For the purposes of this essay, I will discuss abortion and how it is a major controversy in today's society. I will discuss my position on the topic and why I believe in a woman's right to choose. I could never have an abortion on my own, but I can understand why some women choose to terminate a pregnancy and respect their opinions. Abortion is a procedure that is performed when a woman decides to terminate a pregnancy. The result is the removal of a fetus or child from his body. Abortion has been the subject of debate and has caused a lot of controversy among many, but there are those who still support it as “pro-choice” and say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Those who are pro-choice believe that women should have the right to choose what to do with their bodies, but pro-lifers disagree. Then there are the pro-lifers who believe that ending a pregnancy is a crime and should be considered murder. They argue that the mother is taking away an innocent life, but before abortion was scrutinized, abortion was widely accepted by many. If you look back in history, you will find that many women sought abortion and it was legal until it became illegal around 1880. Everyone has their own opinions and views on this issue, but I believe that in the end it all depends on the choice of mother and her right to her own body. The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution gives us this right. “Constitutional protection for a woman's decision to terminate her pregnancy comes from the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. It declares that no State may "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." The key word in the present case is "freedom". Before all these controversies and court battles, abortion had been widely accepted by many in the United States. Abortion has been legal and practiced in the United States since the first settlers arrived here. The Constitution had been created and abortions were on the rise and practiced in all societies. In 1880 the courts had banned abortion but allowed it under certain circumstances. Regardless of the implementation of these new laws, women continued to have abortions. They were giving rise to illegal and unsafe tactics to terminate a pregnancy. They argued that the laws were unjust and took away their right to choose. Women began to participate in illegal and unsafe abortions to end their pregnancies. They claimed that these new laws caused them despair, fear, shame and claimed that this had a severe impact on their health. Women began to resort to what they call “secret alley.” abortions” (National Abortion Federation). An estimated 1.2 million illegal abortions occurred per year, and women suffered serious health problems as a result of these unsafe practices. Some of these practices have resulted in deaths, especially among members of poor communities. Women who lived in poverty or did not have the financial means to cover the cost of abortion resorted to illegal abortions. Those who had access to abortion had no choice but to resort to illegal methods to terminate their pregnancies. I found that many women had attempted to do the procedure themselves by inserting knitting needles or hangers into the vagina and uterus. Others used cleaning measures with chemicals such as lye or ingesting hard drugs. Doctors could not give an exact percentage of how many women died from these illegal abortions, as they were both illegal and notregister. Even though there are around thousands of women here who are treated for unsafe abortions every year. Doctors began providing procedures to save a woman's life from negligently performed abortions, regardless of the law and the consequences they would face. In the 1960s, women's civil rights movements formed to fight for women and their right to life.choose. Many in the medical profession joined the movement and sought to gain rights for women when it came to their bodies. This movement brought changes and with it new laws. Between 1967 and 1973, 14 states had decided to reform their laws and four states had repealed their abortion laws. Finally, on January 22, 1973, all existing criminal abortion laws were put to an end in Roe v Wade. The court ruled that a woman's right to have an abortion in the first trimester is protected by the "right to privacy." The ruling was that the court could prevent states from banning first- and third-trimester abortions, except in certain cases. During the second trimester if an abortion was performed it was primarily to protect the life or health of the mother. Abortions were also permitted under medical advice when it was ascertained that the fetus would not survive or had defects. Those who supported this decision were happy, but others were not as accepting and blamed the court. Many of those who opposed the decision began working on attempts to stop state and federal funding for abortion. Approximately one million or more abortions performed in the United States each year are elective, and between the Roe v Wade decision and 2008 there were more than 40 million abortions in the United States. Following Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court allowed states to impose restrictions on abortions in Planned Parent Hood v Casey, which led to new laws. Funding for medically necessary abortions was provided by 17 states. Doctors were told they had to advise women who decided to have an abortion about the risks involved. According to a statement made by Justice O'Connor in Planned Parenthood v Casey, women should have the right to make a decision regarding their right to choose whether or not to have a child. “Women's ability to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their own reproductive lives.” Today, abortion is still a growing challenge, but there are many advocates behind it. One of the big arguments behind their fight for women is that abortion has been declared a “fundamental right” guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Supporters say the choice to have children or not is solely up to the mother and is essential to a woman's independence and ability to determine her future. A woman should have the right to bodily autonomy and should have the freedom to choose what happens to her body. Christian ethicist Rebecca Peters states that motherhood is a moral choice, therefore “it is an act of consent to the gift of life.” Peter argues that forcing a mother to carry a pregnancy is immoral. Peters believes that what is important is a woman's willingness to participate in carrying love in the form of a child. Peters also argues that when it comes to a woman's choice to become a mother, one does not have the right to impose it on her. Nor should the government have the right to implement relevant legislation. So, since women are the ones who have to do the work to carry that baby, they are the ones who have to consent. Schlesinger, an Episcopal priest, says “abortion must be understood.