Abortion

In the 19th century according to the American Medical Association, abortion was acceptable, as long as it was performed prior to quickening (20 weeks). Through the years, as our culture has changed, the lawfulness of abortion has also changed. In 1871, abortion was unlawful but it was also hard to prove that a woman did have an abortion and the punishment was very lenient. Compared to nearly a century later (1970) where the abortion has to be performed by a physician. In the 19th century the AMA had two main goals, one being to stop the need for abortion and also to stop quackery. In Roe vs Wade (1973) we talked about in lecture how the Comstock Law was unconstitutional and that the state cannot interfere with abortions. The right to privacy was between a woman and her physician
Having abortion outlawed would go against women’s rights and their right to choose what they want to do with their lives and their bodies.
Applying ethical theory to abortion Saint Thomas Aquinas would argue that abortion is wrong because it is not natural, therefore it is not good. Some who are fundamentally religious use this argument to say that abortion is unethical and wrong. They feel that individuals who have an abortion are essentially committing murder, it’s not natural to end a life that is growing and maturing in the womb as a fetus. I firmly believe that it is morally wrong to end a life before birth. According to universality, the act being performed must be appropriate for everyone to do all the time and for every woman to have an abortion all the time, the human race would cease to exist.