Preview

Structural Functionalism And Abortion Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
556 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Structural Functionalism And Abortion Essay
Back in 1973, The Supreme Court made an unforgettable decision on abortion rights titled Roe vs. Wade. Previous to Roe vs. Wade, the State law entailed that one can only get an abortion if the mother’s life is in jeopardy. Today’s abortion laws declare that it is forbidden to regulate abortions during the first trimester. During the second trimester, abortion regulations can only be enacted if the mothers’ health is threatened and the third trimester is when regulations are enacted to protect the fetus. Since this court ruling, abortion rights have become a prominent social issue that has divided our nation because of the two antipodal opinions on the matter.

Pro Life vs. Pro Choice are the two different takes on the matter. Pro Life people are against abortion while Pro Choice people believe that you have the right to choose to get an abortion or not, not necessarily that one is 100% going to do so. If one was to apply a sociological perspective to the debate of Pro Life vs. Pro Choice, you would get similar results. From a Structural Functionalism Theory and a Social Conflict Theory point of view, abortion is necessary for society to function. Symbolic Interaction theorists look at abortion on more of a case by case basis. …show more content…
The theory behind Structural Functionalism is that everything in society is connected and each aspect feeds off of another to work. This is a very broad outlook on society and it does not take human emotions into account. Everyone has a job and everyone must do their job. This theory may support abortion because it provides jobs. A woman in need of an abortion must pay the doctor to perform the surgery. If abortion was illegal, it would not stop them from happening but it would stop doctors from making money off of
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Pro Life Vs Pro Choice Research Paper
    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Pro Life Vs Pro Choice Research Paper

    Abortion is one of the most divisive moral issues of America today. The Roe vs. Wade court case in 1973 made the debate national. This case was filed by a pregnant woman, Norma McCorvey, against Henry Wade, the district attorney of Texas. In Texas, abortion was illegal. This court case overturned the previous law on abortion and made it a right to privacy between a woman and her doctor up until the third trimester in order to coincide with the 14th Amendment and also balance with why the state wanted it to be illegal in the first place; to protect prenatal life and women’s health. Now a day, 2% of women between the ages 15-44 will have an abortion. Out of all the teens that partake in sexual intercourse, 19% of them will become pregnant with 78% of those pregnancies unplanned and about 4 out of 10 unplanned pregnancies result in abortion.…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The History Of Abortion In The United States
    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The History Of Abortion In The United States

    The history of abortions in the United States is complicated and has been going on for more than 200 years. The debate on whether abortions should be legal divides Americans to this day. Abortions has been illegal since the 1800’s, although, women would have the procedure without legal rights to do so. On January 22, 1973, the US Supreme Court declared it was a fundamental right after the Roe vs. Wade case. Many states have changed the rules on abortions but as of today women have the right to get abortions in all 50 states. The legalization give women the right to remain in control of their body.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gonzales V. Carhart Case Study
    • 1802 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Gonzales V. Carhart Case Study

    As a reflection, the Gonzales v. Carhart case in 2007 had a significant impact on the way abortions were performed. It established the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act which prevented D&E procedures, the dilation of a woman’s cervix followed by the extraction of the unborn child. (Kennedy 2) All doctors that knowingly performed the procedure were punished through the form of jail time or their license being revoked (Kennedy 8) since this was looked upon as inhumane. Also, making abortions illegal directly violates women’s human rights according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The document states that slavery and servitude is a violation of the rights (UN General Assembly 1948), so the denial of abortions violates women’s human rights because their bodies are slaves to the government and they have to serve the government with their body, meaning continuing with an unwanted pregnancy. The document also states that everyone should feel secure and when this is not the case for the women that attempt to be an abortion; they fear for their life. Nevertheless, legalizing abortions is the best choice for the nation because it comes with benefits. Sadly, before abortions, they were many births that resulted in children being sent to orphanages since…

    • 1802 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Roe Vs Wade Case Study
    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Roe Vs Wade Case Study

