SOC 573: Abortion

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SOC 573 Abortion

• James G. Anderson
• Purdue University

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The Public Debate
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The Public Debate
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The Public Debate

• 1976 Congress passes the Hyde Amendment
  prohibiting the use of Medicaid funds for
  abortions
• 1977 U.S. Supreme Court held that states have no
  legal obligation to fund abortions for the
  indigent
• 1980 U.S. Supreme Court in Harris vs McRae
  upheld the Hyde Amendment
• 1980s States pass parental consent laws for
  teenage abortions

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The Public Debate
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The Public Debate
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When are abortions performed?
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Who have abortions?
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Who have abortions?
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Points that apply to all Issues in Biomedical
Ethics

• Issues are intractable
• Conflicts between fundamental moral values
• One value can be protected or promoted
  only at the expense of another. (e.g., Right
  to Life vs Right to Choose)
• Analysis/Discourse must involve respect for
  divergent positions

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Points that apply to all Issues in Biomedical
Ethics

• Law and ethics are not the same
• Limits of political solutions to social problems
• At issue, who should have a say in an abortion
  decision?