Understanding Ethics and Moral Dilemmas

To be ethical means relating subjects to moral principles. Ethics and morals relate to “right” and “wrong” conduct. Ethics refer to rules provided by an external source, (codes of conduct in workplaces or principles in religions). Morals refer to an individual’s own principles regarding right and wrong. Ethical dilemmas or issues, also known as a moral dilemmas, are situations in which there is a choice to be made between two options, neither of which resolves the situation in an ethically acceptable fashion but the decision has to be made, leaving one party either dissatisfied or happy with the outcome.

People within the Catholic Church and in the secular world have different views on the ethical issue of abortion; some say its ok and others

think it’s no different to murder. The debate and arguments over abortion are usually over its legal status, but behind the laws abortion is a huge ethical issue in and out of the church. Many women grapple with the ethical and moral decisions related to this issue.
The definition of abortion is the ending of pregnancy by removing or forcing out the foetus or embryo from the womb before it can survive on its own. An abortion can occur spontaneously (known as a miscarriage) or be purposely caused which is known as an induced abortion. Its most often performed inside the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. Being pregnant means having a new life growing inside, and is seen as a gift to celebrate by most. However, in some circumstances a mother will make the decision to have an abortion possibly after an unplanned pregnancy or if they discover the baby will be born with a life threatening disease or disability.
The definition of murder is “the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another”, and the definition of abortion or to abort is “to bring life to a premature end because of a problem or fault.” Some people argue that abortion is premeditated and it is killing a human, but at what point do you consider an unborn baby as a human being and not just an embryo or a foetus? Or is the unborn baby always considered a human even when it’s an embryo? Some say these definitions are so closely related that they mean the same thing and this reflects the strong beliefs of the Catholic Church and Secular views in the world today.
Abortion is an ethical issue because there is something un-natural happening where life is deliberately taken away from a being before birth. Arguments as to whether abortion is ethically/morally right or wrong are why the subject has become an issue in our society.
Should abortion be outlawed and treated like the murder of a human being, or remain a legal choice available to all women?

If the foetus is a person, then abortion is technically murder and should be illegal. However, even if the foetus is classed as a person, abortion may still be justified; as shouldn’t a woman have the legal right to make decisions about her own body?

The decision as to whether abortion is right or not remains an ethical issue because either the Catholic Church or the Secular world will inevitably end up disagreeing with the outcome. This can cause many problems and a high level of stress for members of our community, especially women in tough situations.

Pros and Cons of Abortion

Pros Cons

If the mother is unable to take care of an unplanned child either through mental impairment or where it is simply impossible to raise a child without family support and finance which is not available.

Medical emergencies can compel a woman to resort to abortion. If there is a possibility that her own life might be at risk if she delivers the child.

Rape victims wouldn’t be mentally or physically prepared to take care of the new born baby. Why should victims go through the ordeal of bearing a child, which is a product of a rape?

Giving life to a baby suffering from a serious metabolic disease or disability, and watching the baby suffer can be highly traumatising for the family as well as the newborn

child.
Giving life to an unwanted child might cause a lifetime of trouble for both mother and the child. More likely chance of an unhealthy relationship and that will be detrimental to the life of the child and the mother.
Attempt to restrict abortions would raise the percentage of illegal and unsafe abortions. By tampering with a life we’re acting against the creator.
Carries the risk of not being able to become pregnant ever again.
Could lead to serious health complications, the worst case scenario can be death of mother and baby.
Leads to unwanted memories, which can result in great stress and depression.
Life begins at conception, abortion is akin to murder as it is the act of taking human life.
Adoption is a viable alternative to abortion and accomplishes the same result.
Can be used as another form of contraception.
Unplanned pregnancies may later turn out to be wanted.
Most woman that get an abortion once, have at least one more.

Different viewpoints in and out of church
Sources of catholic ethical principles come from Revelation, Sacred scriptures, Tradition and Natural law. Natural law is the innate understanding of the human person about what is right and wrong. It’s a sense when human beings know when an action is wrong.
The Catholic Church has always seen abortion as a sin. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person, among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.” Abortion - CCC, 2270
The Catechism reinforces the Catholic view on the idea of killing a baby. ‘From the moment of conception’ they consider the baby to be human and this individual human being should ‘have the rights of a person’ and the absolute or untouchable right to life. Catholics hold strongly to this view as they believe all human kind and indeed the whole universe were created by God, their saviour. The fact they believe God ‘consecrated’ and ‘formed’ all human life in the womb of the mother, means it would be an absolute sin to destroy and kill God’s creation. The church also says that deliberately causing an abortion is a grave moral wrong, basing this doctrine on natural law and the written word of God.
The Church says that human life begins when the woman's egg is fertilised by a male sperm. From that moment a unique life begins, independent of the life of the mother and father. The features that distinguish us from our parents - the colour of our eyes, the shape of our face - are all laid down in the genetic code that comes into existence then. Each new life that begins at this point is not a potential human being but a human with potential. Since the sixteenth century, causing or having an abortion led to automatic excommunication. It’s stated in the Code of Canon Law (1983) "A person who actually procures an abortion incurs automatic excommunication" (Canon 1398). The Church condemned abortion as early as the 2nd century CE: a document called the Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles), written in the 2nd century (soon after 100 CE), states: "You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the new born to perish".
Other sources which enforce the Catholic Religion’s view on abortion as a sin come from the Bible, following God’s 10 commandments to live a good catholic life and be saved from the devil.

Even though the bible doesn’t say anything strictly about ‘abortion’ or the laws on whether it’s right or wrong, there is a general assumption among Catholics that principles of the sanctity of life found in the Bible forbid abortion. “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”(Psalm 127:3). Catholics believe the human body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, not to be killed. God’s 10 Commandments are considered the laws from God which every Catholic should live by, living a good Catholic life free of sin. The fifth commandment, “You shall not kill,” means human life is sacred. This is because, from its beginning, life involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is life’s sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end and no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being. To understand this it means that God made every individual in his own image and we remain forever attached to the Creator “who is the sole end” meaning that the end of a person’s life is believed to be God’s decision, not from unnatural procedures. This is why the Catholic Church believes that abortion is a sin and not right in the eyes of the

lord.
The current Pope of the Vatican City, Pope Francis, reiterates his strong opposition to abortion saying it “compounds the grief of many women” already succumbing to what he called the “pressures of secular culture”. According to Pope Francis, “abortion compounds the grief of many women who now carry with them deep physical and spiritual wounds, after succumbing to the pressures of a secular culture which devalues God’s gift of sexuality and the right to life of the unborn.”
“The rate of separation and divorce is high, even in many Christian families, and children frequently do not grow up in a stable home environment. We also observe with great concern, and can only deplore, an increase in violence against women and children.
All these realities threaten the sanctity of marriage, the stability of life in the home and consequently the life of society as a whole.”
I feel the Catholic Church doesn’t consider all the situations people may face with regards abortion, as the Church has strong beliefs pre-set by God and God’s rules. For mothers who may have fallen pregnant by rape or incest, the idea of bringing up a baby to remind them of that horrific event may mean a lifetime of suffering for the mother and potential difficulties bonding with the baby. But if they were to get an abortion, this is a sin against God, and for women of the Catholic Church, which is the worse thing to live with? The loss of your faith and religious support or to live with mental and emotional pain and shame.
According to a website ‘Catholics for Choice’ this group, acting inside the beliefs of the Catholic faith, have a different and more understanding view on the act of abortion. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “A human being must always obey the certain judgement of his conscience.” In cases of a conflict with the moral teachings of the church, Catholics “not only may but must follow the dictates of conscience rather than the teachings of the church”.