Should there be a tighter regulation on abortion?

Stripped of the moral, religious and legal abortion is simply the interruption of pregnancy. But there is nothing simple about abortion or at least the debates about abortion, and the contest itself, and when abortion should be legally permissible has been at the center of the so-called culture war. The abortion debate has shaped party politics, electoral campaigns, legislative agendas and judicial appointments. It has led to political rallies, demonstrations, blockades, bombings and the killing of abortion providers. The continuing conflict and the extent of the controversy in the debates about stem cell research, sex education, fertility treatments, population control and abortion rather than continue to be news (McDonagh, 22).

From some moral perspectives, religious and cultural rights, abortion is murder. Others see abortion as a fundamental right that if the land on privacy, freedom, equality, or autonomy, restrictions should remain to ensure the full emancipation. For many, the morality of abortion depends on when during pregnancy is carried out or what are the reasons a person is to undergo the procedure. Perspectives on abortion, not just in contrast, are often passionate and irreconcilable. Finding a compromise between those on opposite sides of the abortion spectrum may seem useless, and promote tolerance of diverse points of view can, in the context of this debate seems unprincipled (Rose, 9).

However, a large number of women terminate their pregnancies; abortion is legally permitted in many countries and the global trend towards liberalization of restrictions on the procedure. This trend however, the regulation of abortion has become more restrictive in the United States over the past 20 years. While the competition on abortion is being fought on many fronts in many places, U.S. Supreme Court has been instrumental in defining the terms and contours of the debate. After providing an overview of the incidence of abortion, this entry describes how the Supreme Court has interpreted the U.S. Constitution since both the granting of a right to choose abortion and allow the government considerable latitude in regulating this right (McDonagh, 22).

Incidence of Abortion

It is estimated that more than 40 million abortions occur worldwide each year. Although the number appears to be declining, approximately one in five pregnancies ends in abortion. In 2003, the overall rate of abortion, i.e. the number of women of childbearing age has an abortion, stood at 29 per 1,000.

Government regulation of abortion varies considerably. However, more ...