Abortion is a controversial issue in the United States. It seems impossible to have any accord or compromise on this topic because the views regarding it are so widely divergent. These views are based on whether people decide that priority should be given to treating women as rational beings and allowing them the autonomy to get an abortion or to enabling the development of a fetus. The personhood of the fetus is an important determinant of what should be prioritized in the discussion about abortion. Some people regard the fetus as being a person because of its ability to become a rational being. They say that since aborting a fetus disrupts its development, it is comparable to murder. Others view the fetus as being an extension of the female …show more content…
I disagree with Roman Catholic Natural Law ethicists. In my opinion, fetuses are not people, consequently, they do not have rights, and abortion is not unethical. Moreover, I believe that the self-determination of a human being should be recognized in all situations, so prioritizing the development of a fetus over the autonomy of a woman is wrong. Telling a pregnant female that she must give birth is appallingly paternalistic, and I do not believe that it is ethical. The body of a woman is her own, and when a person says that she is not allowed to terminate a pregnancy, that person is restricting her control over what belongs to her. They are disregarding her circumstances in favor of allowing a fetus to develop and I believe that is wrong. Additionally, requiring that pregnant women give birth dehumanizes them. A woman should not be forced to act as a “fetus container” if she does not want to. Women are rational human beings and should, therefore, not be treated like baby …show more content…
People did not want to restrict the autonomy of women in any way, even to allow the development of fetuses that have obtained characteristics of human beings, and stop the use of a method of abortion that would mutilate them and destroy them. In 2003, a law banning “intact dilation and extraction” was passed. This was called the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 and it was controversial. It made it illegal for doctors to perform partial abortions, and would act as a deterrent for women who wanted an abortion late in their