INTRODUCTION
Society has long grappled with the moral ethics surrounding the topic of abortion. A dilemma as old as time itself, medical, religious and legal communities each have differing opinions on abortions and its moral acceptability. Today, two prominent groups have emerged in the contentious debate: Pro-Life and Pro-Choice. Despite subjective opinions however, when applying Kantian Ethics, a determination regarding the moral conflicts of abortions can be reached. Kant’s ethics recognizes “that we each have a right to protect ourselves, even if it means taking the life of another person” (Munson, 2012, p.266). As Munson states, “a woman is entitled to autonomy and the right to arrange her life in accordance with her own concept of the good”. Through the Kantian lens, it is clear women should have a right and
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The law was grounded in the female experience of their own bodies and if the abortion was performed before “quickening” – a term used to describe when a pregnant woman could feel the fetus moving (Ravitz, 2016), it was deemed legal. This practice remained unquestioned, even by the Catholic Church, until 1895 at which point even therapeutic abortions were condemned. A therapeutic abortion is typically considered to be morally unobjectionable, as it’s performed to save the life of the woman. Around 1880, the American Medical Association began a movement to outlaw abortions. This led to a spike in illegal abortions and unsafe practices. Women took matters into their own hands and began performing what became known as “back-alley abortions”. From the use of inserting coat hangers into their vaginas, douching with lye to drinking dangerous chemicals, women were going to great, life-threatening risks to prevent pregnancy and delivery. Experts estimate that between the 1950s and 1960s as many as 1.2 million illegal abortions were performed each year until 1973 (Munson,