Adriana Snicerova (Civil Liberties)

Pwayok Pam (Public Opinion) 

               Cathelin Juon (Public Opinion)        

Several  Supreme  Court  cases were  brought  to  the  Supreme  Court   in  regard  to  the  issue  of  abortion.  Roe  v.  Wade  was  a  controversial  case that  influenced a  great  deal  on  how  people  viewed  abortion.  There  are  several  factors  that  influence  people’s  views  and  opinions  but  the  Supreme  Court  cases  seemed to  be  the  major  ones.

On  January  22,  1973  the  Supreme  Court  handed down  its  decision  in  the  case  of  Roe v.  Wade  announcing  that  the United  States  Constitution  protects  a woman’s  right  to   decide  whether  to  end  a  pregnancy.  Seven  justices  voted  in  favor  of  this  right  to  abortion  under   limited  circumstances  and  two  dissented.  Jane  Roe  invalidated  a 19th  century  Texas  statue  prohibiting  abortion  except  in  cases  where  necessary  to  preserve  the  material  life  on  the  basis  that  the  right  of  privacy  secured   by  the  due  of  process  of  the  Fourteenth  Amendment  includes  the  right  decide  whether  or  not  to  have  the  pregnancy  terminated.

There  were  four  main  characters  in  the  Roe  v.  Wade  case.  Norma  Mc. Corvey  alias  Jane  Roe  was  never  able  to  have an  abortion  and  gave  up  her  daughter  for  abortion.  Twenty  two  years  after  her  case  in  1995,  she  changed  tack  and  said  she  always  had  moral  problems  with  abortion  even  during  the  court  battle.  Now  she  wants  to  get  the  decision  reversed.  Henry  M.  Wade  was  a  Dallas  county  district   attorney  who  was  responsible  for   enforcing  the  states  anti- abortion  laws.  Supreme  Court  Justice  Harry  A. Blackmun  served as  justice  for  24  years  and   made  the  ruling  in the  Roe  v.  Wade  decision.  Sarah  Weddington  was  a  lawyer  who  argued   Roe’s  case  in  the  Supreme  Court.  She  remains  an  advocate  for  abortion  rights.

The  Court’s  decision  about  this  law  had  been  long  awaited.  Roe  v.  Wade  was  first  argued  in  1971  and  then  it  was  argued  again  in  1972  under  a procedure  used  in  Supreme  Court  cases  each  year.  The  case  was  classified  as  a  class  action  suit  brought  to  determine  not  only  Jane’s  rights  but  the  rights  of  all  women  in  the  same  or  similar  situation.  Justice  Blackmun  wrote  the  opinion of  the  court  stating  that  a  woman’s  right  to  decide  whether  or  not  to  terminate  her  pregnancy  is  a fundamental  part  of  a right  to  privacy  the  Court  had  recognized  in  earlier  cases.  This  case  legalized  abortion  in  the   United  States.  Justice  Blackmun  held  that  “abortion  was  a constitutional  right  that  the  states  could  only   abridge  after  six  months  of  pregnancy.  The  Court  held  that  (1) the  Court  had  jurisdiction; (2)  Roe’s  case  was  not  moot,  despite  the  birth  of  her  child,  because  there  was  “capable  of  repetition  yet  evading  review,” (3)  the  right  to  privacy  includes  the  right  to  abortion; (4)  being  abortion  a  fundamental  right,  state  regulation  must  meet  the  “strict  scrutiny”  standard,  which means  the  state  must  show  it  has  a “compelling  interest”  in  having  the  law ; (5) the  word  “person”  in  the  Fourteenth   Amendment   does  not  apply  to  the unborn;  (6) the  state  has  an  important  interest  in  both  preserving  the  health  of  a  pregnant  woman  and  in  protecting  fetal  life;  (7) the  state’s  interest  in  maternal  health  becomes  compelling  at  three  months;  (8) the  state’s  interest  in  fetal  life  becomes  compelling  at  viability—six  months;  (9) the  state  may  not  regulate  abortion  at  all  during  the  first  trimester; (10) the  state  may  regulate  abortion  during  the  second  three  months,  but  only  for  the  protection  of  the  woman’s  health;  (11) the  state  may  regulate  or  ban  abortion  during  third  trimester  to  protect  fetal  life.  Weddington  won  Roe’s  case.
 
