Abortion laws

The Abortion Debate: Can this chronic public illness be cured? By Daniel Callahan

Giuliana Gerbino

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.

  1. “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.
  2. “Those who pressed the pro-choice side of the argument had plenty of opposition, but they had the tide of public opinion with them.”

Polish Court Convicts Activist for Helping Woman Get Abortion Pills By Betsy Reed

Amanee Ahmed

Reed, Betsy. “Polish Court Convicts Activist for Helping Woman Get Abortion Pills.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 14 Mar. 2023. 

Betsy Reed is an American journalist and editor. In July 2022, she was named the editor-in-chief of Guardian US. In “Polish Court Convicts Activist for Helping Woman Get Abortion Pills” by Betsy Reed reports on the conviction of a Polish women’s rights advocate who assisted a lady in getting abortion drugs. The article explains the case’s history, which encompasses Poland’s severe abortion regulations, as well as the accusations made against the activist. The author explores the legal defenses put forth by either side of the dispute as well as the larger backdrop of reproductive rights in Poland, where abortion is only permitted in situations involving rape, incest, fetal abnormalities, or a threat to the mother’s life. The article also discusses the case’s political ramifications, which have been viewed as a test of Poland’s current conservative government’s tolerance for political opposition. This newspaper is helpful towards pro-abortion because it focuses on the difficulties activists facing in a hostile political and legal context as they struggle for reproductive rights.

  1. “We are strong, and together we are even stronger,” ADT wrote in a public statement. “We will never stop supporting each other and we won’t stop helping with abortions.” (Reed)
  2. “Today’s conviction marks a depressing low in the repression of reproductive rights in Poland, a rollback for which women and girls – and those who defend their rights – are paying a high price.” (Reed)