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the ethical dilemma of abortion
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the ethical dilemma of abortion
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A nineteen year old girl lies frozen in the fetal position; taking three positive pregnancy tests has thrown her into a nightmare. Reflecting on one poor decision she made- one pill she skipped- she imagines foregoing all of her dreams of getting a doctorate in order to become another working-class single mom. She disregards this option upon much deliberation and decides to have a medical abortion. Holding no beliefs about souls residing in unborn embryos or fetuses, she is relatively unshaken by the procedure and makes a commitment to be more vigilant moving forward.
This girl, like all women, has the inalienable right to determine what they do with their bodies regardless of faith or personal opinions of others. Fetal development occurs within the confines of a woman’s body, and is therefore subject to any decision she may make. Unplanned pregnancies occur in the contexts of all walks of life under many circumstances, whether consensual unprotected sex, incest, or rape. Those who hold opinions against letting women choose to terminate pregnancy have judgments clouded by predetermined dogmas, such as religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds. This is a substantial problem because ethical issues such as abortion are most effectively debated in the realm of objective viewpoints. By putting personal beliefs aside, people could learn to think better, do better, and ultimately be better when it comes to allowing others to make their own decisions.
The timeless debate over the right to abortion services has been reinvigorated in light of safer medical procedures, new legislation, and increased media coverage. The hot topic, however, has been mostly affected by the new identity of women in America. Generation X and Y has bred a race ...
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...nce and more about contraception, and they are more independent and accountable for their actions. This generation is one that hasn’t been suppressed from proper sexual education, and a free-thinking rational woman should equally not be oppressed from considering termination when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.
Works Cited
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"Religious Groups' Official Positions on Abortion." Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project RSS. January 16, 2013. Accessed April 27, 2014. http://www.pewforum.org/2013/01/16/religious-groups-official-positions-on-abortion/ .
Vaughn, Lewis. Contemporary Moral Arguments: Readings in Ethical Issues. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
Haugen, David, Susan Musser, and Kacy Lovelace, . Abortion. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2010.
In Lucinda Almond’s book, “The Abortion Controversy”, she gives us an excellent resource for research and debatable topics that will rouse students interested in the contemporary and controversial topic of abortion. Her book also allows us to explore many of the social, political, and economic controversies over
Abort73.com. "The Case Against Abortion: Abortion Procedures." The Case Against Abortion: Abortion Procedures. Loxafamosity Ministries, Inc., 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 05 Feb. 2014.
Babbel, Susan, Ph.D. “Post Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS) - Does It Exist?” Psychology Today. N.p., 25 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. .
Arthur, Judith. Prochoice Action Network. “Does a Fetus Feel Pain in an Abortion?” 2005 May. Web. 2014, 20 May
Over the duration of the last century, abortion in the Western hemisphere has become a largely controversial topic that affects every human being. In the United States, at current rates, one in three women will have had an abortion by the time they reach the age of 45. The questions surrounding the laws are of moral, social, and medical dilemmas that rely upon the most fundamental principles of ethics and philosophy. At the center of the argument is the not so clear cut lines dictating what life is, or is not, and where a fetus finds itself amongst its meaning. In an effort to answer the question, lawmakers are establishing public policies dictating what a woman may or may not do with consideration to her reproductive rights. The drawback, however, is that there is no agreement upon when life begins and at which point one crosses the line from unalienable rights to murder.
Karen Pazol, et at. are all specialists doctorates at Division of Reproductive Health. The Division of Reproductive Health at the Central Disease Control and Prevention has observed abortion, and gathered information and statistics for yearly reports since 1969. These intellectuals at the CDC looked on abortion between different ethnic groups, religion, and age, which concluded abortion has been declining year after year. Although abortion differs in race, religion, and even age, there are many repeated reasons why women decide to have an abortion. In 2004, Lawrence B. Finer, doctorate and Director of Domestic Research at Guttmacher Institute, surveyed one thousand two hundred nine abortion patients at eleven of the largest abortion providers and examined the reasons for terminating a pregnancy across subgroups. He concluded three out of every four women said the reason for an abortion was because a child would get in the way of education or professional goals. Seventy-three out of one hundred women said the reason for an abortion was because they were financially unstable, and nearly one out of every two said it was because they did not want to be a single parent, or because she was having problems with her spouse. One out of every three said they were not ready to have a child. Younger women sought abortion because they are just starting their life and they are not prepared to transit to motherhood,
An issue that has flared up in today’s society, abortion is a highly debated topic that has sparked some of the most violent discussions. The rapid growth in teenage pregnancy has only increased the amount of attention that has been drawn to abortion and whether it is ethical or not. While some say that a woman is in power of her own body and can make choices based on her best interest, some take much offense to that and demand that a baby is a baby no matter how small it is and that abortion is never okay. It is important to know going into this debate that to argue one side, one would have to be 100% consistent with that decision because of all of the grey areas that come up regarding abortion. With that being said, I still believe that a mother should take responsibility of the situation and recognize that, even though it is minuscule, a baby is a person the moment it begins to develop inside of her.
