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Legal and ethical issues of abortion
Legal and ethical issues of abortion
Abortion introduction and discussion
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Sexual intercourse between two people who willingly consent to the actions results in strong human emotional bonding. The act is permissible only when the two parties involved mutually desire to engage in sexual intercourse with each other. In the following case, the mutual agreement is broken. A man engages in sexual intercourse with his wife who is in a minimal conscious state and is paralyzed after an automobile accident. The wife is a 29-year-old woman who suffered from severe brain injury, leaving her unable to care for herself. She is only able to show some response to visual, auditory and tactile stimulation. In addition to being incontinent, she is unable to walk, talk, move or eat on her own. Despite her incapacities, her husband chose to continue the sexual relationship he previously shared with his wife, but consequently she became pregnant. The pregnancy was terminated because it was in the best interest of the wife’s health. The wife’s family considers the husband’s actions rape, and notified the police. The husband’s actions go against fundamental moral and ethical principles. The husband’s actions are deemed unethical because the wife’s incompetency disables her capability to consent to sexual intercourse, leaving her with no choice. The wife’s incompetency to make any decisions deems her unable to provide consent to sexual intercourse. Being a competent human being includes the ability to understand, appreciate and rationally manipulate information, as well as the ability to express a choice (Fischer, 2009, p. 24). The wife does not possess any of the traits associated with competency. Therefore, she is not competent enough to make the decision to consent to sexual intercourse. Not only is she unable to verbaliz... ... middle of paper ... ...tially causing the death of his child, depending on how one may define abortion and personhood. This outcome interferes with the mother and fetus’ autonomy. Being her decision maker, and making decisions that are to be in her best interest, the husband should understand why his actions are unethical and potentially harmful. The wife’s parents were correct in being concerned for their daughter. Although rape may be a strong word for this particular situation, the husband’s actions are unethical considering the circumstances. The wife is unable to make a decision for herself, and as her primary decision maker, the husband should consider his wife’s health and the possible consequences of impregnating her. As her guardian, her best interest is to be put forth by her husband, and he should realize that engaging in sexual intercourse is not benefiting her in any way.
There are many factors that are taken into consideration when determining if abortion is morally permissible, or wrong including; sentience of the fetus, the fetuses right to life, the difference between adult human beings and fetuses, the autonomy of the pregnant woman, and the legality of abortion. Don Marquis argues that abortion is always morally wrong, excluding cases in which the woman is threatened by pregnancy, or abortion after rape, because fetuses have a valuable future. Mary Anne Warren contends that late term abortions are morally permissible because birth is the most significant event for a fetus, and a woman’s autonomy should never be suspended.
In this experiment, an innocent celebrity is dying of kidney failure and you are the only one with the correct blood type to save them. Therefore, you are kidnapped and your circulatory system is connected to theirs in order to save them. The question Thomson poses is whether you are morally obligated to remain connected to them or not. My intuition is that of course you’re not required to stay connected, regardless of the amount of time required of you. Thomson argues for the same position, with the obvious stipulation that the less that is required of you the more morally degraded you are for refusing to remain connected (184). This thought experiment is meant to prove that abortion in the case of rape is morally permissible. However, this begs the question on whether abortion in the case of conception resulting from consensual intercourse continues to be morally permissible based on the concept that the right to bodily autonomy trumps the right to
Our culture has a stringent belief that creating new life if a beautiful process which should be cherished. Most often, the birth process is without complications and the results are a healthy active child. In retrospect, many individuals feel that there are circumstances that make it morally wrong to bring a child into the world. This is most often the case when reproduction results in the existence of another human being with a considerably reduced chance at a quality life. To delve even further into the topic, there are individuals that feel they have been morally wronged by the conception in itself. Wrongful conception is a topic of debate among many who question the ethical principles involved with the sanctity of human life. This paper will analyze the ethical dilemmas of human dignity, compassion, non-malfeasance, and social justice, as well the legal issues associated with wrongful conception.
He was unconscious when the Society for Music Lovers attached him to you, they are morally responsible, not the violinist. He did not willfully plug his circulatory system into yours--he is merely the victim of circumstance. As a result, the same seems to be true for the fetus conceived through rape. The fetus has not acted wrongly, as it is incapable of willfully participating in the violation of your rights and therefore cannot violate your rights, similar to the falling Mr. Taft (an IT). Neither the Fetus or Mr. Taft are capable of violating your rights, as both are not acting of their own volition. If it is impermissible to kill an IT, then it should be impermissible to kill the fetus. Under Otsuka’s view, aborting in the case of rape appears
Thomson recognizes that this thought experiment has a very limited application – specifically to those instances where a pregnancy is the result of coercion or violence. In the sec...
...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.
