Abortion is the extinction of pregnancy before birth, resulting in, or accompanied by, the death of the fetus. A number of abortions occur naturally for the reason that a fetus does not develop normally or as the mother has an injury or disorder that prevents her from carrying the pregnancy to term. This type of spontaneous abortion is commonly known as a miscarriage. Additional abortions are induced—that is, intentionally brought on—because a pregnancy is unwanted or presents a risk to a woman’s health. Induced abortion has turn out to be one of the most intense and polarizing ethical and philosophical issues of the late 20th century. Modern medical techniques have made induced abortions simpler and less dangerous. But in the United States, the debate over abortion has led to legal battles in the courts, in the Congress of the United States, and state legislatures. It has spilled over into confrontations, which are sometimes violent, at clinics where abortions are performed. (Finer, Lawrence B. Henshaw, Stanley K (2003)
As noted previously, abortion has developed into one of the most widely debated ethical issues of our time. On one side are pro-choice supporters—individuals who favor a woman’s reproductive rights, including the right to choose to have an abortion. On the other side are the pro-life advocates, who oppose abortion except in extreme circumstances, as when the mother’s life would be threatened by carrying a pregnancy to term. At one end of this ethical spectrum are pro-choice defenders who believe the fetus is only a potential human being until it is viable. Until this time the fetus has no legal rights—the rights belong to the woman carrying the fetus, who can decide whether or not to bring the pregnancy to full term..............
