Write An Essay On Women's Rights 1960-1980

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Maddie Minetree Women’s Rights 1960-1980 An abortion is defined as the termination of a woman’s pregnancy. No law defined an abortion before it became legal in 1973 (Lader). Before that, women only had the right to an abortion if her life was in danger. Because of this, many women sought illegal abortions, often ending in infection and sometimes death. Whether pro-choice or pro-life in the end it is up to a woman to decide if she wants to have her baby. Laws banning abortions were first passed in the 1880’s. Reasons to ban abortions were often illogical. For example, settlers didn’t want immigrant children dominating the young population so therefore Anglo-Saxon women had to give birth. Also, not only abortions but a majority…show more content…
Many religions view the relationship between the mother and fetus or baby differently. There is no definition for when the embryo actually becomes a living baby. Contemporary Catholics read abortion as murder no matter what stage of pregnancy. Protestants view that the mother and the fetus are not equally sacred. They believe that the mothers’ life is more valuable. Judaist beliefs are that the infant is not living until he or she is born. Works Cited Belous, Leon P. "Abortion Bill Defended." Editorial. Los Angeles Times 7 Sept. 1963: B4. Historical Newspapers. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. Lader, Lawrence. "The Scandal of Abortion -Laws." The New York Times 25 Apr. 1965: 32+. Historical Newspapers. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. Levine, Jo Ann. "Supreme Court Decision Prods States to Ease Abortion Bans." Editorial. The Christian Science Monitor [New York] 23 Jan. 1973: 1+. Historical Newspapers. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. "National Abortion Federation: History of Abortion." National Abortion Federation (NAF). Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/history_abortion.html> Sitkoff, Harvard. Abortion issue. Oxford University Press, 2000. eLibrary. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. Sitkoff, Harvard. Roe v. Wade (1973). Oxford University Press, 2000. eLibrary. Web. 13 Mar.

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