Worksheet 37

	Your Position on the Legality and Morality of Abortion

To help define your own position on abortion, answer the following series of questions.

1.	The fertilized egg is a human being from the moment of conception.
2.	The rights of the fetus at any stage take precedence over any decision a woman might want to make regarding her pregnancy.
3.	The rights of the fetus depend upon its gestational age: further along in the pregnancy, the fetus has more rights.
4.	Each individual woman should have final say over decisions regarding her health and body; politicians should not be allowed to decide.
5.	In cases of teenagers seeking an abortion, parental consent should be required.
6.	In cases of married women seeking an abortion, spousal consent should be required.
7.	In cases of late abortion, tests should be done to determine the viability of the fetus.
8.	The federal government should provide public funding for abortion to ensure equal access to abortion for all women.
9.	The federal government should not allow states to pass their own abortion laws; there should be uniform laws for the entire country.
10.	Does a woman's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion depend upon the circumstances surrounding conception or the situation of the mother? In which of the following situations, if any, would you support a woman's right to choose to have an abortion (check where appropriate)?

		An abortion is necessary to maintain the woman's life or health.
		The pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.
		A serious birth defect has been detected in the fetus.
		The pregnancy is a result of the failure of a contraceptive method or device.
		The pregnancy occurred when no contraceptive method was in use.
		A single mother, pregnant for the fifth time, wants an abortion because she feels she cannot support another child.
		A pregnant 15-year-old high school student feels having a child would be too great a disruption in her life and keep her from reaching her goals for the future.
		A pregnant 19-year-old college student does not want to interrupt her education.
		The father of the child has stated he will provide no support and is not interested in helping raise the child.
		Parents of two boys wish to terminate the mother's pregnancy because the fetus is male rather than female.

On the basis of your answers to the questions above, write out your position on abortion. Should it be legal or illegal? Are there certain circumstances in which it should or should not be allowed? What sorts of rules should govern when it can be performed?

INTERNET ACTIVITY

To further develop your own position on abortion, review the materials at Web sites sponsored by a pro-life and a pro-choice group; use the sites listed in your text or do a search. Explore each site and note down here any arguments or points that you haven't previously considered.

URL of pro-life group sponsored site:

New arguments:

URL of pro-choice group sponsored site:

New arguments:

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