Anti-choice vs. Pro-choice
What is Anti-Choice?
Anti-Choice (also formally known as pro-life) advocates full legal protection of unborn children, no matter what stage, and especially opposes the legalization of abortions. The History of Anti-Choice: The Anti-Choice movement has always claimed to have a long history based on the notion that the preservation of human life, has been a basis of the laws throughout history. Anti-Choice individuals have long believed that they represent the continued defense. In the late 1960s, a number of organizations were formed to relay the importance against the legalization of abortion. "In the United States, the National Right to Life Committee was formed in 1968, while in Australia, the National Right to Life formed in 1970 ( We Need...)." "Although anti-abortion views have existed throughout US history, especially emanating from the Catholic Church, the politically active anti-choice movement grew especially following the Supreme Court 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade (Greenhouse). " What do Anti-Choice Organizations believe in? Anti-choice organizations and individuals believe that "the government has an obligation to preserve all human life, regardless of intent, viability, or quality-of-life concerns (Head)." They not only disbelieve in the legalization of abortions, but assisted suicide and in some cases, war. Most of these organizations and individuals are religiously based through Christianity, identify themselves as pro-life feminists and/or hold republican or conservative views on politics. These organizations and individuals argue that even non-viable, "undeveloped human life is sacred and must be protected by the government. Abortion, according to this model, must not be legal, nor should it be widely practiced on an illegal basis (Head)." They also argue that the presence of life alone, or unique DNA, justify a human life, and therefore, abortion is murder and a sin. They do not believe that the matter of choice or who decides is relevant in the matter of taking a life. Here is how they defend their cases: http://www.prolifetraining.com/Articles/FiveMinute1.pdf These Movements Across the Globe: Attitudes to abortion vary greatly in the Muslim world. Although there are different opinions among Muslim scholars on abortion, most agree that the termination of a pregnancy after four months—"the point at which, in Islam, a fetus is thought to become a living soul—is not permissible. Many Islamic thinkers contend that in cases prior to four months of gestation, abortion should be permissible only in instances in which a mother's life is in danger or in cases of rape (Religion and...)." |
What is Pro-Choice?
Pro-Choice advocates that individuals have unlimited rights to privacy when it comes to their bodies and their anatomy. A woman has a private right to an abortion under any circumstance, due to the nature of it being her body alone. Her Body, Her Right, Her Choice. The History of Pro-Choice: The pro-choice movement started very slowly in the United States. Then, in 1888, a Chicago Times exposé extended the issue into the public sphere (What is...). Although focusing mostly on contraception, Margaret Sanger and her American Birth Control League did support certain abortions (What is...). In the 1930s books written by doctors began to stir some discussion about changing the abortion laws. "Then in 1959 the American Law Institute suggested broadening the definition of legal abortion to include maternal physical and mental reasons, fetal defects, and cases of rape and incest (What is...)." In 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States declared the Roe vs. Wade decision, making abortion legal throughout the United States. Since then, many organizations have been established to protect the aspect of choice. What do Pro-Choice Organizations believe in? PRO-CHOICE IS NOT PRO-ABORTION! Pro-Choice organizations and individuals believe that all of the following must remain legal: contraception, and abortions for the first two trimesters of pregnancy. Their purpose is to ensure that all choices remain legal and available. It should be a woman's choice to do what she will with her body, without the consent of the government or the medical institutions. "These organizations and individuals argue that in cases where human personhood cannot be proven, e.g. in pregnancies prior to the point of viability, the government does not have the right to impede a woman's right to decide whether or not to continue a pregnancy (Head)." Here is how they defend their cases: http://www.wikihow.com/Defend-Pro-Choice-Beliefs No Choice: The Problem: "On the other hand, the anti-choice vs. pro-choice debate tends to overlook the fact that the vast majority of women who have abortions do not, in fact, do so entirely by choice. Circumstances put them in a position where abortion is the least self-destructive option available to them. According to a study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, 68% of women who have abortions in the United States say that they cannot afford to have children and 27% cite this as their primary reason for terminating the pregnancy. 20% cite health reasons. 38% are young women either hiding pregnancies from their parents, or ordered by their parents to terminate their pregnancies (Head)." |
What DO YOU BELIEVE?
References:
Bankole, Akinrinola, Susheela Singh , and Taylor Haas . "Reasons Why Women Have Induced Abortions:
Evidence from 27 Countries." GuttMacher Institute . GuttMacher Institute
n.d. Web. 21 Apr 2013. <http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2411798.html>.
Greenhouse, Linda (2010). "Before Roe v. Wade: Voices that Shaped the Abortion Debate Before the Supreme Court's Ruling." Kaplan Publishing. ISBN 1-60714-671-1.
Head, Tom. "Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice." CivilLiberty . N.p.. Web. 21 Apr 2013.
<http://civilliberty.about.com/od/abortion/tp/Pro-Life-vs-Pro-Choice.htm>.
"How to Defend Pro-Choice Beliefs ." WikiHow. N.p.. Web. 21 Apr 2013.
<http://www.wikihow.com/Defend-Pro-Choice-Beliefs>.
Klusendorf, Scott. "How To Defend Your Pro-Life Views in Minutes or Less." ProLifeTraining .
N.p.. Web. 21 Apr 2013. <http://www.prolifetraining.com/Articles/FiveMinute1.pdf>.
"Religion and Abortion." Wikipedia. N.p.. Web. 21 Apr 2013.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_and_abortion
"We need your help". Cherish Life Queensland. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
"What is the History of the Pro-Choice Movement." AllAboutPopularIssues. N.p.. Web. 21 Apr 2013.
<http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/history-of-the-pro-choice-movement-faq.htm>.