Abortion

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Abortion is the killing and removal of a fetus before birth. It is generally only an issue with regard to human birth, where it is forbidden by many religions and opposed by others. It is also illegal in some countries, and more countries make it illegal as the fetus comes closer to term.

In the United States, proponents of legalized abortion generally describe themselves as "Pro-Choice", while those who seek to restrict or criminalize abortion generally describe themselves as "Pro-Life". Feelings on both sides tend to run very high, but extremists on the "Pro-Life" side are known for terroristic and harrassing behavior in their attempts to prevent women from obtaining abortions. [Editor's note: yes, I know I need some documentation for this; this is based on repeated news stories about pro-life groups picketing abortion clinics, making threats against doctors who perform abortions, and even occasional acts of bodily harm or murder. You never hear about pro-choice groups doing anything even remotely similar. If this is because of bias in the media, I'm open to hear about it, and to document any examples of bad behavior on the "pro-choice" side.]

Effects

• 2005-09-11 Orson Scott Card argues that the legalization of abortion in the U.S. has led to a dramatic decrease in the crime rate two decades later: http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2005-09-11-1.html

Reference

• Wikipedia: Abortion