Debates on abortion have been ongoing in every society. Recently, several people have questioned whether it is ethical for governments to legalize abortions. While others consider access to abortion as womens rights, critics argue that abortion is always wrong and that it should be prohibited.
According to some individuals, abortion should only be permitted under certain conditions (Batchelor, 2002). This paper focuses on abortions related theories and a case study with the aim of bringing into light abortion as a health ethic issue.
According to Don Marquis, it would be morally wrong for Sarah to terminate her pregnancy. In the article Why Abortion is Immoral, Marquis asserts that abortion should only be permitted when a rape case is involved, within the first 2 weeks, and when the pregnancy has been proved to be endangering the life of the mother (Marquis, 1989).
Based on Marquis arguments, Sarah would be acting unethically if she terminates her pregnancy given that her fetus is 5 weeks and that it does not endanger her life. According to Marquis, abortion cases should be treated as murder cases except under the situations he outlined above.
He asserts that taking a life of a fetus is unethical just as it is morally wrong to take a life of an adult. All through his article, he argues that the killing of a fetus should be understood from analyzing the effects of death to an adult person. He believes that abortion dispossess a fetus valued life.
Even though the pregnancy will interfere with her studies, she should note that the fetus future life is more valuable than the time lost in her studies. Equally, she can continue with her studies after giving birth. Given the consequences and risks associated with abortion, it would be wrong for her to terminate her pregnancy.
Unlike Marquis, Susan Sherwin argues that every woman should be allowed to access an abortion. In this perspective, Sarah is morally correct to terminate her pregnancy. According to her, abortion issues should be treated as other issues such as inequality and other social issues that undermine the welfare of women.
She argues that fetuses should not be considered as people since they have not developed sufficiently in social affiliations. To avoid cases of abortion, Sherwin suggests that government and other relevant bodies should empower women so that they do not opt for abortion. She believes that if poverty is tackled by ensuring that women access equal employment opportunities, very few incidences of abortion would be reported.
Though fetuses are not fully developed as adults, Sherwin should note that fetuses are the foundations of our future generations. Therefore, just as we struggle to eliminate the challenges that endanger our future lives we should also struggle to tackle issues that endanger fetuses future lives.
From the two theories analyzed above and Kantianism, Utilitarianism, and Care Ethics theories, it is apparent that the abortion issue will remain a controversial issue both in our societies and in the healthcare contexts.
Despite the controversies, I believe that Marquis rather than Sherwins arguments are appropriate. Unlike Marquis, Sherwin believes that abortion should only be limited to instances where the fetus endangers the life of a mother or instances where rape cases were involved.
References
Batchelor, E. (2002). Abortion, the moral issues. New York: Pilgrim Press.
Marquis, D. (1989). Why Abortion is Immoral. Journal of Philosophy, 86. (1), 183-202.
The issue of whether to legalize abortion or not remains an emotive one. With improvements in healthcare standards, and with a major breakdown in the social support structures that made it easy for people who had unplanned children to cope, abortions have been on the rise. However, while there can be very strong reasons to allow women to terminate their pregnancies, there are some reasons too that make that option less than ideal.
Stotland, a pro-abortionist, states, The decision to have an abortion is not an easy one and it is not the right decision for every pregnant woman, even in difficult circumstances (1). Making abortion an option that any woman can consider at will is dangerous. There are real consequences to it that far exceed the reasons presented to carry out an abortion. This paper argues that legalizing abortion is a wrong move that will cause more harm than good.
Causes of Abortion
Several circumstances make women to procure abortion. Some of them are indeed very moving, such as conception after rape or incest. In other cases, the pregnancy presents a danger to the life of the mother due to preexisting or emergent conditions. Outside of these, there are also cases like teenage pregnancy where conception is a consequence of willful action, or the result of extramarital affairs.
In others, the baby is simply a major inconvenience to the social life of a woman such as one who has a demanding job or is struggling through school, or is simply afraid that she will not be able to take good care of the baby because of any number of reasons (Potts, Diggory and Peel 501).
These circumstances present some of the conditions that drive women towards the option of abortion. In as much as some of them are very disturbing, legalizing abortion to cover them is simply responding in the wrong way. Below are the reasons for this assertion.
Reasons Why Abortion should Remain Outlawed
Man Has No Authority over Human Life
At a philosophical level, abortion gives man the right to decide who lives and who does not. This is the same argument that many activists who are against the death sentence present. The idea that a man can stand and decide that a fellow man does not deserve to live is the basis of the criminal law on murder.
How is it then that a mother should have the legal option to abort her unborn baby? Is this not conferring the power to decide whether someone should live to another human being? People who support the death sentence based on murder argue that if someone has taken the life of another, then they do not deserve to live. Their case is stronger because the murderer is guilty of the gravest offence known to man.
However, unborn babies are very innocent and have not done anything to warrant their abortion. Other people made all the decisions leading up to their conception. From a human rights perspective, legalizing abortion would authorize discrimination against children at the risk of abortion (Joseph 74). Once life has begun, no human being has the right to end it. It is simply beyond us.
