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Moral dilemmas in abortion
Abortion is a very controversial topic in the world today
Moral dilemmas in abortion
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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 …show more content…
Their reasons are firstly that parents have a duty to care for their child and not abort it and secondly that we should treat everyone as an ends in themselves, not as a mean to an ends. The deontological perspective expresses that we are to do our duty, no matter what. If a woman becomes pregnant and has a child she immediately has a duty to her child to care and protect it. By aborting a pregnancy the woman is not doing her duty, to take care of her child. Our responsibilities of being a human include our duties, not that choices that we make. Another part of deontology takes the pro-life stance on abortion is the idea of treating people as a mean to an end. A classic deontological view point on abortion is one that uses premises, to prove a point. “1. The unborn is obviously a human life. 2. It is wrong to take a human life. 3. Abortion is taking a human life. 4. Therefore abortion is wrong.” (Vaugh, 167). This list of statements that leads to a conclusion that clearly lays out the fact that is the unborn child is in fact a human life and by taking away a human life you are exhausting that life as a means to an end for yourself and not as an end in itself. A deontologist would convey that a child whether born or unborn, should never be treated as an end in itself and abortion should never use to end the child’s life for the convenience of the
In Judith Jarvis Thompson’s article “A Defense of Abortion” she explores the different arguments against abortion presented by Pro –Life activists, and then attempts to refute these notions using different analogies or made up “for instances” to help argue her point that women do have the right to get an abortion. She explains why abortion is morally permissible using different circumstances of becoming pregnant, such as rape or unplanned pregnancy.
“A Defense of Abortion” is a philosophy paper by Judith Jarvis Thomson in which the author argues for abortion, using several analogies to illustrate her points. In a move that separates this paper from the bulk of others on the same topic, Thomson grants at the start of the paper that a fetus has the right to life. She then proceeds to argue that although a fetus has a right to life, that right does not trump a woman’s right to her body. She concludes that abortion is an acceptable choice in a variety of circumstances.
Many arguments in the abortion debate assume that the morality of abortion depends upon the moral status of the foetus. While I regard the moral status of the foetus as important, it is not the central issue that determines the moral justifiability of abortion. The foetus may be awarded a level of moral status, nevertheless, such status does not result in the prescription of a set moral judgement. As with many morally significant issues, there are competing interests and a variety of possible outcomes that need to be considered when making a moral judgement on abortion. While we need to determine the moral status of the foetus in order to establish the type of entity we are dealing with, it does not, however, exist in a moral vacuum. There are other key issues requiring attention, such as the moral status and interests of the pregnant woman who may desire an abortion, and importantly, the likely consequences of aborting or not aborting a particular foetus. Furthermore, I assert that moral status should be awarded as a matter of degree, based upon the capacities of sentience and self-consciousness an entity possesses. In a bid to reach a coherent conclusion on the issue, the moral status of both foetus and woman, along with the likely results of aborting a particular foetus, must be considered together. Given the multiple facets requiring consideration, I assert that utilitarianism (Mill 1863) offers a coherent framework for weighing and comparing the inputs across a variety of situations, which can determine whether it is ever morally justifiable to have an abortion.
Boonin, David. A Defense of Abortion. Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Public Policy. Boulder: University of Colorado, 2003. Print.
The permissibility of abortion has been a crucial topic for debates for many years. People have yet to agree upon a stance on whether abortion is morally just. This country is divided into two groups, believers in a woman’s choice to have an abortion and those who stand for the fetus’s right to live. More commonly these stances are labeled as pro-choice and pro-life. The traditional argument for each side is based upon whether a fetus has a right to life. Complications occur because the qualifications of what gives something a right to life is not agreed upon. The pro-choice argument asserts that only people, not fetuses, have a right to life. The pro-life argument claims that fetuses are human beings and therefore they have a right to life. Philosopher, Judith Jarvis Thomson, rejects this traditional reasoning because the right of the mother is not brought into consideration. Thomson prepares two theses to explain her reasoning for being pro-choice; “A right to life does not entail the right to use your body to stay alive” and “In the majority of cases it is not morally required that you carry a fetus to term.”
According to Kenneth W. Krause, “abortion might be the most inscrutable cultural issue of our time.” As a result of this enduring controversy, two opposing groups emerged: those who feel that abortion should be illegalized, the “pro-life” side, and those who believe that even though it may be an undesirable practice, abortion must remain legal, the “pro-choice” side. With research supported by science and ethics, it is evident that abortion is a “necessary evil” (Williams). The legalization of abortion provides protection of a woman’s right to control her own body, supports the prevention of risky, illegal abortions, and ensures that there will always be a choice concerning the immense, life-long responsibility that accompanies bringing a child into the world.
I believe that the fundamental principles associated with act utilitarianism dictate that abortion is immoral, but should be legal nonetheless. This is a controversial position to take because it divides philosophers, politicians and society as a whole. Act utilitarian’s believe that an action is right if it produces more overall happiness in a given situation. The intention is to only make decisions that result in more happiness, while reducing the element of pain as much as possible.