    The Roe v. Wade was a very significant case because it would pave the way for women to be able to have an abortion during any time throughout their pregnancy. The ruling was that women could have an abortion throughout any time of their pregnancy. However, they would grant different states to develop their own regulations when it came time to abort a pregnancy in the second and third trimesters. “Thanks to intensive lobbying by women’s organizations, liberal ministers, and physicians, a handful of states, such as New York, Hawaii, California, and Colorado, adopted laws making legal abortions easier to obtain,” (Edwards…

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Roe Vs Wade Research Paper
    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Roe Vs Wade Research Paper

    The Roe vs Wade case was used to prove the state law of abortion to be unconstitutional. The Court stated that the states could not get involved with the laws or regulations of abortions occurring in the first trimester. The only laws that they could enact during the second trimester would be related to maternal health, and in the third trimester they could enact laws protecting the fetus’ life. If the mother’s life was at risk during the third trimester, abortion still has to be an option.…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Roe Vs Wade Research Paper
    • 1878 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Roe Vs Wade Research Paper

    This paper will state the medical definition of abortion. Summarize the famous court case Roe vs. Wade and the impact that had on The United States. This paper will also discuss the present abortion debate, the states that have chosen to ban abortion, and the affect this will have on individuals. The last part of the paper will be my opinion on the current abortion ban.…

    • 1878 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Roe Vs Wade Research Paper
    • 1153 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Roe Vs Wade Research Paper

    “Roe v. Wade ruled unconstitutional a state law that banned abortions except to save the life of the mother. The Court ruled that the states were forbidden from outlawing or regulating any aspect of abortion performed during the first trimester of pregnancy, could only enact abortion regulations reasonably related to maternal health in the second and third trimesters, and could enact abortion laws protecting the life of the fetus only in the third trimester. Even then, an exception had to be made to protect the life of the mother.”…

    • 1153 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    roe vs wade
    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages

    roe vs wade

    In the 70’s a pregnant single woman (Roe) brought a class action challenging the constitutionality of the Texas criminal abortion laws, which proscribe procuring or attempting an abortion except on medical advice for the for the purpose of saving the mother’s life. In the 1960’s there was no federal law regulating abortions, and many states had banned the practice entirely, except when the life of the mother was endangered. Because women were not allowed to get abortions, it led many women of the time to seek black market abortions by unlicensed physicians or to perform the procedure themselves. As a result, several states such as California and New York began to legitimize abortions. Because abortions related to the feminist movement, women’s groups looked for the opinion of the United States Supreme Court. The anonymous Jane Roe Challenged the Texas law on December 13, 1971, the case slowly made its way to the highest court. After Two long years of the Jurors hearing evidence, the court invalidated the Texas law by a vote. The same system was used in the decision of the Griswold vs. Connecticut vs. decision; the right to privacy was implied by the 9th and 14th Amendments which the majority of the justices maintained. No state could have restrictions on abortions during the 1st three months, or trimester of a pregnancy. States from there on out were permitted to adopt restrictive laws, respecting the mothers health during the 2nd trimester. The practice could be banned outright during the 3rd trimester. Any state law that conflicted with this ruling was automatically overturned. Although women rights groups were thrilled, immediately an opposition emerged. The Roman Catholic churches had long criticized abortions as a form…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Abortion (“Roe V. Wade�?) Essay Example
    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Abortion (“Roe V. Wade�?) Essay Example

    Before the Roe Vs. Wade case, abortion was illegal. Women interested in getting an abortion were forced to go against the law and risk the chance of getting themselves and the doctors arrested (Morton). The Supreme Court ruled that any state in the United States could restrict an abortion only in the last three months of the pregnancy. The last three months, as proven by doctors, is when the fetus can live a “meaningful life” outside the womb (“Roe v. Wade”).…