There  was  another   Supreme  Court  case  that  caused  controversy. This  case  was  Doe  v.  Bolton   on   January  22,  1973.    Doe  invalidated   a  Georgia  “reform”  abortion  statue  that  permitted   abortion  where  continued  pregnancy  would  endanger  the   woman’s  life  or  health,  where  the  fetus  would  likely  be  born  with  a  defect   or  where  pregnancy  resulted  from  rape.  The  statue  also  required  that  abortion  be  performed  in  an  accredited  hospital,  and  that  two  physicians  confirm   the  performing   physician’s  judgement  of  necessity  for  the  abortion.  The   Court  ruled   that  “ health”  must  be  taken  in  its  broadest  possible  medical  context,  and  must  be  defined  “in  light  of  all  factors—physical,  emotional,  psychological,  familial  and  the  woman’s  age, relevant  to  the  well  being  of  the  patient.  All  these  factors  relate  to  health.”   Since  pregnancies  have  consequences  for  a woman’s  emotional  and  family   situation,  the  court’s  health  provision  has  the  practical  effect  of  legalizing  abortion  up  until  the  time  of  birth  -- if  a woman  can  convince  her  physician  that  she  needs  an  abortion  to  preserve  her  “emotional  health.” The  concept  of  “health”,  as  defined  by  the  Supreme  Court  in  Doe  v. Bolton,  includes  all  medical,  psychological,  familial,  and  economic   factors  which   might   potentially  inspire  a  decision  to  procure  an  abortion.

The  two  Supreme  Court  cases  Roe  v.  Wade   and  Doe  v.  Bolton  final  decisions    have  made   women’s  health   an  imperative  priority  before  having  an  abortion.

Civil liberties guarantee freedom to all individuals which government cant deny. Civil rights are services that have to be provided to all individuals by the government. One of the most controversial rights is the woman’s reproductive right which permits her to abort her pregnancy.  Abortion became legal in 1973, Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade decided that States would put minimum restrictions on abortion so a woman could have an abortion if she chose so.

  The strict scrutiny standard made sure that States would not try to limit the woman's right to choose.  There are different views when it comes whether abortion is a woman's choice since it is her body, others argue what about the rights of the unborn child.

    Opposing groups state that the rights of the unborn child are being denied, religious groups think that abortion is just like homicide and it is a great sin since children are considered to be gift from God.  Abortion has been compared to being like the horrific wars.  These opposing groups feel they have to do everything in their power to stop abortions.

    Groups who think abortion should be legal that the rights and the well being of the women has to be concentrated on first.  The pro choice organization NOW Executive Vice President Kim Gandy proposed that Daschles compromise bill concerning abortion, puts womens health at risk.  The bill lets women have abortion if they will get severely ill during pregnancy, but the bill doesn't say anything about the dangers that women may encounter that are already pre-existing.  Gandy strongly suggests that President Clinton has to keep in mind that Daschles bill is not the  real solution to the abortion  rights.

M.A.R.L.which stands for Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties suggests that it is  not possible for legislation to make abortion highly restrictive for women, and suggests that it is unwise to stop abortion, women should be able to have a choice whether they want a child or not, making abortion illegal wont stop women from having abortions even though  they will have to turn to doctors who might put them in physical danger. The organization knows the importance of the fetal life but feels that a state can't have the power to tell the woman what to do with her own body.  Abortion doesn't has to be regarded positively, what is important that abortion is a choice that is available to the women.  In the long run, the choice can satisfy everyone those who choose to have an abortion can do so and those who are against it don't have to.  People who choose not to should just remember that every individual should have a right to make his or her own decisions.

