Abortion Policy in the U.S.: History, Ethics, and Solutions
This paper examines abortion as a public policy issue in the United States, tracing its historical, legal, and ethical dimensions. Beginning with a survey of abortion practices in colonial America and the gradual criminalization of abortion by 1900, the paper then discusses the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade and its ongoing political aftermath. The analysis addresses the ethical and religious arguments frequently invoked in the abortion debate, arguing that these are often applied inconsistently and illogically. The paper concludes by proposing constructive solutions—including open dialogue between opposing camps—aimed at moving the debate toward a more reasoned and humane consensus.
- Introduction: Abortion's ongoing relevance as a U.S. policy issue
- History and Background: Legal and cultural history of abortion in America
- Causes and Solutions: Why legal abortion access is a moral imperative
- Alternative Solutions: Dialogue-based paths toward abortion policy consensus
- Conclusion: Summary of tensions and call for further research
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its argument in historical context, tracing abortion from colonial America through Roe v. Wade, which adds credibility and prevents the analysis from appearing purely ideological.
- It acknowledges the opposing viewpoint directly — including the anti-choice position — rather than dismissing it, which strengthens the call for dialogue and consensus.
- The use of peer-reviewed and government sources (CDC, Alvargonzández, Faúndes & Miranda) alongside historical and journalistic sources gives the paper a balanced evidentiary foundation.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates policy analysis framing: it identifies a persistent social problem, surveys its causes and historical roots, evaluates ethical claims on multiple sides, and then proposes concrete alternative solutions. This structured approach — problem → background → causes → solutions — is standard in undergraduate public policy writing and helps the reader follow the argument clearly.
Structure breakdown
The paper has five named sections. The Introduction establishes the scope and stakes. History and Background traces legal and cultural attitudes toward abortion over time. Causes and Solutions argues for the logical and moral necessity of legal abortion access. Alternative Solutions proposes dialogue-based approaches to reduce polarization. The Conclusion summarizes the key tensions and calls for further research. The argument flows logically from historical grounding to ethical reasoning to practical recommendations.
Introduction
Abortion rates have been steadily decreasing in the United States, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still reports over 600,000 legal abortions per year (CDC, 2018). In spite of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, abortion remains a contentious public policy issue. The reason this issue was selected for analysis is because it remains unresolved in public debate and reflects unfortunate schisms in American society. Rather than resort to vitriolic language, it would be more constructive to reach a consensus about abortion policy.
History and Background
From both medical and legal perspectives, the term abortion refers to different procedures used to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy ("Abortion Law and Legal Definition," 2018, p. 1). Abortions can be medical or clinical. Medical abortions utilize pharmaceutical methods to terminate the pregnancy; clinical abortions involve the use of specialized tools and procedures, such as suction devices. The vast majority — more than 91% — of abortions are performed before the 13th week of gestation ("Abortion Fast Facts," 2018). There has been additional controversy over late-term and "partial birth" abortions ("Historical Attitudes to Abortion," n.d., p. 1).
As long as women have been getting pregnant, they have been having abortions. Contrary to popular belief, abortion is not mentioned in either the Old Testament or the New, and was until recently an accepted practice that was certainly not criminalized ("Historical Attitudes to Abortion," n.d., p. 1). In fact, abortion was not always a political issue in the United States. "There was a time when abortion was simply part of life in the United States. People didn't scream about it in protest, and services were marketed openly" (Ravitz, 2016, p. 1). Historians believe abortion to have been "common in colonial America," albeit hidden from view ("Historical Attitudes to Abortion," n.d., p. 1).
Due to a combination of factors, including changes to the medical profession itself, abortion gradually became stigmatized. By the middle to late nineteenth century, in both England and the United States, abortion laws started to become more strident, and abortion was eventually criminalized in American law around 1900 ("Historical Attitudes to Abortion," n.d.). Abortion remained illegal until the 1973 case Roe v. Wade was brought before the Supreme Court. In a 7–2 decision, the Court ruled that women have the right to legal abortion based on provisions in the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, including the citizen's right to privacy. Since Roe v. Wade, anti-choice activists have continued to press for the re-criminalization of abortion at both the state and federal level, with varying degrees of success in restricting access to abortion services.
The abortion debate became entangled with factors like religiosity and ethics, often in distorted and illogical ways. Both Catholic and Protestant traditions have fluctuated between condoning abortion and banning it (Ravitz, 2016). Current anti-abortion rhetoric is frequently cloaked in religious terminology, primarily from the Christian tradition, even though the Bible does not expressly outlaw abortion ("Historical Attitudes to Abortion," n.d.). The view that life is sacred permeates most religious and ethical traditions, but this precept can equally be applied to women — fully formed human beings whose lives are also sacred. Abortion debates should therefore always be framed in terms of gender norms. To ban abortion is to legally strip a woman of her personal rights and freedoms, including the right to self-determination. Banning abortion means forcing a woman to carry an unwanted child to term, which presents a profound ethical conundrum. Those who do not believe abortion is an ethical choice need not take part in the practice, rather than demanding that those who hold different worldviews conform to their ethical standards.
Causes and Solutions
Abortion does not need to be the contentious issue it has become. Being realistic about abortion provides the most sensible approach to resolving the social and political problems surrounding the debate. As Alvargonzález (2017) points out, "the complete elimination of abortion is not possible" (p. e39). When abortion was still illegal in the United States, even clergy groups were helping women locate safe abortion services as a public service (Ravitz, 2016). Women may seek to terminate a pregnancy for any number of reasons; abortion remains a deeply personal choice. Abortion cannot be framed as murder, given that an embryo is not a fully formed human being. Likewise, abortion is no replacement for birth control, but birth control methods frequently fail. Women who have been raped obviously should not be compelled to carry their rapist's child to term.
Therefore, the law needs to allow access to safe abortions. People who support the right of women to have an abortion do not necessarily believe that abortion itself is desirable. "Nobody doubts that, regarding the methods of birth control, contraception is better than abortion, abortion is better than infanticide and abortion is worse the later and the less safe it is performed" (Alvargonzández, 2017, p. e39). If anti-choice activists would recognize that pro-choice attitudes are not unethical but merely logical and sensible, it might be possible to reach a consensus. Abortion is not something that would ever be made mandatory, and nor should carrying a child to term unnecessarily be made mandatory. In countries where abortion is patently illegal, women suffer grave health consequences when they resort to illegal means of terminating a pregnancy (Faúndes & Miranda, 2017). Therefore, the legality of abortion can be viewed as a pressing moral imperative. Women have the right to access safe abortions on demand, regardless of their purpose or need. It serves no real purpose to restrict women's right to safe abortions.
Conclusion
The abortion issue has been discussed at length and framed from many different points of view. Neither side seems able to recognize the validity of the other's position, which highlights the deep social and political rifts in American society. Further research may reveal the best ways of demonstrating the need for more logical analysis of the issue, based on the fact that abortion is an unfortunate but inevitable reality.
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