Abortion has varied considerably by the differences in individual's social character and by the legal status. Society chooses to place emphasis on the disagreements of the pro-life and pro-choice groups, rather than the issues agreed on between the groups. Abortion is not a current abnormality, but a procedure common to human beings throughout history. Abortion has become a troublesome and irrationally argued issue, which has turned into legal and political turmoil, with no permanent resolution in sight.
There have been many attempts to pass laws to stop abortions. "The U.S. Supreme Court, in Roe v. Wade, ruled that, during the first trimester of pregnancy, the state had no right to prohibit abortion and that, during the second trimester, the state could prohibit abortion unless the pregnancy endangered the mother's health or life" (Rein 112). The judgment was based upon the right of privacy, which rejected several anti-abortion acts. When the pregnancy was to the point where the baby could live outside of the mother's body, then the state had a right to intervene. The anti-abortion laws and legal decisions were rarely enforced. These laws just drove the practice of abortion underground. Whether legal or not, each year millions of women of all backgrounds seek abortions when they cannot carry a pregnancy to term. Many women used illegal methods of fertility control, and continued to have abortions. The laws will not keep teenagers from hiding their pregnancies from their parents, it increases the odds of them obtaining an illegal abortion. Countless women were dying from the infections and intense bleeding from the illegal abortions. Hangers and other sharp objects were often used in these abortions. Studies prove that abortions performed outside of the law have a higher rate of complications and deaths.
A pro-life advocate argues that from the moment of conception, the fetus is alive.
