Should Induced Abortion Be Prohibited To Protect Fetus' Human Rights Assignment

Should Induced Abortion Be Prohibited To Protect Fetus' Human Rights - Assignment Example In a global context we find that in 17 out of 18 nations polled around the world, majorities reject using criminal penalties, such as fines and imprisonment, as a means to prevent abortion. On average across all 18 countries, 52 percent favor leaving the matter of abortion to the individual, while 42 per cent think their government should try to discourage abortions. This shows exactly how heated the debate on induced abortion must be! When discussing induced abortion the most significant question that comes to mind is can we choose to kill unwanted pregnancies? Does the charter of human rights apply to humans after birth or as early as an embryo? Critics of abortion argue that since life begins at conception, abortion is next to murder as a human life is taken. They believe that abortion is in denial of the sanctity of human life. On the other hand supporters of induced abortion justify that almost all abortions occur in the first trimester when the fetus is entirely dependent on th e mother and thus cannot be claimed as a separate human being. Also as the fetus is part of the woman’s body it should be entirely her decision whether to go through childbirth or opt for abortion. People are divided into two groups; Pro-Life, inclusive of those people who advocate the protection of human embryos and fetuses and vote for the outlawing of abortion on the basis that is murder, and Pro-Choice, i.e. people who support the basic right of women to choose whether or not to continue pregnancy till childbirth. The single treaty that actually grants specific rights to foetuses is the American Convention on Human Rights of 1969, signed by 24 Latin American countries, which says that human rights begin at the moment of conception5. The United States of America has not signed this treaty. However this treaty does not enforce signatories to ban abortion, according to the most recent interpretation. Now let’s discuss abortion from a religious point of view. Religion indeed has the inclination to get involved in the majority of debates. Clerics are