issues such as human dignity may be, it is always put in checks by the basic pillars of social life with little compromise. Such social pillars that the modern society has entrusted its protection to include medicine, religion and law tenets that have established over the years as the custodians of the delicate interpretations.

As such, interpretations of an issue as delicate as abortion have to be separately scrutinized by the social pillars to give direction on the applications or abandonment of its values. Arising from such interpretations therefore are medical, moral, legal and other splinter debates that persist for some time before an issue is completely resolved. However, for the magnitude of human dignity issues cuts deep into the actual existence of the human race, scrutiny and counter critiquing of the general opinion is faced with much resistance across the board. In this discourse, academic proof is consulted on the issues that must be considered before abortion is procured, despite the stiff debate in the public domain on its appropriateness.

Thesis statement: Studies have shown that women typically consider the legality, morality and their emotional strain before they determine to abort an unwanted child.

Background Information

Abortion can generally be understood to be the cessation of the life of an immature baby while still in the womb of its mother through deliberate human intervention. Traditionally, human dignity was considered as an important issue just as any other human life postulate in the modern world do. With the increase in secularization and cropping up of more liberal ideas that defy most of the traditional approach of human dignity, the topic on when life begins has become a debatable issue. Considerations of the ease with which women should procure abortion must be faced with the traditional interpretations of the same from a human dignity perspective, while the proponents of abortion also raise strong logical arguments in support of the same. According to Ankeny et al (2010), religion is particularly on the forefront to dispel any justification for abortion arising from secular intentions. Despite the strong opposition for abortion by religious principles, there is a level of leniency when the abortion is procured for the sake of the life of the mother who comes first in the pecking order of the saving from the danger during a medical emergency when both are in a grievous danger. There are also other considerations that come into the forefront to keep the secular world from tampering with the human life from its origin. The logic behind medical provisions for or against abortion is perhaps the most admissible from both the secular and conservative wings of the debate due to the acceptance that the mother has the capability to bring forth life hence her protection on medical grounds translates to the protection of life.

Literature Review

Ankeny et al (2010) hold the opinion that religion plays a lot of role in shaping up the moralists’ perspective on the campaign against abortion. Similar positions are held by ethical researchers who include religion as a major source of ethical ground, particularly regarding the issue of abortion (Kornegay, 2011 and Gomberg, 1991). Audi (1997) also reckons that the perspective held by religion regarding its anti-abortion campaign could be proved from a number of arguments that the author highlights with clarity and authority.

In terms of law and its interpretation of abortion within the society, Medoff (2009) postulates that despite the general discord that exists in the public debate for and against abortion, governments have been seen as a tool that fuels the confusion. This is because on one hand, the government appears to prohibit abortion in a protectionist role while also facilitates its procurement through legal facilitation. In the discourse, the author involves the Supreme Court ruling in the USA as a major development that contributed to a change of stance by the government and the American society. Berry and Roh (2008) also contribute to the wavering position held by the government in several respects regarding the abortion topic.

Emotional elements of the abortion topic are likewise represented in the discourse, with impact of emotion being felt as both a cause and a consequence of abortion in the society. Keys (2010), holds the opinion that abortion causes emotional distress that occasions untold suffering to women who procure abortion. Some positions are however raised to the effect that emotional distress is a mythical topic to women who procure an abortion.

Legality Issues on Abortion

In terms of the law as a custodian of human life and its dignity, there are general provisions in which the state abortion laws appear to considerably offer protection of human life with regard to unjustified abortion. There is a general observation that the state is the first object that the society can use to enforce protection against illegal abortions by way of facilitating restrictive laws (Medoff, 2009). According to the author, despite the recent feeling from among prolife campaigners that the state has been lenient with some of its protectionist machinery against abortion, there are deliberate intentions by the several governments to curb abortion. However, the legality abortion is a heated debate that has led to massive reactions from both ends of the debate, for instance in the USA since the legalization of abortion since 1973 by a Supreme Court ruling (Medoff, 2009, p224).

The general interpretation of the Supreme Court’s decision was to protect the American society from rigid legal provisions that fail to keep in touch with the circumstances behind the abortion. However, the precedent set by the ruling restricts abortion with the stage at which the mother has nurtured the abortion, if not on medical grounds. This implies that a trimester assessment of the pregnancy is considered for the legality test to be proved in an abortion case. The legality of the abortion is restricted in the USA as the pregnancy progresses. Due to the illegal arrangements for procurement of abortion in the country, state mechanisms are therefore heightened to reduce the ease with which the facilities and services can be accessed. One of such regulations is the policy on reduction of state funding for the abortion needs of the society to protect the society against illegal abortions (Berry and Roh, 2008).

International laws as generally guided by the principle of human rights enroll member states to follow a certain position of common interest across the member states. With regard to abortion rights for the mother as recognized by prominent international regulations, it is not clearly brought out in form of regulations since there is room for willingness of member states to accommodate their own set of sovereign resolutions on basic principles. Due to the weighty debate that abortion has faced across the states, legal provisions for international human rights agreements veer off the contentious issue altogether (Mehrgan, 2005).

It is clear therefore that the government has been vocal in setting the ground from which women can make decisions regarding the ease with which they can procure an abortion. In light of the general willing.............