Legalizing Abortion makes it an Option
The second reason why abortion must not receive legal cover is that it will make abortion one of the options available to pregnant mothers, even when the abortion may not have any objective justification given their circumstances. Legalization of abortion sounds like a pragmatic approach to the problems bedeviling illegal abortion because it will be easier and safer for a mother to procure abortion services.
Using the law as the guide to decide on which pregnancies should proceed to full term and which ones shall not, will come with the common challenges of enforcement. In cases where a mother does not want to continue with the pregnancy as a matter of choice, she will device ways through which to circumvent the law and get away with the abortion. If the law makes it very easy to get an abortion, then the cases of abortion will go up because mothers who would otherwise deliver their babies will consider it as an option available to them.
The whole point of contraceptives is to prevent pregnancy in the first place. Even though they do not always work, abortion is not a reprieve when they fail. It should be clear to everyone who engages in sex that one of the consequences of sex is conception. It is therefore not a good thing to come up with laws to shield people from the consequences of willful actions.
Lifelong Trauma
There are situations where the case for abortion is indeed very emotive. Some women conceive after going through rape and hence they seek abortion because of the pain associated with bringing a baby conceived after rape to full term. On the surface, this looks like a valid point, and indeed one of the situations that warrant the legalization of abortion.
First, rape is traumatic in itself regardless of whether the woman conceives or not. Many women spend the rest of their lives dealing with the psychological consequences of rape. Just as they have the capacity to recover from the incident and deal with the consequences, it is possible to also deal with conceiving after such an ordeal. We may say that a woman that conceives because of rape can abort.
What about those that contract HIV or end up with other lifelong conditions? Can we say that they can commit suicide as a way of dealing with it? The second reason why abortion is difficult to justify is that in these cases, the woman will have to deal with the trauma of rape and with the trauma of abortion.
Even though the conception may have happened under traumatic circumstance, abortion does not ease the pain but introduces another layer on it. This kind of trauma is even more difficult to deal with if the pregnancy was normal and there was no immediate threat to the mothers life. Abortion is a traumatic experience regardless of the circumstances; hence, it is better to bring a pregnancy to term and deal with the consequences, other than deal with lifelong trauma.
Legal Abortion Remains Dangerous
One of the most consistent justifications for the legalization of abortion is that when abortion is illegal, women who are determined to have it end up getting substandard services that contribute to very many deaths worldwide. The solution therefore, according to this line of thinking, is to make abortion available on demand.
This way, pregnant women can get better services and reduce the mortality rate of women seeking abortion. Granted, it may be true that there are women who will use every means they have to get an abortion because of the potential consequences of the abortion to their lives. However, legalizing abortion to cover them is to negate the purpose of law and order.
What needs clarification to such women is that abortion is a dangerous procedure even when done within the law. Not every operation goes right even in the hands of experienced surgeons. In addition, abortion can compromise the womans capacity to conceive in the future, and in some cases, it can result in death. This is to say nothing of the lifelong psychological problems.
Conclusion
In the end analysis, there seems to be only one ground where abortion should proceed. This is when the mother is in medically certifiable danger due to the pregnancy. Many women go through miscarriages, which is a type of uninitiated abortion. Others realize that they are carrying a still child, which necessitates abortion.
Under such circumstances, abortion is the only way to protect the life of the mother. It should be the only situation to warrant abortion. This does not take away the consequences, and in some cases, it actually aggravates them. Abortion is permissible only when it will preserve the life of the mother.
Works Cited
Joseph, Rita. Human Rights and the Unborn Child. Leiden: BRILL, 2009. Print.
Potts, Malcom, Peter Diggory and John Peel. Abortion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977. Print.
Stotland, Nada Logan. Abortion: Facts and Feelings : A Handbook for Women and the People Who Care About Them. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Pub, 1998. Print.
Our society is characterized by people with different behaviors and varied economical abilities which make them have different preferences. It has been an order of the day to find women with unwanted pregnancies, therefore raising the question of what they should or should not do.
On the other hand, it is not unusual to find teenagers as young as twelve being pregnant, and their parents especially the mothers feel that the age is not the right one to allow their children become parents. The above factors compel the concerned people, mostly the women, to choose abortion as the only best alternative to save the situation.
However, there has never been an agreement as to whether abortion is really the best way to solve this problem that our women find themselves in, given that it amounts to taking of somebodys life. Though women want the freedom to have absolute control over their bodies, other options should be used since abortion is murder and it deprives the child of its right to life.
Abortion Is Against the Right to Life
Many people have questioned the applicability of the right to life for everybody to the fetus that according to them should be considered as a human being (white 2008). Life starts at conception as this is the only way of procreation available to human beings and therefore the argument that the fetus is not a human being is not sustainable.
The life of a human being should be taken care of no matter what stage it is in since it is still life. It should also be noted that, other scientific methods of reproduction are not effective hence pregnancy is the only known way that continuity of mankind can be assured (Kluge 1991). Given the stand, abortion is therefore murder of a young innocent and helpless child who deserves a chance to live.
