CREATIVE AND CONTEMPORARY ARGUMENT

THE ABORTION DEBATE

Sam Ballin, Ella Einstein, Sky Harper, and Pamela Hermoza

SUMMARY OF THE DEBATE

The abortion debate is an ongoing controversy concerning the moral, philosophical, and ethical status of
women having the right to terminate a pregnancy. One side of the debate is the "pro-choice" position, which draws
attention to the right of women to decide whether they would like an abortion or not. The "pro-life" position draws
attention to the obligation the government has to preserve all human life, regardless of intent, viability, or quality-of-
life concerns. Both sides of the debate have tried to sway public opinion in order to enact change in legislation.
Some pro-lifers have even resorted to violence to somehow get their point across. While this debate has been lively
for decades, there remains an overwhelming stability in the dichotomy of the two sides and the position of the
public. Abortion in the United States is legal, and every state has at least one abortion clinic. However, individual
states can regulate the use of abortion or create “trap laws” which make abortion virtual impossible through legislation
of other aspects of the process. Currently, six states have trigger laws (the states are already prepared to
automatically ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned) and three other states have laws intending to criminalize
abortion. Also, 83% of the counties in the nation have no abortion providers, and many women must travel hundreds
of miles to obtain an abortion. Pro-lifers continue their efforts to curb abortion access. Thusly, the question on whether
abortions should be outright prohibited, allowed but not available, or publicly funded and available persists. 
CLAIM

Abortion should be legal, fully funded, and accessible to all women because it is a fundamental
right, it is not the place of the government to legislate against women's choices, it prevents child
neglect, and a fetus is not legally or scientifically a person so abortion cannot be equated to murder. 
REASON 1

Abortion should be legal, fully funded, and accessible to all women

because it is a fundamental right.
 The right to an abortion should be recognized as a fundamental right
because childbearing and childbirth has a large impact on a woman's life. 
 Women run the risk of death during childbirth. A risk that is 5 times higher
than the risk of death for an abortion during the first trimester. 
 Also, unwanted pregnancies disrupt a mother's life financially and
psychologically.
 Usually, when something impacts someone’s physical or mental health, they
have a right to alleviate themselves. 
 Roe v. Wade: abortion was declared to be a “fundamental
right” guaranteed by the Constitution.
 REASON 2

Abortion should be legal, fully funded, and accessible to all women because it is not the place of government to
legislate against women's choices and set limitations.
Interest in protecting mother's health does not justify total ban, only regulation to increase the safety of the procedure.
Women have the right to get an abortion because what's in their bodies is theirs. The government should not have a say in what grows
in your body and what you decide to do with it.
The argument against abortion is a moral argument which is subject to personal interpretation so should not be legislated against.
The US Supreme Court has declared abortion to be a "fundamental right" guaranteed by the US Constitution.
REASON 3

Abortion should be legal, fully funded, and

accessible to all women because it prevents child
neglect.
 Unintended pregnancy demonstrates predictive
value as one of the earliest identifiable risk-factor
for child maltreatment.
 Mother's reports of unintended pregnancy are
associated with psychological aggression and
neglect.
 Fathers' reports of unintended pregnancy are
associated with physical aggression. 
(Gutterman 2015)
 Therefore, more access to abortion would limit
child maltreatment and neglect.
 REASON 4
Pro-lifers say that abortion is murder and therefore should not be legal. However, abortion should be
legal, fully funded, and accessible to all women because a fetus is not legally or scientifically a person
so it cannot be equated to murder.
 Fetuses are not "persons" within the meaning of the 14th Amendment. "Persons" elsewhere in the Constitution
clearly refers to persons after birth, as it the enumeration (or census) clause.
 At birth, and only as birth, does a baby begin to exist independently of their mother.
 Fetus' are not fully developed by the time of an abortion, including their brains and the cortex that handles pain
perception, therefore the fetuses do not experience any pain
CONCLUSION

Summary: Abortion should be legal, fully funded, and accessible to all women because it is a
fundamental right, it is not the place of the government to legislate against women's choices, it prevents
child neglect, and a fetus is not legally or scientifically a person so abortion cannot be equated to
murder. 
Importance: This debate has immense power in improving legislation to help women gain more access to
abortions. 
Call to Action: Speak out about your belief in every woman’s right to make decisions about her body! Learn
how to stand your ground when discussing this important issue, whether at school, at work, or in your place of
worship. 
Go to https://prochoice.org/about-naf/get-involved/
REFERENCES

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Dias, Elizabeth, and Timothy Williams. “Anti-Abortion Activists Still See Their Best Chance in Years to Chip Away at Roe v. Wade.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8
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