Health Science 20: Ethical Decision Making

Health Science 20: Marinelle Hernandez

Ethical Decision Making

Abortion (Deliberately removing a fetus or embryo before it can survive outside the uterus) is generally safe for the mother if it is done by a professional. However, like any medical treatment, it has the probability of going wrong - especially when it is done later in the pregnancy.

The main risks of abortion are infections in the womb (1 in 10 abortions), remainings of the pregnancy staying in the womb (1 in 20 abortions), continuation of pregnancy (1 in 100 abortions) excessive bleeding (1 in 1,000 abortions), damage to the cervix (1 in 100 abortions), and damage to the womb (1 in 250-1,000 abortions and less than 1 in 1,000 abortions done at 12-24 weeks). There

are many topics that rise about abortion, including personal values: Is the embryo or fetus a person and will they feel pain? Is it considered as murder? Does it interfere with religious perspectives? It has been said that fetuses cannot experience pain prior to twenty-four weeks of pregnancy and technically under the law, abortion is not referred to as murder. Due to all of the issues surrounding abortion, our society has been split into two groups of opinions about it, which are pro-life and pro-choice.
In our society, there has been an abundance of arguments about which side of the topic is the right one, morally and physically. The pro-life spectrum believes that abortion is unethical murder and that the government should not allow it to be available to pregnant women. Those in favour of this side see a fetus’ life equal to other humans and deserves full legal rights and protections as they are entitled to the right to life.
On the other hand, the pro-choice disagree that abortion should be banned because they believe that the pregnant woman, not the government, should have the right to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy. This side of the spectrum is about autonomy and the idea that women should have full control over their own reproduction. A major argument in pro-choice is the right to privacy, which suggest that people should be free to live and make decisions without the government’s opinions in their ears.
When it comes to abortion, I have always leaned towards pro-life. However, I still understand why a woman would go through with it, such as whether they have been raped. One thing about abortion in which I will always be pro-life about is when a woman has sexual intercourse with a man and get themselves pregnant. In the beginning, it was their responsibility to avoid pregnancy, perhaps by using contraceptives, and then once they get pregnant, I believe it is now their responsibility to care and provide a life for the baby because they chose to go through the sexual intercourse despite the chances of getting pregnant.