Article Analysis Essay on a Defense of Abortion

Introduction

In the article, "A defense of abortion, "Judith Jarvis Thomson describes various situations under which abortion can be considered as moral or immoral. The author affirms that the underlying rights that women have in controlling their bodies are sufficient justifications for conducting an abortion. From the controversial perspectives regarding population control in various regions, the author provides that her view stands that abortion is an immoral way of curbing rapid population growth. She regards abortion as an activity that should be done to save certain mental and physiological situations that women may undergo in certain instances that cannot be controlled. Thus, the decision on why abortion is to be undertaken lies with the women and not any other entity. The perspective is pegged to the fact the fetal stage is where the unborn has already turned into a human person and should be treated with due humanity; therefore, abortion should only be done on women's decisions. She author also suggests other effective birth control measures exist like educating the public on the significance of family planning measures and staging campaigns on how to implement such measures (Thomson 131). For example, she states that availing valid contraceptive s to the female gender is among the most effective and danger-free measures that should be adopted to control the population (Thomson 129). Therefore, doing an abortion to interfere with the fetal development process in the name of managing people is unethical and immoral. The government should, therefore, acquire other birth control policies that depict humanity and have no adverse impact on the female like in the case of abortion.

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The second article, "Abortion and the Control of Human Bodies," Jim Stone, reviews some of the primary criticisms that various philosophers have given regarding Thomson's stance on abortion regarding the application of violinist analogy. The author provides a typical example by explaining the meaning of pregnancies from their causes. Jim Stone describes the implication of pregnancy that results from rape and the ones that occur in normal circumstances (Stone 119). The author, therefore, concludes that making an arbitrary choice that regulates the procedure of abortion is unethical. Jim Stone argues from Warren's point of view by saying that women should not view as immoral when they conduct an abortion in an attempt to avoid unwanted pregnancies. It is since women should not be held responsible for the unethical cause of pregnancies as they are unable to control certain situations (Stone 114). Also, the author refutes the claims of certain philosophers that, except for a pregnancy conceived through rape, the woman should remain responsible and avoid any abortion activity since any other cause of pregnancy apart from that is voluntary (Stone 115). Jim Stones claims that women can conceive involuntarily in various ways. Thus, the decision to conduct an abortion should lie with them. He considers their body responses as the primary determinants of doing an abortion or not.

Abortion Policy Controversies in the United States

The consensus on whether population control through abortion and policies on birth controls is an appropriate measure has been a controversial discussion in America and China, respectively. Various controversies have emerged from the abortion policies in the United States. For instance, according to the Pew Research Center polling in the 2019 survey, it was revealed that approximately six out of ten adults within the United States agree that abortion should be legalized and adopted as one of the population control measures (Beckman 109). The individuals believe that the only surest way of regulating the increasingly growing US population is through legalizing abortion. Besides, they argue that the measures would not only work towards controlling the population but also in solving specific complex birth problems that relate to mental or physical illness that the female gender may face in times of pregnancies. On the other hand, 38% of America refutes the assertions by maintaining the act should remain illegal at all times regardless of the impending aftermath (Beckman 113). The primary focus of this section of research will, therefore, revolve around the controversies that exist in the United States abortion policies.

The public support for abortion has remained high as recorded in the past decades, and the underlying revelation is that there exists no significant difference between the men and women's views on the activity. The underlying problems that may relate to pregnancies have facilitated the increase in the number of women in support of the abortion policies (Beckman 106). Besides, the health disparities that result from some instances of hidden abortion attempts in ladies call for legalization and support of the act by most women. Thus, there exists a greater need to apply effective population control measures like legalizing abortion

Another group that has different controversies regarding abortion as a population control strategy is the political parties. There exist a substantial partisan divide on the matter that has increasingly grown within the inception of new and more minor political parties. For instance, the Democrats and their followers have increasingly supported abortion as one of the most appropriate and strategic ways of managing the country's population. They argue that the service delivery of the states can only be enhanced if the population of the public is not very high, as has been recorded in some countries like West Virginia, Mississippi, and Arkansas (Beckman 101). The regions have a very high population; thus, the level of poverty experienced is more intense than in other states with a lower population.