The Dependency Argument
The fetus depends on the mother for every means of survival in the early stages of life when most of the abortions take place, and even after birth. It is thus senseless for one to willingly and without any health danger to her life eliminate the fetus which is just like one of her body parts (Kluge 1991).
On top of that, it is irresponsible for one to avoid the duty of care that should be extended to the infant, who even after being born still requires the mothers care to survive, and instead be the ones to end the life they are supposed to protect (Valenti 2007).
Health Repercussions
Non-feminists also argue that there are some dire health repercussions that come as a result of abortion, which sometimes exceed the benefits of abortion. Cases have been reported where those who have secured abortion have been unable to bear children again, either due to destruction of the womb or because of the increased chances of miscarriage associated with abortion.
Abortion also is known to increase the probability of ectopic pregnancies and bring about the pelvic inflammatory diseases (White 2008). It is therefore not quite correct if one just argues that abortion is the solution to save people from unwanted pregnancies yet in the end, the same people who are supposed to be saved are being exposed to various worse health conditions.
Unwanted Pregnancies Can Be Avoided
Another point of argument forwarded by non-feminists is that, with the level of technology nowadays, unwanted pregnancies can easily be avoided through use of correct methods of birth control.
There are several ways of birth control that have been proved to be effective in prevention of pregnancies which could be applied and they do not include abortion. Even in cases where one has no ability over the use of birth control measures for example during rape, effective medical attention can ensure that the victim does not get pregnant eliminating the possibility of abortion (Kluge 1991).
The Fetus Is Separate from the Mother
Additionally, some people have argued that the fetus in the mothers body is just there for a period of time and after developing into a state that can permit it to live outside the womb it will exit (White 2008). To this extent they put it that, the fetus is not part of the body of the pregnant mother so that she can have absolute control over it but a separate possible human being whom she has been given the privilege of taking care of.
Abortion as a Womans Choice
Some feminists who argue that abortion should be legalized have however pointed out that, abortion should be left entirely to be a womans decision as it affects her life. In many discussions about whether abortion should be legalized or not, it will be noticed that each speaker bases the argument on the protection of the fetus, while the woman who is the subject is left out of the conversation. It is a pity that those who oppose abortion rarely put into consideration the wellbeing of the pregnant women (Sherwin 1991).
Nobody ever questions why the women who want to secure an abortion would want to do so, as the feminists would have liked the case to be. Though abortion is not legal women still find a way of securing it and it is legalization, in the absence of proper education to the concerned women and without being made accessible to all, will not deter women from using crude means to secure it and lose their lives in the process.
Instead of condemning women who undertake abortion, the reasons that prompted them to choose abortion instead of the other available alternatives should be addressed. It can be depicted that, women sometimes have worthy reasons of choosing abortion over any other option and they are not such immoral human beings as they are portrayed to be (Sherwin 1991).
A school girl, who wants to advance her education for her future life, will have no option than abortion if she gets pregnant and her school does not allow pregnant ladies. There are also some employers who do not allow pregnant ladies to continue working with them as this interferes with their productivity, therefore leaving these women with no option than to secure an abortion if they get pregnant in order to protect their jobs.
To the feminists, pregnancy has allowed man to dominate over women in the society over the years. During pregnancy a woman becomes unable to perform most of the duties that sustain her, a situation that continues even after giving birth. The addition of another person after giving birth increases the burden that the woman has to carry forcing many women to economically depend on the men, who then take the advantage of the situation to oppress women (Sherwin 1991).
It should also be noted that, pregnancy takes place in the body of a woman and there is virtually no feasible way that any decision concerning that pregnancy can be made without taking into consideration the woman. The woman is supposed to take care of the pregnancy and take care of the baby sometimes alone because the men responsible can easily disappear. It is therefore upon the woman, to determine whether it is viable to keep the pregnancy or terminate it and not the role of a third party.
To a greater extent many women have no control over whether to have sex or not, since we live in a male dominated world where men tend to force ladies on what to do and what not to do. Feminists also argue that birth control measures are not that effective to save the women from unwanted pregnancy and more so they have side effects to users (Sherwin 1991). These taken into consideration, women should be allowed to have a final word on whether to keep or terminate a pregnancy.
Morality and the Fetus
In the arguments of non-feminists, a woman has been relegated to take the position of a mere object of carrying the fetus which everybody, except the pregnant woman, is concerned about its welfare. The woman therefore is depicted as a very unreasonable and irresponsible person who seeks for any slightest opportunity to end the life of the fetus.
It is forgotten that, women are also moral beings who love their children very much and will always endeavor to take good and maximum care of their pregnancies and children (Sherwin 1991). Even the doctors, physicians and the courts have also taken this view and are trying as much as possible to come up with ways of taking care of the fetus disregarding the pregnant woman.
