SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 22 ProCon.org, a nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit public charity dedicated to promoting critical thinking, created the new website http://abortion.procon.org to explore the core question "Should abortion be legal?"
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In the Jan. 22, 1973 case Roe v. Wade the US Supreme Court ruled 7 to 2 that abortion was a "fundamental right." From that date through 2005, more than 45 million legal abortions have been performed. One out of five pregnancies end in abortion, women aged 20-29 receive 55% of all abortions, and 40% of all women have an abortion by the age of 45.
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People who identify themselves as "pro-life" generally believe that abortion is immoral because personhood begins at conception not birth, and, therefore, abortion kills innocent human beings. They believe it is unfair to allow abortion when an estimated two million couples (as of Jan. 2003) who cannot biologically conceive are waiting to adopt.
Some prominent "pro-life" organizations include The National Right to Life, Pro-Life Action League, Operation Rescue, the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Americans United for Life, the National Association of Evangelicals, Family Research Council, Christian Coalition of America, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon Church).
"Pro-choice" proponents contend that abortion is a right that should not be limited by governmental or religious authority, that personhood begins at birth not conception, and that pregnant women will resort to unsafe illegal abortions without access to legal abortion services. They argue that a woman's right to control her pregnancy outweighs any right claimed for an embryo or fetus.
Some prominent "pro-choice" organizations include Planned Parenthood, NARAL (National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws) Pro-Choice America, the National Abortion Federation, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the National Organization for Women. Although many "pro-life" positions derive from religious ideology, several mainstream faith groups support the "pro-choice" movement, such as the United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church, and the Unitarian Universalist Association.
A May 2009 Gallup poll on abortion attitudes revealed that 51% of Americans consider themselves "pro-life" and 42% "pro-choice." It was the first time since 1995, when the poll first started, that a majority of Americans identified as "pro-life," and it was the first time since 2000 that more people were "pro-life" than "pro-choice."
This latest ProCon.org website explores many pro and con arguments in the abortion debate and includes sources, images, videos (including a 1965 CBS special on abortion featuring Walter Cronkite), reader comments, and a section of little known facts called "Did You Know?" The findings should help readers think critically, educate themselves, and have informed perspectives on abortion.
Learn more about the pros and cons of abortion at http://abortion.procon.org.
Did You Know?
* The annual abortion rate has been declining since 1990, falling 9% between 2000-2005 to 19.4 abortions for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44.
* 87% of US counties do not provide abortion services.
* "Back-alley" abortions cause 68,000 maternal deaths each year in the 33 countries where abortion is not legal or available, according to the World Health Organization in Oct. 2006.
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ProCon.org (online at www.procon.org) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit public charity whose mission is promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship.
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