The Abortion DebateThere are few issues that can cause as much heated and sometimes irrational debate as that of abortion. The issue strikes at the very heart of an individual's religious and philosophical beliefs. Does a woman have the right to terminate her pregnancy? Is it moral to do so under all circumstances? Is the fetus a living human being? The debate has raged for almost three decades and there seems to be no end to the controversy which often ends in violence. Irrational individuals who have committed murder want to make their beliefs heard and followed. In response to the question, some people used qualifiers: "no, abortion is not moral unless the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest" is one of them. response heard, in fact, some state laws contain this condition. A very large and strong contingent of people say a strong and aggressive "no, abortion is not moral, under any circumstances" and at least as many say a strong and aggressive "yes, abortion is moral; it is the woman's choice regarding your own body." The issue of abortion is full of emotion. Despite eloquent arguments and seemingly reasonable reasons for abortion, abortion is not moral. It means taking the life of a living being and this can never be considered a moral act. There is growing support for this opinion. Indeed, as the Roe v Wade ruling reached its 25th anniversary, there was a growing belief in this country that abortion was murder. Perhaps this increase in anti-abortion support is due to the knowledge that legal abortion has prohibited the birth of 35 million human beings (First Things, 1998). In her article, A Defense of Abortion, Judith Jarvis Thomson offered a series of re... ...middle paper......is unable to defend himself, others must help him; It's like fighting for the underdog. The fetus is the underdog who must be protected from all forms of harm and, ultimately, death. Bibliography: Cornell, Professor Drucilla. "Abortion." Boston Review Forum, (1996): at http://www-polisci.mit.edu/BostonReview/BR20.4/Cornell.htmlDworkin, Ronald. Mastery of Life (New York: Vintage Books 1994). Fung, Archon. “Making Rights Real: Roe's Impact on Abortion Access.” Politics and Society, (1993): v21, n4.Pope John Paul II. The Gospel of Life [Evangelium Vitae]. (New York: Random House 1995).Thomson, Judith Jarvis. “A Defense of Abortion.” In Social and Personal Ethics, ed. by William H. Shaw. (Wadsworth Publishing Company 1996).Thomson, Judith Jarvis. "Abortion." Boston Review, (1997): at http://www-polisci.mit.edu/BostonReview/BR20.3/thomson.html