The fetus status has also been presented as independent rather than relational as is the case, since the fetus depends on the mother for survival until given birth and not the other way round. In addition, the fetus is given the moral perspective while it is known that a person becomes a moral person after independently interacting with others in the society and undergoing socialization, which can only happen after a child has been born.
Politics and Abortion
Giving the doctors the power to determine when an abortion is necessary is in a way allowing abortion but letting a third party have authority over how it should be carried out. Furthermore, the doctors have proofed to be among the people who are opposing abortion, and they have gone further to take the fetus as their patient in their labs assuming the very woman who carries the fetus.
This, together with the provisions in the law that hold doctors criminally liable if they help in carrying out abortions under unclear circumstances, deter the willingness of the doctors to help pregnant women who seek abortion (Sherwin 1991).
Despite all the efforts that have been made to prevent abortion, it is a fact that it takes place in society and sometimes under very dangerous conditions. Feminists therefore argue that, instead of wasting money trying to prevent abortion which people will end up securing, the money should be channeled to improving the health facilities and services that those who want to keep their pregnancy receive from the hospitals.
On top of that, if women are empowered academically, socially and economically then they would have means of supporting themselves and cases of abortion would reduce (Sherwin 1991). Teaching about birth control methods during abortion would also help in reducing unwanted pregnancies, and thus abortion rates will decline rather than strictly trying to prohibit abortion.
Personal position
Feminists have good points that are agreeable, if people would stop the morality arguments and try to reason the points out. I agree that in some cases it is worthless to bring another life into this world just to suffer. A woman who has no way of providing a better life even for herself should not be prevented from securing an abortion, because this is done in the best interest of both parties, as the child will not be left to suffer while the mother is also relieved of the burden that would have been unbearable.
Due to lack of financial ability, many young women have resulted to prostitution which is the only way they can put food on the table. These women sometimes have other children they struggle to provide for and having another child is just not feasible. Therefore, no matter how the subject of abortion is looked at, women should have the final decision as it directly affects their lives.
On the same note, the fetus lacks most of the characteristics that define a human being and therefore cannot be taken as a human being per se. In addition, empowering women economically will help prevent abortion because as anybody else, women love their children and if possible they would want to keep their pregnancies.
On the other hand, it is wrong to argue that men take advantage of pregnancy to oppress women because women do not get pregnant all at the same time to be taken advantage of. Besides, pregnancy is not inability such that once a woman becomes pregnant she is vulnerable to everything. It is also important to note that, the argument that birth control measures are not effective is misplaced, since it has medically been proofed that some birth control methods for example condoms, are up to 99% effective.
Women should also not argue that they do not have the power of choosing when to have sex with their partners because clearly they have that power. In conjunction with that, giving one the right to abortion is not same as giving her authority over her sexual and reproductive life, and therefore feminist should stop taking the two as one.
Conclusion
Abortion is still a subject of debate as to whether it should be legalized and be made available to those who demand for it. Many women seem to have good reasons as to why they would want to have an abortion, though it should be noted that it might be difficult to differentiate those who are genuine from masqueraders.
Despite the fact that it affects womens lives, leaving abortion entirely on their decision might lead to its misuse hence calling for informed actions. Though laws have been enacted to guard the pregnant woman whose life might be in danger while at the same time taking care of the fetus, all the concerned groups need to be consulted in order to come up with a solution that takes all the stakeholders into consideration.
References
Kluge, Elke-Henner. Biomedical Ethics in a Canadian Context. Ontario: Prentice Hall Canada, 1991.
Sherwin, Susan. Abortion Through A Feminist Ethic Lens. Dialogue 30 (1991): 327-342.
Valenti, Jessica. Full frontal feminism: a young womans guide to why feminism matters. New York: Seal press, 2007.
White, James. Contemporary Moral Problems. Stanford: Cengage Learning, 2008.
Abortion is defined as any act aimed at ending pregnancy term before it is due. Abortion can be either induced or spontaneous. Spontaneous abortions occur when the implantation is altered by abnormalities in the uterus due to infection, incomplete fertilization process or improper hormone balance.
Induced abortion occurs during the second trimester. It involves use medical procedures such as surgical technology or drugs with the intent of aborting the child. This form of abortion raises lots of legal questions regarding the physician carrying out the procedure, the mother and the viable infant.1
The recent past decades have seen a worldwide tendency towards tolerance of abortion. However, most nations still impose legal barriers to Abortion often in the form of punishment to those undergoing abortion and the providers. Even in the nations where abortion is liberalized, they lack clarity regarding the law.
Additionally, they lack public funding for abortion or even burdensome procedures to access abortion services. In some cases, abortion providers refuses to offer the services denying the women access to abortion services that are safe. Also, the government fails to approve for the new technologies for abortion service delivery emerge.2
Evidently, unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions are serious public health problems in the third world country where many governments and international organizations are yet to liberalize the abortion laws. This paper addresses the abortion prevalences, the different perspective regarding abortions such as theological, social, medical and philosophical. Additionally, it will look in to the liberalization of abortion laws and their effects to the society.
