The Abortion Debate

This paper investigates the question, if there are similarities between the pro-and anti-abortion arguments in Ancient Rome and the arguments found in modern America. For Ancient Rome, literary works are used to obtain the key arguments. Anti-abortion arguments are taken from works of Ovid, Cicero, Seneca, Septimius Sevirus, Antonius Caracallas and the Hippocratic oath and pro-abortion arguments from Cicero, Aristotle, Plato and Juvenal. These literary works are analysed in their content as well as language and put in context with the socio-cultural and medical background information of that time. The abortion debate in modern America has been dominated by two movements (pro-life and pro-choice), which have shaped the arguments, representing the entire community. This paper shows that pro- and anti-abortion arguments from Ancient Rome are men-, society and state-centric as well as anti-women and anti-foetus. In modern America the anti-abortion argumentation is foetus-centric, misogynistic and influenced by religion, whereas the pro-abortion argumentation is women-centric. This paper concludes that there are similarities in the anti-abortion arguments with respect to religious influence, the definition of murder and the supposedly imprudent decision of women to obtain an abortion. There are no similarities found regarding the pro-abortion argumentation.