Abortion Debate:

The abortion debate refers to the ongoing discussion about the moral and legal issues of abortion. The two main factions involved in the debate are the pro-choice movement, which generally supports access to abortion and regards it as morally permissible, and the pro-life movement, which generally opposes access to abortion and regards it as morally wrong. Each movement has sought to influence public opinion and to attain legal support for its position.

Issues and Factors of Discussion

Several factors that cause further complication within the framework of the are issues related to contraception, feminism, gender roles, teen pregnancy, and sexual morality. Aside from the complexity of the underlying primary issue of abortion, the addition of these and other considerations create the following major points of discussion:

• The beginning of personhood or beginning of life: When is the embryo or fetus considered a person? When does life begin?
• Universal human rights: Is aborting a zygote, embryo, or fetus a violation of human rights? What about fetuses with genetic disabilities? Which disabilities? Of what severity? Is not allowing a woman to terminate her unwanted pregnancy a violation of her human rights? Are the persons separate or one? How much control should one person have over the life of another? And should relationship be a factor?
• Circumstances of conception: Should the circumstances of conception be a determining factor in the ultimate fate of the embryo or fetus? Does pregnancy induced by rape or incest, or by poor or non-existent birth control use change the permissibility of abortion?
• Alternatives to abortion: Is adoption a viable and fair alternative to abortion? Are there resources available to aid mothers who are unprepared for parenthood, but who may wish to keep their child?
• Limit of government authority: Are laws controlling abortion violations of privacy and/or other personal liberty rights? Are laws condoning or allowing abortion legalizing homicide, murder, infanticide, or genocide?

The core issues in the abortion debate are rights-based.

Pro-Life

The (pro-life) view that abortion should be considered "wrong," and subsequently illegal, primarily believes:

• That the existence and moral right to life of human beings (human organisms) begins at or near conception-fertilization;
• That induced abortion is the deliberate and unjust killing of the fetus in violation of its right to life;
• That the law should prohibit unjust violations of the right to life.

Pro-Choice

The (pro-choice) view that abortion should be considered "right," and subsequently legal, claims:

• That women have a right to control what happens in and to their own bodies;
• That abortion is a just exercise of this right;
• That the law should not seek punishment against just exercises of the right to control one's own body.

On one issue, both sides claim to agree:

• That the law should prohibit unjust violations of the right to life.