Abortion prevalence
Every year, there are 70 million cases of unwanted pregnancies. 46 million choose not to have abortions. Approximately 68, 000 deaths of women in low come countries are reported due to complications of unsafe abortion. Over 40% of the deaths are from Africa. Additionally, unsafe abortion is responsible for 13% for maternal deaths in the world annually.
Research estimates that 20 million of unsafe abortions are practiced annually in the world with 95% of this occurring in the third world countries. Additionally, WHO estimates that over half million of women in the world will die due to unsafe abortion by 2015 if no new actions are taken.3
According to WHO statistics, estimates of annual deaths due to unsafe abortion are more than three-quarters of million women since 1994 when the issue was placed first on the worlds agenda during the International Conference on Population and development (ICPD).
Approximately 61% percent of the worlds populations live in nations where laws permit abortion with no restriction to broad socioeconomic grounds. Additional 3% lives in nations whose laws permit abortion on physical and medical grounds; and 36% of the population in the nations where laws permit abortion only when the mothers life is in danger or to protect her physical health.4
The restrictive abortion laws in the developing countries results to inequitable access to safe abortion resulting to increased maternal deaths, violations of womens sexual and reproductive rights. The laws and policies harm most women especially the low income earners and low social connections. Additionally, poor women, vulnerable adolescents and victims of racial discrimination are the most victims to sexual violence.
These victims have no option but to raise kids from the unwanted pregnancies who remind them of the unfortunate incidences which is an egregious violation of their rights. Most of the countries in the third world laws permit abortion only to save womans life. The restrictive laws result to the increased prevalence and persistent of unsafe abortion.
Additionally, the morbidity from unsafe abortion serves even greater problems including sepsis, hemorrhage, uterine perforations, cervical trauma and other chronic or permanent conditions. About 10 to 50% of women practicing unsafe abortion require more medical attention. However, most of them fail to find such care when need arises. Between 20 to 30% of them contract reproductive tract infections with 20 to 40% developing pelvic inflammatory diseases or worse infertility due to bilateral tubal occlusion.5
Therefore, the aforementioned problems requires an increased attention and new actions by the government and their policy makers in order to progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reduced maternal mortality, gender equality promotion and empowerment of women as well as poverty eradication.
Giving the woman the ability to regulate her own fertility is a crucial achievement towards meeting the agreed goals, particularly that of reducing maternal mortality by 75% by 2015. Conversely, the increased and persistent unsafe abortion in the third world countries impedes the goals to meet the MDGs.6
Also, the increased medical advancements have steadily improved abortion technologies. These includes technologies such as vacuum aspirations which replaced the sharp curettage as the most recommended surgical method due to its considerable safety and degree of comfort.
There is also a more recent non surgical medical method of pregnancy termination that has given women another choice. Mifepristone is a registered oral administrative drug approved in 36 countries. Research studies on use of Mifepristone physicians in Britain, France and Sweden revealed that the regimen is absolutely safe, effective and generally accepted by women.7
Evaluation of different Abortion perspectives
Medical
Many doctors uphold the provisional perspective that human being is crucially significant by far than any fetus. This implies that Fetus right to life is somehow a sense of minimal conception but progresses as birth approaches. Therefore the morality of a particular abortion should be determined by weighing the various rights of the mother against that of the Fetus.8
Philosophical
Abortion debate in philosophical perspective is an extreme dogmatic and defensive arguments form one perspective to another. There are typically three types of philosophies namely liberal, conservatives and moderate. According to liberals, they assume that abortion is justifiable in a wider range arguing that a woman has a right to make decisions on the unplanned pregnancies especially those arising from rape and sexual violence and in case a womans life is endangered.
Conservatives hold an opposing opinion to the liberals. They argue that form fetus conception, the being has a moral status and a right for life. They argue that even liberalizing the exceptions such as sexual violation and rape often eat up the rule. Therefore, conservatism holds on only on self-defense as the only permissible abortion i.e. only when the fetus is a potential danger to the mothers life.
Moderate position supports abortion in the early months of pregnancy when the fetus hardly resembles a baby and with the interests of the pregnant mother and her relatives. At a point when pregnancy has matured to such an extent that the fetus takes a human shape it is not advisable for abortion to be carried out but the only reason that can justify abortion at this point a likely injury to the mother.9
Theological and relevant church teaching
In religion, children are viewed as heritage form God. Therefore, abortion was unthinkable to an Israelite woman where lacking a child (bareness) was viewed as a curse. This is actually emphasized by Key verses in Psalms 139 where David is parsing Gods sovereignty and acknowledges that God was there while he was formed in the Mothers Womb. Also Genesis 1: 26-27; 5: 1; and 9: 6 which summarize that we (child) are made to Gods image thereby acknowledging the sanctity of the conception and Child birth.10
Christians views on abortion are replicated amongst much other religious domination such as Islam and Hinduism. For instance, Hinduism teachings on abortion are that it is an act of violence and results to bad Karma. It is viewed as womb murder or murder of unborn soul.
