Voluntary Abortion or Compulsory Sterilization? :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Voluntary Abortion orCompulsory Sterilization? Starting in the mid-1960s, some erosion of the anti-abortion laws began to take place. But these efforts see not been supported by many of the more vocal groups who are trying to do something about excess population growth to them, compulsory line of descent control and compulsory sterilization are apparently more palatable than voluntary abortion. The result is legal chaos--which has been the situation with reference to abortion since it was first make illegal in this country. Contrary to popular belief, the legal strictures against abortion are of comparatively recent origin. Until the early nineteenth century--at common law both in England and in the United States--abortion before quickening was not illegal at all. It became so only in the early 1800s. And according to Professor Cyril Means and others who cave in studied the problem, the reason for the enactment of the laws was not protection of morals or of the soul of the fetus, but rather a reflection of the fact that at the measure all surgical procedures were highly risky because of the probability of infection (this was before Lister). Abortions were made illegal for this reason except where they were necessary to save the life of the start out that is, where the great risk of infection which every operation involved was outweighed by the risk of carrying that particular pregnancy to term. The situation is today reversed abortion beneath modern hospital conditions is safer than childbirth. Nor is there any evidence that abortion involves psychological health hazards. A poll of the American Psychiatric Association in the mid-1960s revealed consuming support for more easily available abortions and a conviction that adverse psychological sequelae from abortion are negligible both on an absolute pattern and as compared with such sequelae from childbirth and unwanted children. Though the population experts have not yet aligned themselves on the side of abortion-law tidy, something is beginning to happen. Seven states--Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, impertinently Mexico, and North Carolina--have amended their laws to permit abortion not only to save life but also to protect the health, mental and physical, of the mother, in cases of rape and incest, and to ward off the birth of defective offspring (Governor Reagan forced the omission of this ground in the California law). Many other states have been and are now considering abortion reform or repeal bills but usually without the support of the powerful groups who are backing other forms of population control.