Research Paper Introduction about Abortion
The attitude towards abortion has always been and still is very controversial. It has, however, changed throughout the history of humanity: for example, it was commonly accepted in the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. On the other hand, the majority of men were against abortion as they felt they were entitled to have a baby. There are a few references to abortion in an Old Testament, where a fetus was perceived rather than an object, not a living being. In other words, there was a law, that if a person causes a miscarriage, he must be punished for that. There are no references to this topic in the New Testament. Later on, abortion in the western world was not considered a crime if done before a certain period, usually before 18-20 weeks. It was a common practice in the colonial America, but was usually kept in secret, as sexual activity before marriage was disapproved by the society. The Abortion Act of 1967 in England fully legalized abortion, but under certain conditions. It states that a doctor has the right to perform an abortion if other two doctors agree that this is done for the sake of the woman. For example, doctors are sure that giving birth to a child will cause physical or mental harm to a woman. Still, there are lots of debates concerning whether abortion should be legalized or not.