One ethical theory in utilitarianism, this looks at the overall good of the people involved, it balance the good of keeping the child and the good of having an abortion. If having an abortion is justified by the hedonic calculus, the overall happiness brings about the greatest good, and then the abortion should be done. One example is if a woman gets pregnant and she can’t afford to look after it or it would affect her career, then the best thing for the foetus and the mother would be termination, this would be justified in the hedonic calculus.
Abortion is the “act of removing a human embryo or fetus from the uterus of a pregnant woman prior to the completion of the full term of pregnancy.”1 Women may choose abortions for many reasons; some of which are social or economic. Social reasons may include bad timing, not being able to afford a child, not being ready or mature enough to support a baby or having relationship problems with the father. To a person who is pro-choice this is all understandable, however someone who is against abortion, pro-life, probably would not agree with some of these reasons.
When reviewing a number of sensitive issues that challenge our moral and ethical reasoning, the morality and ethics surrounding the concept of abortion are both highly debatable and extremely divisive. The concept of abortion creates a significant moral dilemma since moral justification can be argued from both proponents and detractors of the concept of abortion. In the following analysis, I will provide a view of abortion from three ethical points of view; deontological, consequentialist, and virtue ethics. These points of view will utilize information defining the different aspects and terms associated with the abortion discussion, as well as references to laws and situations. Before analyzing the ethical points of view, it is important to
Abortion is defined as a procedure that is done to remove an embryo or fetus from the uterus of its mother in order to prevent its birth (Roth, 2005). Abortion is categorized as a bioethical issue because it relates to the morals of biomedical advances, policies and research. Abortion is a difficult subject that can involve personal morals and beliefs, legality and religious values. The issue is often viewed from either the side of pro-life, which places emphasis on the fetus and its right to life or pro-choice, which emphasizes the rights of the mother to decide the appropriate action (Roth, 2005). This brings the ethical question of should the government have the right to outlaw abortion into debate. The two viewpoints of pro-life and pro-choice explore the two main moral issues concerning abortion (Roth, 2005).
Abortions have always been a very controversial topic. Recently, it has even become a very polarizing topic for many Americans. The topic of my research paper will be an in depth discussion of the morality and legality of abortions. The stance I will be taking on this issue is that abortion is morally permissible thus it should be legalized within the United States. In my argument, I will be engaging with Thompson and Marquis’ papers and some other resources.
In conclusion, abortion is the intentional termination of pregnancy resulting in the death of the fetus. A fetus is a person and has a right to life. I believe Immanuel Kant would suggest that maybe a woman has a duty to abort a child for the mere fact that she has a duty not to bring that child into the world. On the other hand, he might state that she has a duty to give that child the right to live life to the fullest. The child may lead a prosperous life that leads to happiness and aborting it would deprive that. We as people have a moral duty to do what is ethically correct for the greatest amount of people. Utilitarianism is acting so as to produce the greatest possible balance of good over bad for everyone affected by our actions according to John Stuart Mill (51). Legalizing abortion affects us all. If no one were able to have an abortion, then everyone would have an equal right to life. Who is to say that is not for the greatest balance of good over bad for everyone. Abortion is seriously wrong except perhaps in rare cases.
Abortion was created to aid in certain situations in which a woman could not or did not want to give birth to a child and to care for the child. Abortion is a method in which the baby still in the mother’s womb or the living embryo/fetus is killed. Abortions will be performed for many reasons if it is an unwanted pregnancy for social and/or financial reasons or if there are medical circumstances with the child and/or the mother. A woman may be unable to carry the child or there may be congenital defects and the child would not be able to live afterbirth. The child may have genetic irregularities, such as Down syndrome. The parents may feel that they would be incapable of caring for the child and often the parents may feel that to have their child would have negative consequences to their lives. However, often, what are not taken into consideration are the negative effects after abortion, psychological and physical. Ultimately, the results may actually be worse than the problems, which were to be solved to begin with. These after-effects should be focused on and dealt with in a better manner.
Abortion has been one of the most talked about topics in society just about anywhere from television, magazines, whether or not it should be the right or wrong thing to do. Abortion is a very sensitive issue to discuss, because of its nature. Many people have said that abortion is a very bad thing to do and it should not even be choice whether or not to abort a living fetus. People think that abortion is committing murder as it is killing the human fetus. However, others feel that a woman should have a voice and have the right to choose to keep the child or not and that it is not murder until the baby is born. Majority of individuals who believe that abortion is bad say that the fetus is human who is partly being formed and to have an abortion is considered to be murder. For the people who think an abortion is ok, say that it’s not considered murder unless the child is born. I believe that abortion should be seen in which the stage the fetus is in. if the fetus is in an early stage of pregnancy it is not considered murder, but if the fetus has already began to develop into a larger fetus then it is indeed considered to be murder. There are times when abortion can be accepted, if the mother is having complications due to pregnancy. For example if the mother is enduring complications in her pregnancy that can harm her, because of the child in that case it is ok to perform an abortion to help save the mother’s life. It is also very important to understand this type of situation. The mother has the right to have an abortion and it is her decision because a mother knows best about her health conditions.