    The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League found that 218 members of the House to be strongly anti choice while 45 out of a 100 also felt like that in senate.  Members of the House were opposed by the Senate concerning the prohibition of federal funding on experimentation of live embryos, medical training programs that don't give abortion training will still receive federal funding and states wont have to cover abortions by the Medicaid.  There is a high chance that a freestanding bill will limit abortions for the first time since 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade.
 
 

FOCA at www.cs.cmu.edu

Abortion can best be indentifed as the termination of an unwanted child. Abortion is the killing of a child whom has been placed in a mother's womb to come into this world , but due to the fact of either not being financially ready to take care of the baby. In the Row vs Wade case we find the Supreme Court lend the decison of abortion to be legal.

Ever since the Supreme Court's decision in the Roe vs Wade case in 1973 that legalize abortion, people have just been taking advantage of the decisions, aborting babies , having unprotected sex. This decision has also led to the growing problems of teenage sex. They use the fact of abortion as a backup to why they are or should be excused in being sexually active.

Most Americans are deeply conflicted and concerned about contadictory opinions. They consider abortion " murder " and yet still feel it should legal for the truly desperate .After probing more deeply, the conflict seems to be between personal moral and public political convictions. That is, most Americans do not think abortion is a good, " but that it is a "right", at least in the sense that government should not criminalize a private moral issue . Since 1989 support for "generally available legal abortion " has slipped from 40% to 32% ,while support for serious restrictions has risen accordingly .

One thing that did not uncover in the poll is that many surprises may hearten pro- life advocate . Years ago many of those dedicated to preserving life grew discouraged. Prolife and prochoice became the center of all topics. The abortion issue became such a moral, yet politcal issue as well.

In fact, the poll results suggest that we are more likely entering a period in which wise and, above all, temperate exhortations on behalf of life may effectively influence public policy. Nearly 80% of the respondents supported both parental consent and waiting periods, indicating that restrictive state laws reflect public opinion accurately. Neither age nor gender appears to have any effect on people's current views on abortion. Though we have searched to find an answer to this growing problem, we must also wonder if their really is an answer.

Public opinion has shifted dramatically away from support from those who undergo abortions for "cavalier " or easy reasons. Reasons such as career advancement, a substitute for birth control , unwillingnesss to marry and the like no longer win sympathy.

The issue of Pro-Life movement is totally against the entire definition of abortion, but people feel the Pro-Lifer's must change their "image." Almost half of those polled felt that anti-abortioners were extremist. On the opposite side, pro-choice advocates were found to be reasonable in their activities. Religious people were found on the pro-life side, and everybody else was most likely on the pro-choice life.

There is no doubt that images of dismembered human bodies are liable to cause distress. People do not realize the medical effect of an abortion. An abortion is physically and emotionally painful for a woman.

Yet is it intelligible to suppose that anti-abortionists are setting out to demean or brutalise, or to celebrate cruelty . On the contrary their aim is to confront the public with images of human remains in order to bring home what they regard as moral evil.

A factorial experiment examined the effects of the wording and sequence of survey questions on the measurement of attitudes towards abortion. "When a first-trimester pregnancy is specified 555 of respondents agree that a woman should be able to obtain a legal abortion for any reason, compared with 44% when no pregnancy duracy is stated." Specifiying first-trimester pregnancies has little effect on the proportion of respondents who agree that abortion should be available for material health, fetel defects or rape, but it significally increases the proportion who agree that a woman should be able to obtain an abortion if she is single, has financial constaints or wants no more children.

Perhaps, given our given concious age, this constitutes the actual battle field on which the the wars will be won. The New York Times stated that over 80% of those polled believe that the disagreements between supporters and opponents of legal abortion will never be resolved .

As mentioned previously, abortion will never have an answer. We must do what we believe is right for us. Whether we do have the abortion or not remember it was a decison that we made and it could not be reversed.

Public opinion on the abortion debate has stemmed into two different categorizations known as Pro-Choice and Pro-Life.  Since each individual holds his own deeply rooted, innate belief on what is right and what is moral, the moral diversity between, “The Right to Choose” and, “The Right o Life”, will be a never-ending a constant battle.

