Abortion A Feminist Polemic - 4215 Words

Abortion: A Feminist Polemic Bioethics is the study of widely disputed ethical issues that stem from the contentions brought about by modern advancements in biology and medicine. The field’s focus on ethical healthcare and life sciences is specifically relevant to the vehement polemic regarding abortion. This argument has amassed a vast and varied following of individuals and groups, motivated by feminism, religious ethics, politics and medical ethics. I have chosen a feminist focus for my inquiry and aim to shed light on the opinions offered by many areas of feminism. I have chosen several questions to help my research: why is abortion an ethical issue?; what are the feminist points of view concerning abortion?; what has been the impact of feminism on women s access to abortion? Why is abortion an ethical issue? Abortion is defined as â€Å"the expulsion or removal from the womb of a developing embryo or fetus in the period before it is capable of independent survival†. Definitions of abortion vary within countries as well as among different institutions. Often societal and political opinions of abortion are reflected in the language used to refer to the procedure. Personhood is defined as the status of being a person. The idea of personhood is particularly controversial within various realms of philosophy, bioethics and law and is specifically relevant to the contention regarding abortion. Commencement of personhood is defined as: the point at which human life is considered