The subject of abortion is one that has long been argued among politicians, sociologists, humanists and citizens. Controversial because it involves one's definitions of life and values as a human, the subject of abortion is one that legal analysts have reviewed over decades. Ultimately however, the subject of abortion is one that rests on a woman's right to privacy. As a woman's "right" to privacy is a right upheld by the law, one can only assume that a woman should be guaranteed that right under the law. Because abortion involves one's personal decisions affecting their bodies, it is important that sociologists, psychologists and legal analysts avoid applying political idealisms to the subject of abortion, and rather consider the subject of abortion based on value systems and be

As Ferree (2003) notes, the abortion issue is one that will not simply "go away" and one that is primarily viewed in the United States as a privacy related issue. This resulted primarily from the decision made during the Supreme Court's ruling in the Roe v. Wade decision (Ferree, 2003). Abortion is a right that women should have because women have a right to privacy and to decide what is right for their body and any portion of their body lying within. The abortion debate is one that is often clouded by political idealisms. From a social systems perspective however, the debate should be considered based solely on one's values, beliefs, morals and personal objectives.

It is important that society continue to uphold the individual rights of women to do what they feel is best for their body. If society fails to do this, then ultimately the social system under which we live will diminish, leading to irrational fears, actions and chaos as individual freedoms are stripped from people. There is no one "normal" or ideal environment or standard of values we can all live by in society today. This is due in part to the cultural diversity that exists within society today. Because of the multinational and multicultural nature of society, it is important the law supports the rights of individual citizens with varying values, beliefs and morals to make decisions they feel are best for them in their personal circumstances.

As Deflem (1998) noted, many systems influence the abortion debate. The American legal system is if nothing else however, an individualistic system that supports the rights, interests and needs of individual systems. To maintain that system ultimately people must act in a manner that influences one another. All aspects of society are interrelated. How does this however, relate to the subject of abortion? One may assume that the state should not interfere with a person's right to abortion simply because that interferes with one's individual right to live life in a manner they feel is just, right and in accordance with their personal beliefs. It is important to recognize the constitution was also established to protect the individual rights, beliefs, values and ideals of individual American citizens. This suggests that no one person should dictate necessarily how another should live. Just because one person views abortion as unnatural, inhuman or wrong, one may not assume these beliefs are "normative" as Deflem suggests or the beliefs that are best for the community at large.

The constitution is a legal entity that should protect the rights of an individual. Those opposed to abortion may claim however that the state has an obligation to protect the life of the fetus within the women, thus has the right to interfere with a woman's privacy when her choice may result in the demise of the fetus. However, from a social systems perspective, this is not necessarily the case.

Deflem (1998) suggests that many outside influences have affected the legal abortion process over the last two decades. In particular the author focuses on Parson's sociological theory, suggesting that political influences have a grave effect on abortion law as well as the "individualistic nature of the American legal system.1" The author also cites Haberma's theory suggesting that sociological analysis of the law helps one understand boundary "maintaining systems" suggesting that "life world claims" have a "delicate influence over the normativity of law" and legal justifications for actions including the abortion process.2

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2580
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)