Abortion is a very sensitive, yet popular, topic that is plaguing the United States. According to Merriam-Webster, abortion is, “A medical procedure used to end a pregnancy and cause the death of a fetus.” (n.d.). According to Griffin-Carlson &Mackin (1993), “In 1988, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that there were 1,371,285 abortions in the United States, 25% of which were obtained by women under 19. Researches at the National Center for Health Statistics estimated that of the 1.1 million pregnancies among teenagers in 1981, 40% ended in abortion, 13% in miscarriage, and 47% in live births (p. 1). Abortion is a sensitive topic because there are many individuals who believe that abortion is murder. On the other hand, there are others that believe that it is up to the mom to make the decision regarding the fetus, whether it is death or the continuation of life. The controversy surrounding this topic is vast, that it has even been taken to Congress, in hopes of making it illegal to receive/perform abortions. When a pregnant minor is thrown in the scenario, the arguments intensify. This paper will delve into the topic of whether minors should be required to receive parental consent for abortions.
...If a pregnancy is unwanted, and the woman has to continue and have the child anyways, it could cause serious physical and mental problems to her personal well-being, but getting an abortion does not get rid of any physical or mental problems destined to come, and if she did not want to get pregnant that bad, then she should have been chaste.
Abortion may appear ethical or unethical depending on various viewpoints and circumstances. The fetus is considered a person and bringing it to term may be unethical as the act is considered as murder. In some situations, the mother may require to terminate a pregnancy for her bodily autonomy (Johnston, 2003). In such positions, the resolution to terminate a pregnancy may be argued as the most ethical choice. The mother is also considered to having a reasonable level of ethical responsibility to the fetus, because she did not take enough precaution to ensure avoiding conception (Cline, 2014). The mother’s ethical responsibility to the fetus may not be enough to deprive her choice of abortion; it...
The issue that this essay is dedicated to assist to this never ending battle of abortion. This essay will be written from the point of a pro-abortion utilitarian however I must also consider the argument against abortion to get a full understanding of how serious this issue is, the against argument is of a deontological stand-point. First while I argue that abortion is not impermissible, I do not argue that I is always permissible. It allows for and supports our sense, for an example, that Ms Judith Jarvis Thompson states in her A Defence of Abortion, “a sick and frightened teenaged school girl who is pregnant due to being raped may choose abortion and it should be morally permissible however choosing to terminate your pregnancy when you are
To be raped is to be sexually assaulted forcefully and unwillingly. According to the Uniform Crime reports, of all serious offenses, rape is probably “the most under reported crime.” Victims of rape are not only violated physically, they are violated mentally as well. It is a very traumatic experience that woman have to deal with for the remainder of their life. They usually incur symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome, stress disorders, fear, constant memories of the attack, a loss of confidence, and shame. (Mary E. Williams) These effects alter the victim’s life severely and can interfere with their day to day life and relationships. Being raped is a horrific crime that no woman should ever have to endure. In many cases victims of rape may become impregnated by the perpetrator leaving the victim to another form of violation. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, at least 9,100 abortions each year are attributed to pregnancies that occur because of forced sexual intercourse. (Irin Carmon)
Abortion is the operation to end a pregnancy by removing a fetus or an embryo from the womb. This topic has been one of the most prominent controversies in the United States. A human’s life is special in all stages and should not be taken away for any reason. The robbing of someone’s life at any point is morally wrong and is a crime according to religion and the law regarding murder. If one cannot assume the responsibilities of taking care of a human until they are able to survive on their own, then intercourse is not recommended.
“In Twenty-first Century America, there are two classes of human beings, one protected by constitutional law and the other not. Human beings fully protected by constitutional law are those individuals who have already been born, and are recognized in law as persons. The second group consists of the unborn, which can be defined as the unborn human being from the time of its creation, in or outside of the human body and encompasses all forms of its existence, growth, and development, including zygote, pre-embryo, embryo, and fetus. The law does not recognize these “humans” as persons. Judicial fiat institutionalizes this status of being “separate and unequal.” An unborn human being is doomed unless it is wanted and chosen by its mother to be born alive” (Lugosi 226). Besides a few circumstances, most abortions are morally wrong because they are equivalent to murder, deny the right to life, and brutal.
Marital rape is a term that is seldom used in legal system and even less often in our society in general. In fact, I would guess that most people did not even realize such an act was real or that this crime truly existed, let alone understand to severity of this act. Unfortunately, I have quickly learned that this violent crime is commonly committed, but infrequently reported and is a large issue that negatively affects and hurts women today.
...e his wife, women have a difficult time accepting it as rape. Instead, many make excuses to how it’s nothing more than a miscommunication from both partners. Many may even see it as an act for which the man is not fully responsible due to his nature and biological need for sex. It is the woman’s mindset that it is her responsibility to give him what he desires; sometimes, people even have religious issues to refuse intercourse and fully submit themselves to their husband, unwillingly but done to please God’s will. Basically, women as wives always find an excuse to marital rape because no one understands why it should ever happen. But when women do accept that the fact that marital rape is happening, they are so hurt that they can no longer trust him, turn to him for comfort, gain reassurance and protection from him, or feel safe at home. It destroys them completely.