Abortion, defined as the intentional termination of a pregnancy, is one of the most highly debated liberties of all time. Approximately one to three million abortions are performed each year. Women receive abortions for reasons such as rape, teen pregnancy, and health concerns. Unfortunately, it is a liberty that some still wish to eradicate due to religious beliefs and misconceptions. Abortion should remain a legal option for women because illegal abortions result in far more fatalities, religion does not serve as grounds for a law, and most importantly, there is no conclusive evidence that a fetus is equal to a human being.
With so many women choosing to have abortions, it would be expected that it would not be so greatly frowned up, yet society is still having problems with its acceptance. Every woman has the fundamental right to decide for herself, free from government interference, whether or not to have an abortion. Today, more than ever, American families do not want the government to trample on their right to privacy by mandating how they must decide on the most intimate, personal matters. That is why, even though Americans may differ on what circumstances for terminating a crisis pregnancy are consistent with their own personal moral views, on the fundamental question of who should make this personal decision, the majority of Americans agree that each woman must have the right to make this private choice for herself. Anti-choice proposals to ban abortions for “sex-selection” or “birth-control” are smokescreens designed to shift the focus of the debate away from this issue and trivialize the seriousness with which millions of women make this highly personal decision. Any government restriction on the reasons for which women may obtain legal abortions violates the core of this right and could force all women to publicly justify their reasons for seeking abortion.
Being a mother is a lifelong job that requires copious time, energy, and money. There are myriad different reasons in which a woman would consider getting an abortion. The decision is often tragic and painful for the mother. It is one of the biggest choices a woman will make. Many people have strong beliefs about abortion, and if a mother makes a decision that they do not agree with they sometimes turn against the mother, and enkindle egregious feelings about their decision for the rest of their life. Indeed a woman may not get an abortion for selfish reasons or out of convenience, but out of a desire to protect certain important values such as her own health or a decent standard of living for the other members of the family. Additional intentions for having abortion include rape, financial difficulties, obligation by family members, or danger to the baby’s health (Roleff
Strahan, Thomas W., J.D. “Therapeutic Influence in Abortion Counseling and Procedures: Creating the Illusion of Well-Being.” Association for Interdisciplinary Research in Values and Social Change. March / April 2002. 1 March 2004. <http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/facts/Vol%2017%20No%201%20Mar%202002.pdf>
To this day there are still many individuals against abortion no matter what stage the embryo or fetus is in. An embryo grows and evolves every day in the womb. One of the central arguments starts with viability of the fetus. Meaning, when is a baby able to live on its own outside the womb. To which I argue that a new baby born can breathe on its own, but cannot take care of itself on its own and survive without help. The new born still needs its mother or care taker to feed it and cloth it so it can survive. Much like a fetus needs the womb to grow and breathe. Marta can have her baby and decide to keep her baby and still accomplish her dreams of becoming a nurse or she can choose another option such as adoption. At 17, Marta, knows what is right and wrong. Her parents are Catholics, so this means she was probably raised as a Catholic child. Presently Marta is an agnostic believer. She is still figuring out if she believes in God or not. Although she may currently be an agnostic believer, she needs to take responsibility for her actions and have her baby. There are two sides to every scenario, with that being said I will now illustrate the opposing view in Marta’s
Abortion is an extremely controversial issue and one that is continually on the forefront of debates. Those who oppose the idea (Pro-lifers), thinks it is an act of woman playing “God” who live from who dies. Yet, whether an unborn baby constitutes a normal person is questionable; a pregnant woman, on the other hand, has the undeniable right to choose whether she wants to have a child or not. Therefore, the decision to have an abortion is the personal choice and responsibility of the woman, because prohibiting abortion impedes freedom of choice and endangers the physical and mental health of women.