Wk 2 - Essay Persuading a New Audience. Literature & Language

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Week 1-Initial Argumentative Essay: Abortion Rights and Roe vs Wade
In January 23rd 1973, a Supreme Court case ruling between Roe and Wade was a landmark in U.S personal liberty and abortion rights. The Supreme Court ruled that the restrictive state regulation on abortion was unconstitutional. Through a majority opinion presented by Justice Harry Blackmun, the court held that the statutes in the Texas state legalizing abortion are in most instances against women's constitutional right of privacy. In supporting the decision, the court referred to the liberty guarantee stated in the Fourth Amendment. The clause states, '…nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.' (Adamek 409). Therefore, the state was found to have implicated the clause. The case began in 1970 when 'Jane Roe' a fictional name used to protect the identity of plaintiff, instituted federal action against Henry Wade, a district attorney in Dallas, Texas. The Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe vs Wade case did not consider other factors like religion, other abortion laws and cross-cultural contradictions in the U.S before making it a law.
The Roe vs. Wade law was established to give pregnant women liberty of whether to do abortion or to give a live birth. Since then, the implications associated with the law has been felt in almost all states. Furthermore, religious leaders feels that the law is not in line with biblical teachings. More women are not considering abortion as a means of keeping their future life goals alive. Consequently, back in the 1960s, there was no law in the U.S Federal laws that regulated abortion. Many states had banned it entirely with the exceptions of when the mother's life was in danger (Levine et al. 201). However, looking at the Right-to-Life clause in the U.S constitution, the unborn child right to live has been violated. The National Abortion Rights Action League movement stand on this ruling is that life biologically starts at conception and that the unborn child has the right to live. Therefore, Congress should revise the Roe vs Wade ruling to protect the life of unborn children.
Additionally, the law has, since its inception, impacted negatively on the way some religions view it. According to Catholics, the code is against the will of God concerning human life. They believe that life is given and taken by God himself and not by any being on earth (Rosenbaum, 483). Allowing the mother of the unborn child to choose whether to abort it or not is against Gods purpose on earth. However, the introduction of the right to choose and have abortion opposes religious teachings which creates more controversies on abortion rights. Religiously, no person has the right to take the life of another, whether born or not.
Consequently, in 1976, Congress introduced the Hyde Amendment, which prohibited the use of federal funds for abortion services unless the pregnancy is as a result of rape or threatens the life of the mother. Since then, federal funds are not used to offer abortion services unless in such exceptional cases. According to Adamek (412), as from 2011, there have been more than 400 restrictions on abor...