Against Abortion
I believe that too many women have abortions for reasons which are not just enough for the killing of a human being. Abortion has been seen as a controversial issue for hundreds of years. As more people discuss it, new dimensions are added to the argument and this may be why laws vary from country to country and have changed so many times. Abortion in England and Wales was first made illegal in the 19th century. Before then, English Common Law had allowed abortion provided it was carried out before the woman felt the foetus move. At this time, if the abortion law was broken there were no fixed penalties and the woman having the abortion was not necessarily held responsible. In 1803 the law changed and abortion became a criminal offence from the time of conception with penalties of up to life imprisonment for both the pregnant woman and the abortionist. In 1929 'The Infant Life Preservation Act´ amended the previous law so that abortion was no longer a felony under certain circumstances. The new law made it illegal to kill a child 'capable of being born live´. 28 weeks was the age set at which a foetus was assumed to be able to survive. In 1967 'The Abortion Act´ was passed, it permitted the termination of pregnancies s
For example, if this 'right to choose´ were applied to another situation it would not be appropriate; very few people would say that an employer has the right to employ someone on the basis of their gender or the colour of their skin. But I do believe that there are circumstances and situations in which abortions are the best option. The development of vitro fertilisation has proven that an embryo can exist outside a female body. From the moment the embryo is formed a new individual comes into existence, genetically different from its parents. It is has been said that the woman is the only person who should decide whether she should continue her pregnancy or not and that the woman´s partner has no right to prevent her having an abortion. Regulations under the act meant that abortions must be performed by a registered practitioner in a National Health Service hospital or a clinic approved by the Department of Health. Whereas, medical science has proved that the foetus is biologically separate from its mother. For example, there have been reports that some pregnancies were terminated because parents decided that their child was the 'wrong´ sex. All these scientific advances confirm that the unborn is a separate human being. Our right to choose is limited by the rights of other people. Even though a woman may have to postpone some of her plans, the unborn´s right to live should take precedence over the mother´s right to a certain lifestyle. Some may argue that the law should not interfere with what goes on in the privacy of a woman´s womb. My main feeling about abortion is that it denies the most fundamental human right, the right to live. It can then be said that the woman then has no right to call on her partner for support and that both parents have the mutual right to abandon their responsibilities. A balance between the two must be established.
Common topics in this essay:
Embryology Act,
Common Law,
Preservation Act´,
,
Abortion Act´,
Dr Bourne,
Alexander Bourne,
Department Health,
Health Service,
England Wales,
life foetuses,
terminate life foetuses,
multiple pregnancy,
terminate life,
law interfere,
woman´s womb,
goes privacy,
28 weeks,
interfere goes,
law interfere goes,
interfere goes privacy,
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Acceptance Essays
