Introduction The issue of abortion has always raised controversy in its discussion due to the differences in the opinion that most people present in matters regarding morality. Most societies prescribe to a specific standard with regard to the establishment of moral values, with some societies being more liberal than others are. For instance, the legal age for alcohol consumption varies depending on the society. In addition, people have varying opinions on moral behavior due to the application of personal biases such as upbringing and the environment. This paper explores the background of the matter and some popular opinions that people have raised over the years, including their justification for such opinions. The paper also presents a personal perspective on the matter based on the arguments raised in the paper and justifications for the same. Background In the United States, controversy regarding abortion began in the early nineteenth century with the formulation of laws governing its practice. In the 1800s, before the formulation of such laws, people freely practiced abortions for various reasons, including cultural norms. For instance, in some cultures, it was taboo to conceive before marriage and thus people in such communities used abortions as an avenue to remedy such situations, in cases where the man or boy responsible for the pregnancy was not ready to acknowledge it or marry the mother (Sorenson et al. 241). It was also the option of choice in instances where the pregnancy posed a threat to the mother’s life. Although viable reasons for the justification of the practice varied for different communities, one of the main concepts that were agreeable at the time was the abortions before the ‘quickening’ period, which is the time frame within which a fetus gains the ability to stir the mother’s womb, thus enabling her to experience sensations related to the pregnancy (Cohen 93). In the nineteenth century, abortion became illegal for various reasons. One main reason was the nature of the procedure. Abortion is a surgical procedure like any other and given the lack of proper medical education on the procedure, medicine, and equipment at the time, it was difficult to even for skilled individuals to guarantee its safety. Many women died while some of those that survived the ordeal developed complications (Sorenson et al. 252). The combination of these facts necessitated legal restrictions on the procedure. Another reason for the illegality of abortions at that time was the need to raise the indigenous populations in most areas. There were fears that immigrant populations would overrun the indigenous populations in most areas. Most communities thus felt a need to populate their territories adequately and retain superiority. However, as circumstances changed, so did opinions about the issue. In 1973, through the landmark case of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court made abortion legal (Alford 1027). In essence, the court held that a woman’s right to privacy should extend to the right to decide on whether or not to have children. In addition, the court decided that a woman and her doctor should exercise the right to privacy, without interference from the state. The judiciary has since upheld the decision, with a few modifications to its rules of applica