In Buddhism, the first five precepts teachings are those against killing any living being. They condone even abortion to save the life of a mother as it violates their ideals of self sacrifice. According to their faith, its a price that a woman should pay in the cycle of birth and re-birth.11
Social perspectives
The history and social perspectives contradicts each other. For example, sickly, weak and deformed children were left in the hill side to die out of exposure. In other communities, those whose mothers died during birth were thrown into the bush.In some communities, the desire to raise men for battle made abortion illegal. Therefore, abortion was prohibited and women who induced her own abortion were penalized severe. Todays society also condones abortion partly due to their moral values and religion perspectives.12
Liberalization of Abortion laws
Abortion has been addressed in a variety of intergovernmental agreements especially those regarding health, population and women equality and rights. For example, the 1994 ICPD Program of action emphasized that abortion is a major public health concern. The organization emphasized that abortion should be safe when legal but left individual nations to define terms and conditions guiding the laws.
In 1995, the Fourth world Conference on women changed ICPD 8.25 paragraph calling upon the governments to re-consider their reviews on abortion laws. In 1999 ICPD paragraph 63 iii asked the health systems particularly those that indicated that abortion was against the law and those of ensuring that abortion is safe and accessible, and later in 2004 ICPD was re-affirmed virtually by all governments. To date, there is tremendous growth in support of safe abortion liberalization by the UN and other International organizations.
Particularly, of significant is the adoption of African Union IN July 2003 of the optional Protocol on womens Rights to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. Numerous NGO conferences have addressed the issues of unsafe abortion and the declarations of policy statements that endorse changes in abortion laws and policies and the importance of womens access to safe and legal abortion.13
Therefore, the international community has a huge role in liberalization of abortion. Citizens of each nation must develop their own governing systems, laws and policies of relevant principles which will enhance human rights and gender equality. Leaders should promote an informed dialogue on abortion issues particularly those pertaining to ethics, human rights and public issues and their implications where restrictive abortion laws prevail.
This way, they will be in a position to advocate for serious and evidence based reviews on the pre-existing abortion laws in their countries. More so, they should advocate for new language which will reinforce the ICPD and Beijing agreements to encourage legal and policy transformation in areas at the national level regarding aspects and sexual and reproductive health, contraception abortion and Female genital mutilation.
This will facilitate the international donor agencies to implement existing agreements and guidelines of safe abortion, provision financial and technical assistance to the countries that need it. Also, it will facilitate the engagement of policy dialogue between nations around the importance of addressing abortion in order to achieve MDGs.14
Importance of liberalizing abortion laws
Proponents of restrictive abortion laws assume that safe pregnancy and birth of a healthy baby is the alternative to unsafe abortion. However, there are cases of extreme high maternal mortality and morbidity in the third world countries. In some cases, women carrying their pregnancy to term only to suffer serious complications that results to chronic diseases or death. Sometimes they may also incur risks due to pregnancy denial or due to the fact that they are unable to access prenatal and delivery care.
This is especially so in women form the developing world. Actually, statistics shows that one woman in every 2, 800 die from pregnancy derived complications in the developed nations and one in every 61 in third world countries. The risks is said to be even higher at regional level. For example, one in every 16 sub Saharan African women dies from maternal complications.15
Liberalization of Abortion laws campaigns are based on various principles. To start with is the empowering of women rights and gender equality. Arguably, the ability to dictate whether or not to bear child is a woman right and has a great and direct implication towards the achievement of MDG 3 on gender equality.
The former president of the International Federation of Gynecology and obstetrics explains that motherhood should not only be dignified but also informed and a responsible choice. When the government fails to liberalize abortion laws, then it fails to grant women their human rights and power to control their fertility.
Clearly, forcing a woman to bear unwanted child is a clear denial of her human dignity and autonomy or in simpler terms; it is an abuse of her reproductive capacities and her full citizenship. This is because only those women who have rights to their reproductive health and have been granted the ability to control her own fertility can participate fully and equally in the nations socio-economic and political life.16
Moreover, abortion laws liberalization plays a crucial role in poverty eradication. The determinants of women social and economic are partially dictated by her ability to control her reproductive ability. The MDG 1 achievement is the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. Liberalizing abortion laws implies that women can take advantage of other prevailing opportunities such as advancing their education, employment or participate in to her political empowerment.
It gives them a chance to maintain and achieve a healthy well being of their productivity and contributions to the society. Research evidence indicate that low income women who cannot access safe abortion turn to unsafe providers leading to the various complications discussed earlier. For instance in Bolivia study in 2003 showed that 201 women suffering from incomplete abortions presented themselves to 7 public hospitals. 65% of the patients were in the lowest income quintile.
Therefore, providing abortion services in the public health system saves the high costs of treating the complications associated with unsafe abortion, freeing up the resources to cater other critical health concerns of the third world country. Research done in Tanzania estimated that costs of post abortion care is more than seven times than the annual money funded by the ministry of Health to cover total countrys health expenses.
