Many issues facing the world today arise from philosophical views of morality and humane behavior. The debates range from giving the government power to sentence a human being to death, or use an unborn child's stem cells to further medical care. One of the rising topics today is the issue of Abortion. Advocates of giving women the choice to have an abortion (pro-Choice) and advocates of denying women the right to choose (pro-Life) are both passionate about their arguments and have received support from a variety of secular, religious, and federal groups. Abortion is one of the largest social problems facing America today. Due to its long history of being one of the most fiercely debate topics in the world, it has drawn interest from global collectives, many of whom have been reluctant to take a stand. Because of the rising pressure the public is placing on the government and corporations heavily invested in the legislative process, this issue will continue to garner attention and demand resolve from both the federal government and the general public in the near future.
Unbeknownst to general consciousness, abortion was once accepted in this country. In the early 1800's, the practice was morally acceptable and common, but from the middle of the 19th century to its completion, the practice slowly became entirely illegal throughout the United States. Legally, abortions were acceptable in the beginning of the 19th century as long as the mother had not yet felt any fetal movement in the womb. At this time, abortion was largely accepted and commonplace. There was not much moral opposition to the practice and minimal legal opposition. The process was very simple at the time. Colonial home medical guides gave recipes for "bringing on the menses" with herbs that could be grown in one's garden or easily found in the woods. By the mid eighteenth century commercial preparations were so widely available that they had inspired their own euphemism ("taking the trade").