Functionalism In Abortion

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The topic of abortion is one that is and will continue to produce heated debates. Ever since the ruling of Roe V. Wade many children have lost their opportunity for life. As of 2011, there are approximately 1.06 abortions per year in the United States alone. That’s about two abortions per minute. Since abortion was legalized in 1973, there have been 53 million abortions performed in the United States (Lipka, 2014). The issue of abortion in America remains sharply divided. Not only is there a divide among the Democratic and Republican parties, but between the ages in generations. “62% of Americans ages 18 to 29 say that abortion is ‘not that important,’ while 53% of adults overall say this” (Lipka, 2014). “Abortion is often thought of as a …show more content…
And when it comes to the religious side of things on abortion, there isn’t anywhere in scripture that states specifically “Thou shall not abort your children.” But the Bible does give immense amount of proof that killing the unborn is …show more content…
“Macrosociological orientations interpret society in terms of its large structures—organizations, institutions, social classes, communities, and nations” (Basirico, Cashion, & Eshleman, 2014, p. 39). Because a social system consists of a variety of parts, all parts of that structure have a vital significance in the roll in which they play. A sociologist who follows the functionalist perspective will look at the issue of abortion as a result of one or multiple social systems failing to fulfill their function. “Most societies are comprised of five major structures: family, religion, education, economy, and government” (Basirico, Cashion, & Eshleman, 2014, p. 39). With each structure crucial to the function of society, just one unsupportive structure can cause an imbalance in society as a whole. For example, say there is a sixteen-year-old girl who finds out she is pregnant. Instinctively she is already going to feel emotions of fear and inadequacy. If her family structure is good, she may be able to run to them for advice and comfort. If her family relationship is absent, she will more than likely seek the quickest way out. But even if one does have a supportive family, there are still other areas to consider. Religion, education, the economy, and government still play a huge role in the issue of abortion, because laws and morals are

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