The landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade was supposed to settle the question of abortion’s legality once and for all, but the Court’s ruling has instead become a fulcrum of debate. Placed squarely at the intersection of civil rights, health, religion and law, abortion is one of America’s most heated controversies.
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Should Abortion be Legal?
Women have the right
A woman has the right to decide what happens inside her body. In the end making it illegal will only punish poor woman, as wealthy woman will always have the option of having an abortion.
- Ralph July 16, 2008 12:29AM
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But
They don't have the right to kill another person just because it's inside their body.
The ONLY solution is to allow the individual states to decide whether abortion should be legal or not. That's the way it was before Roe vs Wade. In States where the majority of the population favored legal abortion it was legal (ie: NY). In states where the majority wanted abortion illegal it was illegal. It's the only fair and Democratic way to solve the problem of this very divisive issue.
- tbcass
January 22, 2009 5:01PM
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Actually, they do have that right
A human being has no moral obligation to another person to allow that person the use of what is theirs, even if that second person needs it to survive. If you disagree, I've got a really excellent proposition for you.
- quantummechanik
May 15, 2009 12:35PM
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Life
Hi Cameron.
You are using a pretty sophisticated philosophical argument first made years ago in print, by a female philosopher. A friend of mine (a University Professor of Philosophy) wrote an entire book on this and a couple of other important, pro-choice of abortion , philosophical arguments.
You seem somewhat sophisticated, using the argument that you do. Are you also a Professor of Philosophy, or an interested philosophy student, or maybe just a very bright and thoughtful individual? Perhaps you might actually know my friend: Professor Steve Schwartz.
Cameron? I'm not sure that I spelled his first name correctly (maybe it's "Stephen"). Google his name and perhaps the title of his book will also appear.
I'm sorry. I'm a little old, now; and I can't remember the title of his book just now. It was more than a decade ago.
Let me know if you can/can't find the book. I'll try to get you plugged into it.
raymond
- raymond
May 15, 2009 1:24PM
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Is he the Center for Islamic Pluralism guy?
If not, I've got nothing. You're going to have to give me a link.
And I'm a poli sci student.
- quantummechanik
May 18, 2009 10:40PM
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URI Professor Steven Schwartz
Hi, Cameron:
I googled him for page after page, and came up empty. He's retired from URI and is working at another educational institution.
I have his phone number. I'll see what I can do.
- raymond
May 20, 2009 2:07PM
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That's one way to look at it
However, unlike raymond I find your argument simplistic, not sophisticated. Unfortunately when it comes to moral issues like abortion all logical arguments are useless. I could come up with all kinds of logical reasons to allow homeless and disabled people to die etc. A lot of my tax dollars go to help disabled people. I have no moral obligation to help disabled people yet the government uses my money to do it anyway. My solution has nothing to do with morality but instead recognizes that we have 2 opposing moralities that divide the population into roughly equal camps. Let the people decide on a non Federal level.
- tbcass
May 15, 2009 2:17PM
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Is morality based on geography?
So abortion is okay in areas where more people like it than don't?
- quantummechanik
May 18, 2009 10:24PM
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Ha Ha Ha
It amazes me that no matter how many times I say it that my solution is not based on morality people just don't get it. Aren't you reading what I say? What is moral is not something that is part of some cosmic truth. It is based on religion , culture, history, personal beliefs etc. What we have are two groups that are diametrically opposed on this issue. The reason being, I believe, is that the issue of abortion is a relatively new one. Greater scientific knowledge complicates the issue. What it boils down to is we have 2 groups, one who believes that the life an unborn child, the Fetus, takes moral president over the rights of the woman to have control over her body. The other group believes the opposite is true. The two groups are about equal in number. It is impractical, unconstitutional and undemocratic for the Federal Government to impose the morals of one group over the other. Consequently letting the states decide is the only fair and practical solution. As for it being "OK" as you put it, yes, to some people it is "OK", to others it is not. It's like alcohol laws. The Federal makes no laws restricting the sale of alcohol but leaves it up to states and local municipalities.
- tbcass
May 19, 2009 5:34AM
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What about slavery
Why do you think that slavery became a federal issue? Would you have said that the southern states were fine to continue it as long as the northern states were allowed to abolish it, and vice versa? Abortion is a federal issue, and I know that because it was ruled on by a federal court. It's a constitutional issue. States cannot simply refuse to observe the wills of the Supreme Court or the constitution because most of their constituents dislike them.
- quantummechanik
May 19, 2009 11:52AM
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