Debate Task. Abortion Position Paper
by
magefello (student)
Name: Nareg Tarinian
PHILOSOPHICAL CHAIRS
A Discussion/Debate Activity
AGBUMHS AP U.S. History
Position Paper Ms. Croall
Name: Nareg Tarinian
PHILOSOPHICAL CHAIRS
A Discussion/Debate Activity
AGBUMHS AP U.S. History
Position Paper Ms. Croall
Position Paper Format
TITLE
(State the title in the form of a question.)
(Example: What should United States policy be regarding reform of the welfare system?)
A. Statement of the Problem: Abortion is one of the most controversial issues in the world having no grounds of agreement among two completely polar aspects. The argument is between life and death though the uncertainty of complication of abortion makes it difficult to decide which side to favor. Whether or not it is right to abort a child in a woman’s womb is the problem that causes so many debates.
Background of the Problem: Abortion ...
Position Paper Format
TITLE
(State the title in the form of a question.)
(Example: What should United States policy be regarding reform of the welfare system?)
A. Statement of the Problem: Abortion is one of the most controversial issues in the world having no grounds of agreement among two completely polar aspects. The argument is between life and death though the uncertainty of complication of abortion makes it difficult to decide which side to favor. Whether or not it is right to abort a child in a woman’s womb is the problem that causes so many debates.
Background of the Problem: Abortion is defined as the “removal of the embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy” (Dictionary.com). Abortion is surrounded by many different questions such as: Does the constitution defend an individual’s right to abortion? Does this include confidentiality? Is a developing fetus a being? Should the law allow abortions for rape or incest cases? The Constitution permits abortion legalization. It is not mentioned in the Bill of Rights or the Constitution directly but the right to privacy and reproductive rights is an enumerated right. “The Supreme Court in 1973, Roe vs. Wade, legalized abortion in the first trimester. Since then, over 35 million women have had legal abortions” (Cozic/Tipp). Twenty-four percent of pregnancies end in abortion and forty-one percent of the abortions are only done by teenagers in America.
C. Alternative Policies: Abortion may be legal in the USA but Pro-Lifers hope to make an amendment that gives all living beings from conception the right to live with protection under law. They also support adoption and encourage women to take this positive alternative instead of abortion. A strong base for the Pro-Life group is religion. Most of the Pro-Lifers are Christian and statistics show that the less religious a person is, the more likely they are to be Pro-Choice/ Pro-Abortion (Benson/Herrmann). The Pro-Choice group to abortion believes that women have the freedom to choose to abort the fetus in their womb or keep it. This group of people believes that abortion is a personal choice and the freedom of choice is protected for all individuals. The biggest concern for them is that if abortion is made illegal, it will end up posing more problems such as the increase in “back alley” abortions, or self abortions or worse, the mother may end up killing the baby after giving it birth which has happened a numerous amount of times with young mothers. They believe that the fetus is just a “mass of tissue” instead of a human being and that it is the right of the mother and father of the “mass of tissue” to keep it or abort it. Pro-Choice advocates believe that personhood begins later when the child has been given birth. They trust that every child in the world should be wanted and reducing the amount of unwanted children will lower the percentage of child abuse. They also believe that the world is already overpopulated but since when does the value of a person’s life depend on the amount of people there are in the world?
Recommended Policy: When a fetus actually starts to live cannot be determined but according to facts, the heart begins to beat after 16-25 days and the brain begins to operate after 40 days. Some people think that after conception you become a person whereas others think otherwise but they should think, suppose you have five hundred pills on a table and one of the five hundred is poisonous pill. Would the person just randomly take one pill and swallow it not caring whether it is just a normal pill or a poisonous one? No, because that person values their life so would it not be the same with the fetus? There could be a chance that the fetus is alive and abortion could be that person murdering the baby inside their womb. Because abortion is legalized, whether or not the fetus manages to live to be born now depends on people and whether the unborn are protected by the right to live. Just because abortion is legal does not mean it is okay. Slavery was legal over 150 years ago but that did not mean it was right. Abortion for rape is another controversial topic. Babies born of this act are not intended since the sexual act is forced and no precaution or contraception can be taken. Much of the population says that killing the babies from these actions is all right but is it? This argument is between the pro-choice and pro-life. Pro-life is a group that goes against abortion. These people claim that human life begins at conception therefore making the fetus a person. They believe that the unborn deserve the right to live. Even in the case of rape, they believe that the child should not be punished for a criminal’s wrong doings.
E. Bibliography: Shimabukuro, Jon O. "Abortion Law Development: A Brief Overview." Abortion Law Development: A Brief Overview. Congressional Research Service, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <>.
Henshaw, Tietze C. "National Abortion Federation: History of Abortion." National Abortion Federation: History of Abortion. NAF, 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <>.