Health resources could be saved and be shifted to cater for other essential preventive measures and obstetric care of the women through legalizing abortion and hence; improve their reproductive status and well being. Additionally, legalizing abortion could be a significant alternative to decline fertility and slower population growth which in turn will facilitate economic growth, reduce poverty and sustain development.17
Economists have long established that changes in social policy alter the incentives of a person causing behavioral responses. One of the policies is the restrictive abortion laws. Research has showed that liberalization of abortion laws causes decrease forced marriage rates amongst many young women and subsequently decrease the shotgun weddings.18
Also, accessing safe abortion is crucial social necessity. In the recent times, there is increased use of contraception to prevent unplanned pregnancy. However, there are no accesses to contraceptives making persistence of unwanted pregnancy. Actually, more than half of all women in the developing nations are at risks of unwanted pregnancies because they use birth control methods with high failure rates.
Also, the lack of prioritization of contraceptive supplies by the government and Nongovernmental organizations has resulted to shortages. The access to emergency contraception that prevents unwanted pregnancy is also widely restricted. Research shows that over 600 million users of the failure rates contraceptives experience unwanted pregnancies translating to accidental pregnancies every year. Hence, women will continually need to access a safe voluntary abortion.19
Conclusion
In summation, the topic of abortion has raised lots of legal questions regarding the physician carrying out the procedure, the mother and the viable infant. Unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions are serious public health problems in the world. Additionally, much is at stake concerning the failure of the international community to adopt safe abortion liberalization policy reform. Lives and health of millions of women, their relatives and the community in the wide perspective are at stake.
As discussed above, there are tragic consequences of unsafe abortion and any evidenced information required to enlighten the policy makers is readily available from the public health facilities. Usually, the question of abortion is not openly discussed due to fear of repercussions from opponents.
A powerful collective response of respected and influential leaders in the nation and international community acts as good approach to fight against anti-abortion minorities form trampling on the rights of women. Also, strong efforts to establish new political strengths will enhance womens access to safe abortion care leading to the achievement of global commitment in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Bibliography
Bio Philosophy Humanism Socinian, Philosophers and the issue of abortion, Centre for Socinian Studies. Web.
Crane, Barbara, and Smith Charlotte, Strategy for achieving the Millennium Development Goals to improve Maternal Health, Promote Gender Equality and reduce poverty, UN millennium Project organization. Web.
Essig, Andrew, The world health organizations Abortion Agenda, International Organizations Research Group: White paper No. 11. Web.
Gaining Ground, A tool for advancing Reproductive rights law reforms, Chapter five: Abortion. Web.
Lopez Raquel, Perspectives on abortion: Pre Choice, Pro life and what lies in between, European Journal of social Sciences ISSN 1450-2267 No 4. Web.
Robert, Ebert, Critical Issues in Reproductive Health: Prevention and Mortality form Induced and Unsafe Abortion in Nigeria The population Council New York. Web.
Footnotes
Bio Philosophy Humanism Socinian, Philosophers and the issue of abortion, Centre for Socinian Studies.
Gaining Ground, A tool for advancing Reproductive rights law reforms, Chapter five: Abortion.
Ibid.
Crane, Barbara, and Smith Charlotte, Strategy for achieving the Millennium Development Goals to improve Maternal Health, Promote Gender Equality and reduce poverty, UN millennium Project organization.
Bowmaker, Simon and Emerson Patrick, Still waiting for Mister Right? Asymmetric Information, Abortion Laws and the Timing of Marriage IZA Discussion Paper No. 4176.
Crane, Barbara, and Smith Charlotte.
Thomas Gareth, Death and Denial: Unsafe abortion and poverty, International Planned Parenthood Federation.
Robert, Ebert, Critical Issues in Reproductive Health: Prevention and Mortality form Induced and Unsafe Abortion in Nigeria The population Council New York.
Bio Philosophy Humanism Socinian.
Lopez Raquel.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Gaining Ground.
Essig, Andrew, The world health organizations Abortion Agenda, International Organizations Research Group: White paper No. 11.
Since the Supreme Court made abortion a legal procedure in the United States over three decades ago, the issue of abortion has continued to elicit highly charged debate both in the political and social scenes (McCoy 45-50). In such a context, inflammatory anti-abortion versus pro-choice sentiments are inevitable, hence the need to use a rational approach in this crucial topic.
In this paper, I discuss the litigious issue of abortion on a moderate position. I argue that the act of abortion is morally wrong and problematic. However, minimal/slight moral permissibility of this act should be allowed especially during instances of need to restore the health of the mother.
The Moderate Position of Abortion
The moderate position on abortion is a mid-position that agrees to the moral permissibility of some abortions, but at the same time considering suffering and pain both on the part of the mother and fetus. Therefore, the moderate position regards the mother and fetus as having certain entitlements and rights.
