Abortion from an Ethical Point of View
It is widely accepted that the fact of abortion has been a subject of conversation and controversy for many decades. Since the proportion of people who accept abortion as a ?normal? procedure is equal to the proportion of those who think of abortion as a ?crime?, through time a lot of measurements have been taken against abortion but concerning it?s defense as well. Although the fact of abortion has been examined through it?s scientific and religious side, in this assignment we will try and examine abortion from an ethical point of view. The best way for someone to refer to abortion on an ethical basis would probably be through the description and evaluation of the subject based on two of the most known theoretical approaches: those of Kant?s and of Utilitarianism (Act and Rule). Beginning with the approach of Utilitarianism, we must say that Utilitarianism, is concerned basically with pleasure and with pain. Therefore someone should be concerned with the amounts of pleasure and pain in situations where abortion is permitted as contrasted with the amounts of pleasure and pain where abortion is forbidden. It might be suggested that the main consideration would be the interests of the fetus: not only can its future life be expectedly happy (or at least having a balance of happiness over suffering) it might also be the case that the abortion itself is painful, particularly if it occurs later in the pregnancy. However this focus on the fetus is unwarranted since any suffering involved in the abortion itself can be avoided by simply aborting the pregnancy sooner (before the fetus has even developed the capability of suffering), or with painless techniques. The direct suffering of the fetus c...
... middle of paper ...
...e next nine months and beyond. These factors carry at least some weight. Other potentially overriding factors complicate the rights of the fetus, such as whether the pregnancy resulted from rape, or contraception failure. Whatever the decision of a woman will be, it is a fact that she should be aware of all the elements mentioned above. I personally believe what John Locke implies in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) that ?it is part of the worship of God, not to kill another man, not to procure abortion, not to expose their children, not"
Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. Sterba, J.P.(ed) (1998) ? Ethics: The Big Questions Blackwell
2. Singer P. (ed) (1991) ? Ethics Blackwell
REFERENCES:
1. Almond P. (ed) (1995) ? Introducing Applied Ethics Blackwell
2. Smart J.J.C & Williams B. (1973) ? Utilitarianism: For and Against Cambridge
The topic on abortion gives a moral objection to a fetus’ right to life, while it is questionable whether or not the death of the unborn child is unjustifiable. Although it may seem as if abortion puts women in situations where it is necessary to save the mother’s life in some situations. Until both pro-life and pro-choice can come to a conclusion and an agreement, this debates on abortion will continually go on. Both sides need to be able to draw the line somewhere and balance each other’s weakness.
This is a topic that is seemingly impossible reach a compromise on. Initially, it would make sense to understand the cognitive processes of a fetus at the various stages of development. There is reasonable evidence that the fetus does not have sustainable mental activity until 23 weeks after conception (Gazzaniga, 2005, p.8). The argument could be made, based on the neural activity of the fetus, that abortion is not morally ethical after the 23rd week following conception. Despite this scientific evidence, there is still a lack of agreement among persons debating this issue. For example, approximately 89 percent of abortions take place before the 12th week after conception (Hinman, 2014, p.11), yet many people view conception as the beginning of life and will therefore not support abortion, even if it happens before the fetus has sustainable mental activity. Understandably, the solution is once again not easily agreed upon. One must consider the social implications of abortion, or lack there of prior to deeming it acceptable or not. For example, women who are victims of rape and incest should have no obligation to carry out a pregnancy, regardless of point in time after conception. "An abortion can avoid disgrace to an unwed mother." (Mahamood, 2015, p.69) The answer to the morality of abortion lies deeper than understanding the
Abortion is an important and rather popular topic in the philosophical world. On one side of the argument, pro choice, Judith Jarvis Thomson argues that abortion is permissible because the pregnancy might not have been voluntary or the mother’s life is at risk if she continues on with the pregnancy. On the opposing side of the argument, Don Marquis argues that abortion is wrong because it takes away all the potential things a fetus could value in their future life. In this paper, I will argue against Don Marquis view of abortion. I will begin by explaining that Marquis does not take into consideration the effect the pregnancy may have on the mother, and I will talk about how Thomson does take the mother into consideration. Next, I will criticize
In this paper I will be arguing in favor of Judith Jarvis Thomson view point on abortion. I am defending the use abortion and only in the first trimester. I will consider Don Marquis objections of the practice but ultimately side with Thomson.