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    pro life abortion paper
    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages

    pro life abortion paper

    There are many differences between a “pro- choice” position on abortion and a “pro- life” position. People who are “pro- choice”, then they believe that it is the woman’s decision if she wants to have a child and carry it for nine months. If someone is “pro- life”, then they are against anyone getting an abortion. They believe that the fetus has the same rights as a human being. The argument the “pro- life” people strongly believe is that every undeveloped human is sacred and must be protected by the government. The “pro- choice” people argue that when a humans personhood cannot be proven in pregnancies, then the government does not have the right to prevent a woman her right to decide whether or not she wants to continue with the pregnancy.…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Roe V. Wade
    • 1178 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Roe V. Wade

    On January 22, 1973, a monumental ordeal for all of the United States had come about. Abortion was legalized. It was the Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade that made us take a turn into this political issue. In this case Norma McCorvey who used the pseudonym ‘Jane Roe’, was an unmarried woman who wasn’t permitted to terminate her unborn child, for the Texas criminal abortion law made it impossible to perform an abortion unless it was putting the mother’s health in danger. Jane Roe was against doing it illegally so she fought to do it legally. In the court cases ruling they acknowledged that the lawful right to having privacy is extensive enough to cover a woman’s decision on whether or not she should be able to terminate her pregnancy . No matter how this case was viewed it was and even now it is unconstitutional. It is unconstitutional in view of the fact that in the constitution we protect life, a fetus is a developing human, so their life should be protected by the constitution…

    • 1178 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Abortion Policy Paper
    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Abortion Policy Paper

    Abortion dates back to the ancient times, when the first settlers arrived and was legal. In the 1800’s states began to make abortion illegal. In that time period, abortion was considered extremely risky. At that time hospitals and antiseptics was not common. Between 1967 and 1973, one-third of the state’s liberalized or repealed their criminal abortion laws. However, on January 22, 1973 the court case Roe v. Wade made abortion legal and changed the public health policy.…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Pro Choice Groups
    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Pro Choice Groups

    The process of abortion involves terminating a pregnancy by the removing or expelling of a foetus or embryo from the uterus. A lot of women give reasons like being raped, incest, financial difficulty and a controversial one is if the child has a disability or defect. However the fact remains that abortion is a very controversial topic because its frequency of occurrence around the world, legal consequences, and its cultural and religious status varies extensively in different regions of the world especially in Africa and the United States of America. There are many high-profile groups that champion either pro-choice or pro-life and this is well documented between Democrats and Republicans. Such organizations bring up a host of issues to further their agenda. In the United States, pro-life groups favour greater legal restrictions on abortion, or even the complete criminalization of it. Their argument is that a human foetus is a human being with a right to live, and so abortion is equal to murder. In contrast, pro-choice groups argue that a woman has certain reproductive rights, especially the choice on whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term.…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Roe V. Wade Summary
    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Roe V. Wade Summary

    The judges ruled in favor of Roe and stated that the statues were unconstitutional, but they refused to grant declaratory relief. Thus, Roe bypassed the US Court of Appeals and went to the Supreme Court on expedited appeal for injunction. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Roe and the district court’s judgement was affirmed. The court argued that Roe had a constitutional right to privacy and preventing her from getting an abortion violated her “zone of privacy.” Despite this, the court did not rule completely in favor of abortion. They agreed that during the first trimester of pregnancy, the decision for abortion is that of the doctor and and the patient. However, they concluded that states might regulate certain aspects of abortion during the second and third trimester of pregnancy to protect the health of the…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Roe V. Wade History
    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Roe V. Wade History

    On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Roe v. Wade, it was enacted in order to make abortion services safer and more accessible to women throughout the country (Roe V. Wade: Its History and Impact). Prior to Roe v. Wade, abortion was illegal in almost all of the states unless it was to save a woman’s life, preserve her health, or in instances of rape, incest, or fetal anomaly. Prior to 1973 most women were not in the workforce and were not able to pursue education because they were stay at home moms. Having the ability to control one’s own reproductive life has opened many new equal opportunities for women. The focus of this paper is to analyze Roe v. Wade and its issues, history, effectiveness, and goals.…

    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More