On average, almost 6 million women become pregnant each year. 1.7 million of these women have abortions (www.religoustolerance.org). An abortion can be defined as destruction of a fetus or an unborn child while the child is still in the mothers womb. This can be done by anyone from the mother herself to clinics set up specifically for the purpose of performing abortions. Abortion is one of the most controversial subjects that has been continuously debated for many years. There is one major group on each side of the issue. Someone who is pro-life is against abortion completely. Someone who is pro-choice believes that a woman should have the option of having an abortion if she chooses to. Abortion should be illegal except under certain circumstances such as when a woman is the victim of rape or incest or if carrying the baby to full term would endanger the life of the mother or baby. Abortion poses a moral, medical, and social dilemma that causes many individuals to create an emotional and sometimes violent atmosphere. A pro-choicer would believe that the decision to abort a pregnancy is that of the mothers and the state has no right to interfere. Their belief is upheld in the United States by the Supreme Courts decision of the Roe v. Wade case in 1973. The decision recognized abortion as a fundamental constitutional right and made it legal in all states (www.abortioninfo.com). The law now permits abortion at the request of the women without any restrictions in the first trimester, or first three months, of a pregnancy. There are some restrictions on second trimester abortions to protect the mothers health. The National Abortion Right Act League argues that without legal abortion, women would be denied their constitutional rights of privacy and liberty. A womans right to her own body subordinates those of the fetus and the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade argued that a womans right to privacy overruled the fetus right...
