For hundreds of years, the United States of America has been a country defined by its promising opportunities and freedom. However, America has proven time and time again that it is not the promised land that many people in other countries believe it to be. Issues such as euthanasia, the death penalty, free speech, and abortion have raised questions about freedom in America. Abortion has proven to be one of the most stubborn and controversial issues in America. In the Encyclopedia Britannica, abortion is defined as “the expulsion of a fetus from the uterus before it has reached the stage of viability” (Encyclopedia Brittanica). Simply put, abortion is a pregnant woman's choice not to give birth. The Guttmacher Institute estimates that there are 6.6 million pregnancies each year in the United States, 51% of which are unintended (Guttmacher Institute). Other data from the Guttmacher Institute indicates that approximately 358,000 women die each year due to pregnancy and that the United States accounts for 60% of these maternal deaths (Guttmacher Institute). It is estimated that there are more than 1 million abortions each year in the United States (Worldometers Real Time World Statistics). Death is one of the reasons women decide to have an abortion. Other reasons in modern society include parental fear, unplanned pregnancies, and financial instability. The controversy surrounding abortion revolves around two opposing sides: pro-life, the argument that abortion should be illegal, and pro-choice, in which people argue that women should have the choice of to abort or not. The pro-life supporters support their decision with numerous arguments. They state that a fetus is considered middle of paper......." Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 39.4 (2007): 216-25. ProQuest. Web. February 27, 2014. Dyer, Justin Buckley. Slavery, Abortion, and the Politics of Constitutional Meaning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Noonan Jr., John T. The Morality of Abortion 2nd ed. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1971. Print. “Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade" Women's History. Web February 27, 2014. "Reasons for Abortion in the United States." Johnston Archives. "All About Popular Issues. Web. February 27, 2014. Senanayake, Pramilla and Karen Newman. “The Politics of Abortion in the Modern Era.” » Consciousness 23.3 (2002): 12. ProQuest.Web. February 27, 2014. “Abortion.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. February 27.. 2014.