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Informative Articles

A Look at Jewish Dating Traditions
Jewish dating traditions range from the rigid rules and regulations formulated in Biblical times to the modern, no holds barred attitude of today’s youth. In the olden days, men and women were pretty much kept apart until the matchmaker made an...

Business Partners & Marital Partners, Will the Marriage Survive? (Part I)
With today's economy, and the layoffs occurring as a result of these economic conditions, more and more people are opting to start their own business. Due to the low start up costs, the prevalence of home-based businesses is on the rise,...

Deciding on Divorce: How to know you are making the right choice
It's a well known fact that in this day and age most marriages end up in divorce. When confronted with the possibility of "throwing a relationship away", you'll probably experience a lot of stress. There are some things you can do to decide if...

Give-And-Take: Recipe for Success in Marriage?
A woman once visited a counselor to ask a question about her marriage. I have a funny feeling that you might not be especially impressed with the answer she was given. All the same, I'll take my chances. I think my shoulders are broad enough....

The SURGE of the URGE!
Have you ever heard the expression, "The Urge to Merge"? It is a term relating to sexuality and marriage. The "URGE" symbolizes sexual interest, and the "MERGE" symbolizes marriage union. We see it all around us! Late night TV...

 
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The Abortion Debate

One of today’s most controversial topics, the abortion debate pits the rights of a mother against the rights of a fetus. The most common stances on the issue are “pro-choice” and “pro-life." These two viewpoints hinge on legal and moral considerations. Another common viewpoint is a more blended pragmatist view, which states that abortion should be prohibited except for specific cases.

"Pro-choice" advocates stress a woman's right to choose whether and when to terminate her pregnancy. In their view, a woman should have absolute control over her own body and, by extension, over the survival of the fetus within her. The "pro-life" camp argues that life begins at conception and any termination of pregnancy after the formation of the embryo is equivalent to murder.

There is an underlying and significant legal debate raging, especially in the United States. Roe v. Wade was a landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling that is still relevant today. The Court voted 7-2 to overturn all state laws banning


abortion. The Justices concluded that such laws violate a woman's constitutional right to privacy. Since then, the moral debate has taken on political significance.

There exist other viewpoints in addition to the clear cut “pro choice” and “pro life” positions. For example, some pro-choice advocates believe abortion is no longer morally permissible after the second trimester. Similarly, some pro-lifers allow abortion in extreme cases, such as rape or incest. Roughly two percent of pregnancies occur under these conditions.

The debate over abortion introduces a larger, overriding question: When must the government intervene in citizens' personal lives, and when must it avoid doing so?
OpineTree encourages debate on today’s most controversial political topics, including abortion, affirmative action, cloning, the death penalty, euthanasia, gay marriage, gun control, health care, social security, stem cells, as well as other debate topics.