There projections, therefore, remains that abortion would be the most successful way of controlling the population since the birthrates in the regions have been increasingly high in the past decades. On the contrary, the Republicans and Grand Old Party supporters stand that the action should be illegal and should not be implemented to regulate the country's population. The political parties hold that there are other proper population control measures that the state should adopt, like educating the citizens on the best birth control measures.

They find support from some religious leaders like a significant number of the white evangelical Protestants. 77% of the religious leaders say that abortion is a vice that is against God's will and should remain illegal to take care of lives (Beckman 1113). They argue that life is a precious gift from the Almighty; thus, anyone that destroys life is evil. Similarly, any law that aims at supporting life destruction activities should not be enforced regardless of the purported advantages they pose on the living. However, larger shares of unaffiliated Americans view the religious leaders' points as mere superstitions. They argue that abortion should be legalized at all times to reduce the increasingly growing American population.

Also, the Supreme Court has inconsistent views regarding the abortion issue. The landmark abortion ruling of 1973 revealed that seven out of ten Americans supports the action (Beckman 102). The number equates to 70% of the members, as was witnessed during the Roe v. Wade case (Beckman 102). They argued that Roe v. Wade was should not face completing overturn. However, the dissenting percentile argued that Roe v. Wade should be overturned since they considered abortion as wrong and unethical measure for controlling the rate of population growth. The minority group felt that Roe v. Wade was supposed to be overturned and the legal bodies to provide other alternative measures of regulating population growth. Those who refuted the overturning of the case argued that the surest way of controlling the population was through abortion. They also claimed the high rate of population growth had affected their activities drastically in various sectors. For instance, the court system has experienced over-population in the juvenile courts due to overpopulation and increasing birth rates.

In general, a significant number of Americans want abortion to remain a legal activity in the country (Beckman 111). The vast population expects the abortion laws to be kept legal to help in curbing the increasingly growing population in the country. The survey that was conducted in America in December 2018 that sought Americans' expectations of the abortion laws in 2050 revealed that the requirement would be legal without or with some restriction (Hull et al. 147). Only a few numbers stated that the law would be illegal with some restrictions. However, the pro-choice group's perspectives of the provisions regard the activity as an indication in the court's position since it creates more chances that regulate abortion at the state levels. Their projection, therefore, reveals that abortion the law will remain legal regarding the Supreme Court's support and claims on the underlying significance that the act adds to their operations (Hull et al. 167). Therefore, posing more impending alterations in the battleground that goes to the state level from the central point.

The resulting projection has bolstered the state's interest in the fetus. However, it has not reached the expected intensity that the supporters of abortion projects. Various surveys regarding American's stance on the issue of legalizing abortion have classified them as neither ardent pro-choice nor pro-life. They portray a strong belief that the act of abortion is a severe point of concern that needs profound analysis along with careful consideration of the rights of the fetus and maternal freedom. They relate their case to France's abortion legislation proceedings that indicate the importance of compromising the activity (Hull et al. 157). Therefore, they tend to feel that compromise is tentatively the best approach in the legalization of abortion.

Besides, complete legalization of abortion would require setting forth laws that consider both the maternal and fetal rights that will, in turn, guide the process to minimize the mental and physical impacts associated with it. The guidelines will also remove the mental worries that may make abortion appear like an immoral activity. However, the guidelines will not serve as instances of the compromise like in the case of Roe's decision that exceptionally enraged the pro-life groups that had a feeling of invalidation of their position by the court. If the court had admitted a presence of merit in their opinion, the contemporary controversial issues in the abortion would not be among the significant political issues today. There could be full restrictive regulations regarding abortion alongside other liberal access to the subject.

Controversy in China's Population Policy of One Child

The contemporary study regarding China's Population Policy of One Child has increasingly gained sparking calls leading to the roiling of the country's demography. The controversial debates have facilitated the intervention of various scholarly values in multiple disciplines. Therefore, a particular portion of the population stands that reducing the population by introducing a strict policy should be adopted while other groups are affirming that people should not be restricted to the number of children that they should have. The section of the discussion aims at outlining various existing groups and their stance on the One-child population policy that restricts house-holds to only one child.

According to top Chinese officials, the policy should be intensified since it has a significant impact in aiding various global environmental efforts that would, in t...