PRO LIFE AND PRO-CHOICE PERSPECTIVES
A sharp divide currently exists between those who support a woman’s right to choose abortion (pro-lifers) and those who oppose to it on the grounds of right to life (pro-choicers). Lawrence says that we should beware of the labels "Pro-life" & "Pro-choice". He says that they imply that the other side is against "life" or against "choice". They ignore the nuances in a person's position . Currently, abortion in England does not reflect the idea of a ‘right to choose’.
Pro-life views
Currently, under s1 (1)(a) an abortion can be carried out up to twenty-four weeks gestation; there is no provision to stop this. Pro-life campaigners claim that abortion is unacceptable. They believe that the unborn deserve life. Since this legislation was introduced there has been a lot of
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He goes on to say that human embryos and foetuses are more important and hold more value to a woman who wants a new baby, but that it is not valued for its potential but more of what it actually is. Brown supports this view; he links a ‘potential future’ with welfare right. He states that if depriving potential future were a form of homicide, then this would be the same offence when a person is denied access to where they need to live.
Conception occurs when the sperm enters the ova or egg and fertilisation does not take place until approximately 24 hours after fertilisation. This view may be regarded to be more of a religious view.
From a secular point of view, Finnis argues that when the egg and sperm unite, this creates a 'unique genetic constitution' that will determine 'the new individual's makeup.' He also supports that a foetus is a person from the point of contraception; from this perspective abortion will always be morally wrong.
Pro-Choice