Legality Of Abortion

             fetus will swallow it because it likes the taste. If a bitter solution is injected, the fetus will realize the taste and quit .
             swallowing (196 Steinbock). The previous examples are evidence enough that life begins at conception, or at the .
             time the fetus's heart begins to beat. Others believe that the life of the fetus is just merely the life of the woman .
             until the fetus is born. Those people who believe that life does not start until birth believe that, without the .
             life-style and habits of the mother, the fetus would not survive. In 1973, the US Supreme Court ruled over a case .
             called Roe v. Wade. This case described the legality of a fetus and the conditions which apply to the mothers .
             rights as well. The ruling stated that the fetus is merely a living appendage of the mother until the completion of .
             the second trimester. But once the third trimester begins, the fetus gains civil rights which guarantee life, liberty, .
             and property. A woman can only abort a fetus in the third trimester if it poses a direct threat to the health and .
             well being of the woman (189 Tribe). In conclusion, the Roe v. Wade case developed the needed boundaries to .
             determine the legal rights of the mother and fetus. Is abortion physically and mentally safe for the mother? Do the .
             advantages of abortion outweigh the disadvantages? Ft. John L. Grady, medical examiner for the Florida State .
             Attorney's office, says, "I believe it can be stated with certainty that abortion causes more deep-seated guilt, .
             depression, and mental illness then it ever cures" (38 Novak). Grady is drawing upon his years of experience as .
             a medical examiner and concludes that when a woman aborts a fetus, she is causing more pain and problems .
             mentally and socially than if she bears the child. This mental anguish and guilt may be only half of the problem .
             women face though. Women who receive abortions also may have physical problems as well. Women who have .