Autism

Abortion: When Does Human Life Begin?
In This Story:

Historical Perspectives
Abortion and U.S. Law
Does Life Begin at Conception?
Pro-Choice and Viability
Other Criteria
An Unresolvable Debate?
Bibliography
Additional Sources
Contact Information
Keywords and Points
For more than a generation, the controversy over abortion has remained one of the nation's most polarized political debates. Since 1973, when the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that obtaining an abortion during the early stages of pregnancy is a constitutional right, supporters and opponents of abortion have marched, protested and lobbied for their respective causes. After 26 years, however, many of the central issues in the debate have not changed, and a resolution remains as unlikely as ever.

On one side of the abortion debate are those who call themselves pro-choice. Pro-choice advocates argue that women have a fundamental right to terminate their unwanted pregnancies, and most pro-choice pr...