Jean Monte:
 

    The Constitution and the right to have abortions is an interesting concept.  Where murder is not allowed, abortions are.  Abortion is when an unborn fetus is terminated.  This is not a report to say what is right and what is wrong, but how it is.  Abortion in America is a controversial topic.  There are interest groups that try to keep it legal and there are interest groups that want to make it illegal.  Then there is the federal government.  The federal government can rarely decide on what it should have for lunch never mind controversial topics.  The federal government finally decided to let the states decide how they  wanted to handle abortion.
    The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) feels that preventing women from having abortions is unconstitutional because it infringes on women's civil liberties.  The group thinks that people who are not pro choice do not have the right to violate and/or intimidate another person's decision.  There have been instances in the past where pro life groups have bombed abortion sites, picketed in front of abortion clinics, and at one political convention, went so far as to bring a deceased human fetus.  The ACLU does not feel that it is within pro lifers rights to interfere with other people's lives.
    Another group that seems to be a powerful interest group in this matter is the California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (CARAL).  This group also is involved heavily in making sure that it is safe for people to go to abortion clinics and also not have to worry about being hassled by protesters.
    In 1972, the Supreme Court made it legal for all women to have abortions if they choose to.  However, in more recent history,  the government has decided to let the states have more control over this issue.  Due to this change in legislation, it is now much harder to get an abortion in certain states than in others.

For more information go to:  ACLU
                                                         CARAL
                                                         NOW

Civil Rights and Liberties

    Some people might say that a woman has a right to do what she wants to her body (i.e.. abortion).  It is the woman's right to choose.  Since it is a personal matter some people feel that the government cannot tell the woman what to do.
    On the other hand, some people feel you take  away the baby's rights.  Some people might say that the woman is taking the right to live away.  That the mother does not give the baby the right to choose.  Some people feel that this is murder.  For example, if a person kills a twenty-five year old person, it is considered murder and that the murderer had no respect for the other person's right as a human being.  Some might say it is the same thing.
 

Interest Groups

    Certain interest groups feel different towards abortion then other ones.  Catholics, for instance,  are totally against abortion.  They feel it is considered murder and that it is against the Catholic teaching.  In their argument, it says in the Bible, "Thou shall not murder" so if you give/receive an abortion, you are taking part  in an act against God.  There are a lot of religious groups and conservatives who feel this way.
    Other groups, liberals, feel that abortion should be allowed.  In this case, the baby is not actually alive yet and therefore it is not murder.  They feel that it is unconstitutional to tell a woman what to do with their own body.  As said before, such groups say that it is a right to privacy and that it is not the government's duty to choose.
 

The Courts

    Many cases have been brought to court about the controversy of abortion.  Such cases are Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, Roe vs. Wade, and Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services.  These cases were all trying to make abortion illegal on one part and legal on the other.  In Roe vs. Wade, it was said that if abortion was legal, it would lessen the deaths from illegal abortions.  In Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, it was said,"At the heart of liberty is the right to  define one's own concept of existence, of meaning of the universe, and of the mystery of human life."  Lastly, Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services, was the first case in which, ". . . the court upheld significant government restrictions on abortion." ( The Challenge of Democracy, page 528)

My Opinion

    In my opinion, I really cannot say if I am pro choice or pro life.  I feel that there are certain circumstances for an abortion.  Circumstances such as: if the woman was ill, had a sexually transmitted disease, raped, the baby's life was in danger, or if the woman was really young and could not take care of the baby.  If the latter instance is the case, then she should learn from her mistake.  I cannot justify the fact that a woman is  going to have an abortion every time she gets pregnant.  I do not think abortions should be used as a form of birth control.
 
For more information go to:     Pro Life Americans

www.homearts.com
 Jennifer Colamaria
Political Science 111 Section 2

Civil Rights and Liberties

    Given to the people by the government, Civil Rights guarantee any woman who is a citizen of the United States to obtain an abortion.  There are many women and teenage girls who get pregnant from a mistake they make, and who are not married.  These people often feel alone and lost knowing they will not be able to give their child the kind of  life they deserve.  there are also young girls who become pregnant, and unfortunately when their boyfriend hears the news, their (the boyfriend's) immaturity gets the best of them and they leave the young girl.  The boyfriend shows no consideration for the mother or the child that he helped bring into the world.  There are cases where teenagers get pregnant and know they have to get an abortion because if they did not, they would probably be "kicked out" of their house.  Without the support of their family, the increase of homelessness of pregnant women would be staggering.  Unfortunately, there are families who would throw out their own daughter and think of them as dead because they got pregnant before marriage.  In the case of Civil Rights, it is the woman's choice to have an abortion since she is the one carrying the baby.