In conclusion, abortion is possible one of the most controversial topics in the world today. The aspects of abortion spread from religion, to ethics, to medical, to legal, and so on. I believe that there will never be any one correct or decisive answer to abortion. I assume it will change with the changing times as it has in the past, and as it will in the future. My opinion is what some would call “Riding the fence.” I believe that a woman does have control of her body to a certain extent, that extent is the beginning of the third trimester. If a child is carried for six months and beyond, I think abortion is considered murder, and anything before that is up to the person carrying that fetus.
Abortion is an immoral act of killing and there are other much more logical moral ways to handle unwanted pregnancies. This paper full of information is to show the crewel harsh side of abortion so people can know that there is more to the act than the convenience makes it look like. The baby doesn’t just disappear, the baby dies. Please refer to this to inform others, many people have no idea and this paper will help them
Abortion has so many different view points on the topic, some positive some negative. Roe verse Wade played a huge part in the decision making process on abortion. Everyone has their own opinions about abortion but the opinion concerning when life begins had a significant effect on a person’s views concerning whether they are for or against abortion. The studies of long term effects from abortion on women are traumatic and devastating. They can include mental, physical, and emotional problems after an abortion.
Abortion is an issue which separates the American public, especially when it involves the death of children and women. When an abortion occurs, the medical doctor removes the fetus from the pregnant woman. This particular act has separated the public. Many believe that abortion is not morally and ethically correct. On the other hand, some people believe that carrying and delivering the unborn child will hinder the safety of the mother, then an abortion is needed. Each view has its own merit in the debate. This debate has separated the public into two sections: pro-life and pro-choice. A pro-lifer opposes abortion, whereas, a pro-choicer believes that the decision to abort the child should be left to the mother because she is the one carrying the child. In this paper, there will be topics that will be discussed concerning pro-life and pro-choice. I hope at the end of this paper, the reader is able to gain more knowledge concerning each topic. Every woman has the right to control her own body.
There are many limitations valued when it comes to the right of abortion. The news media still outlines the pros and cons of anti-abortion rights in certain-states-to soon, the entire country. My perspectives on the issue of abortion have been entitled from it to never be banned among citizen’s rights. The reproduction of pregnancy has been emphasized heavily on a mother’s decision to abort their child, but the father of the child plays an active role since he considers to that particular title. Through this current issue, majority of the people against abortion do not seem to have an open mind to how much it primarily affects the decision of the mother amongst her own views of considering abortion.
...ther’s sovereignty over her body outweigh the right of an unborn child to live. The answers to these questions are very diverse as a result of the diversity of the American society. With the issue of abortion, one’s attitude toward it is going to be based on many things such as religious background and personal morals. There is no black and white answer to the abortion issue. Luckily we live in a country where we are able to decide for ourselves whether something is morally right or wrong. Thus, ultimately, the choice is ours. As with the many other ethical issues which we are faced with in our society, it is hard to come to a concrete answer until we are personally faced with that issue. All we can do is make an effort to know all of the aspects which are involved so that we may be able to make a sound decision if we were faced with this problem in our own lives.
For many years, the morality of abortion has been questioned by two perspectives: pro-choice and pro-life. While modern culture explains that abortion is a woman’s free choice if she does not want the unborn baby, the Catholic Church teaches the world that from the moment of conception there is a child with a soul within the womb, and to abort it would be to murder an innocent being.
I chose abortion as the topic of my research paper because it is a very important and controversial subject, and although I have always leaned heavily toward pro-choice, I really hadn’t done much reading about it and wanted to support my position.
How could humans continue to exist on Earth? Is it right for a woman to terminate a pregnancy? Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removing a fetus before it can survive. It is a sensitive and controversial topic that relates to moral dilemmas. People have negative views, positive views and also moderate views toward this issue. Despite many disagreements, the women are the most disadvantaged because they are the ones having to face the moral dilemmas, mental and physical challenges.
Abortion “is an issue that raises questions about life and death, about what a person is and when one becomes a person, about the meaning of life, about the rights of women, and about the duties of men”(Velasquez 485). Abortion is an unresolved ethical issue that has been in doubt for many years because one can argue that you are killing an innocent person/fetus but many argue that is not person because they don’t have a conscious or the characteristics that defines a “person”. John Stuart Mill in a way justifies abortion, Mill is known to be openly speak about women’s rights and about human rights. Although, it might be immortal to end someone’s life one might argued that the individual has the right to choose and have the option. But in
I also think that it is not fair to have the baby if it is likely to