Callahan, Daniel. “The Abortion Debate: Can this chronic public illness be cured?” Clinical Obstetrics and gynecology 35.4 (Dec.1992): 783-791.
Daniel Callahan was an American philosopher who played a leading role in developing the field of biomedical ethics as co-founder of The Hastings Center, the world’s first bioethics research institute. The document provides information on how abortion has become one of the most eternal and disturbing issues in American legal and moral struggles. It also gives reasons as to why the issue of abortion should be legalized. Thus, an important document in this paper since it provides information on the issue under discussion. It also provides the need to do everything possible to change the social and economic circumstances leading to abortion, the need for compromise, and the need for meaningful counseling of women who consider abortion.
- “The movement to legalize abortion rested on the following: 1) illegal abortions were killing and maiming women; 2) women should have a backup to ineffective contraception; 3) women should have the right to make the abortion decision; 4) everything possible should be done to change the economic and domestic circumstances forcing women into unwanted pregnancies.
- “Those who pressed the pro-choice side of the argument had plenty of opposition, but they had the tide of public opinion with them.”