The Pro-Life motto is “The Right to Life”.  It is in short, that every child whether born or unborn is alive and has the right to enter this world.  It stamps abortion as inherently evil and wrong, and considers it as a complete act or murder, with the mother being the killer.  The Catholic religion forbids both the abortion and the birth control methods that could have been used to prevent it.  Catholics believe that the size of your family is another way to symbolize your belief in Catholicism and to show its beliefs to the world.  However, it is not only the Catholic religion that make up the majority of the Pro-Lifers.

Randall Terry was a anti-abortion activist who claimed that God required evangelical Christians to stop abortion.  He founded an organization of evangelicals called Operation Rescue.  This now national organization proceeded to picket in front of abortion mills across the country, while shutting them down.  The Rescuers would also sometimes display pictures of aborted fetuses wrapped in the American Flag to symbolize the downfall of the nation, and represent national crimes of immorality.  Operation Rescue  still exists today, although Randall Terry isin’t the most dominant figure in it.  The quote below from Randall Terry explains the main foundation on which Operation Rescue is based on.
 

During a rescue mission, a group of believers obeys God’s command to rescue the innocent, saying “No!  Wer’e not going to let you kill innocent children.”  The rescuers peacefully but physically place themselves between the killer and his intended victim.  This is done in a number of ways.  They may enter the abortion procedure rooms before the patients arrive and lock themselves in.  They may fill up the waiting room or they may come before the arbortuary opens and block the door with their bodies, cars or special locks, so that no one can get in.  It can be quite exciting and a little frightening.  In any event, rescue missions win a stay of execution for the baby.     Randall Terry.

However, in attempts to stop women from entering and receiving abortions, many life activists have resorted to violence.  There have been an extreme amount of widespread abortion clinic bombings that have led to injury and even death to women.  This kind of activity, although dangerous, is viewed by Pro-Lifers as necessary and even acceptable when attempting to save the lives of the fetuses that they so adamantly demand have the right to life.

On the other side, is Pro-Choice, and their motto is, “The Right to Choose.”  That is, the woman being permitted to make her own decision about her own body.  For many women, abortion was a means of freedom.  Freedom to control their own lives and decide what is best for themselves. They stressed choice, and were labeled by many as just overzealous feminists.  However, to fully understand abortion, you must view it from the time before abortions were legalized.

Before the ruling of the Roe V. Wade case, women everywhere in all instances sought out abortion illegally.  Many were desperate with no money, or home.  Others felt that they weren't ready to carry the responsibility.  These women sought out abortions from people claiming to be doctors, and returned with botched and unsanitary abortions, and widespread abdominal infections.  Hospitals and doctors would not treat a woman suffering from an abortion related illness unless she provided them with the abortionists name.  Since contact was forbidden, these women would die as a result.

Similarly, women who are determined to terminate their pregnancy will always find a way to try.  Without any safe options available to them, they will sometimes resort to deadly methods such as inserting objects like coat hangers into the uterus, swallowing chemicals, and douching with solutions like lye.  And when all these attempts fail, these women would seek out abortionists.

While some women could afford to pay skilled practitioners, or go to another country, many could not.  In the 1950s roughly a million illegal abortions per year were performed in the United States.  Over a thousand women each year died from them.  90% of all legal abortions in 1969 were performed on white women who were private patients.

I have covered two sides of the extreme views of abortion.   However, there are many people who agree that abortion should be kept as legal under certain circumstances.  For instance, recent public opinion polls show that circumstances such as rape, incest, deformities, and endangerment of the mothers life are often viewed as acceptable reasons for abortion.  It seems as if abortion must be justified in one of these means in order for it to be tolerated by the pro-life community.

In conclusion, public opinion on abortion is varied and ranges from extreme pro-life, to extreme pro-choice.  Where you lie on the continuum depends on your own views of morality, why you chose to believe them, and your own personal view of abortion.  Is it fair to let innocent unborn children to be aborted?  If not, then is it fair to let thousands of women carrying their child within them,  to be killed in the process?  As you can see public opinion will always dissent.
 
 
 
 
 
 
  If you have any comments, you can e-mail us at cjuon@hejira.hunter.cuny.edu