It also recognizes that permissibility of abortion causes suffering to both the mother and fetus. In this sense, a moderate position considers the moral permissibility of some abortions while at the same time having a sense of loss of entitlements to the mother and fetus. In the moderate position, abortion is only indicated in the hardest instances e.g. abortion may be considered in cases where the life of the fetus greatly puts the life of the mother at risk (Shannon and Kockler 82-88; McCoy 45-50).
Why I Agree With the Moderate Position
A moderate position on abortion is a strong and comprehensive argument against the act of abortion, especially regarding issues of morality and permissibility. This is because philosophers have argued that a woman has duty to protect herself while at the same time having much consideration to the life of the fetus (the moral status of the fetus) (McCoy 45-50).
In this part, while I concur with the liberalist position that the life and the agency of a pregnant mother should take precedent over fetal life, such people must also bear the consideration that the life of a fetus is a potential human life and the act of aborting a fetus entails ending this life. Therefore in this context, I consider the right to life and other entitlements of the fetus as important discussions which should be engaged especially when addressing litigious issues of abortion (Shannon and Kockler 82-88; McCoy 45-50).
Since the conservative approach towards abortion strictly prohibits abortion, it denies the mother the rights and entitlements she should access, such as the right to life. A moderate position is an important position which I adopt because it prohibits the act of abortion, while giving a chance for slight/minimal permissibility where the life and entitlements of the woman have to be protected.
In this case, I adopt this position because I consider the act of abortion of a fetus which endangers the life of the mother as being morally permissible and therefore the moderate position on abortion is a more comprehensive solution and should be adopted. In addition and from a philosophical perspective, a mother who continues to carry a fetus which greatly endangers her life denies herself the perfect duties which she should accord herself and her body (Shannon and Kockler 82-88; McCoy 45-50).
The moderate position regarding abortion is the best position I adopt because it does not set the bar too low regarding the permissibility abortion. This is because this position is considerate of the fetus as a potential human life which has rights and entitlements.
In this case, moderate positions on discussions of abortion prohibit approaches which tend to lie greatly towards permissibility while at the same time refuting conservative approaches which insists on absolute impermissibility of abortion. Therefore I consider this position the best which should e adopted as a societal approach to curb increased permissibility of the act or total impermissibility.
For instance, the argument by liberalists on this matter that abortion should be allowed in various circumstances and a wide range of moral justifications contravenes the right to life of the fetus as a potential human being. This is because in my perception, the liberal position sets the bar too low regarding the permissibility of the act of abortion e.g. the suggestion that abortion should be allowed in certain instances like maintaining the bodily integrity of the mother is a bar too low to set regarding the permissibility of abortion.
In addition, philosophers e.g. McCoy have argued that a woman who aborts or considers an abortion just to maintain her twenty six inch waist denies the fetus the right to life and goes against the natural orientation which perceives women as having the natural and ethical desire to love, nurture and care for their children (Shannon and Kockler 82-88; McCoy 45-50).
Therefore in my argument, I settled on the moderate position because it does not set the bar too low regarding permissibility of abortions. In my opinion, a woman who aborts because effects of pregnancy and motherhood are incompatible with her life projects contravenes the rights to which the fetus is entitled e.g. the right to life.
Therefore, the moderate position is best to be adopted. For instance, in my view, it is morally permissible for women to have abortions in cases of great need to safeguard their life but such reasons propounded by liberalists such as rewarding hobbies, once-in-a-lifetime trips, and important careers are imperfect choices which should not be morally and legally permissible (Shannon and Kockler 82-88; McCoy 45-50).
The rights Ethical Approach
Therefore the moderate position which I adopt to argue the issue of abortion emanates from the rights ethical approach. In the moderate position, I argue that abortion should only be allowed for the hardest of indications e.g. safeguarding the health of the mother or a deformity of the fetus.
From the rights ethical approach, I have mentioned that the act of abortion is morally wrong and should be permissible only during hard indications. Since the fetus is a potential human life which has rights and entitlements, it should not be aborted unless strongly indicated.
Therefore, the most ethical choice for women is to carry the pregnancy to term, as aborting the child for reasons short of hard indications is unethical and a disregard of the fetus as a potential human life which has a right to live. In addition, using this approach, the mother has an ethical obligation to the fetus as she knew that the act of sex which she got involved in would result to a pregnancy.
It is also natural and ethical for women to desire to love, nurture and care for their children, thus abortion is regarded as unethical unless indicated. Furthermore, the fetus is a potential human life with moral standing and complete with rights and entitlements. Thus aborting a fetus for reasons below the hard indications bar is unethical, morally wrong and a contravention of the right of the fetus as a potential human life (Shannon and Kockler 82-88; McCoy 45-50).
How People Who Dont Agree With the Moderate Position Might State Their Position
Since my argument in this paper lies in the moderate position, it is inevitable that it is likely to elicit debate in different scenes such as philosophical and social scenes. A conservative approach to the issue of abortion adopts a position of absolute impermissibility; hence such conservative positions should be moderated to adopt some extent of permissibility.
Similarly, the liberal approach should be moderated to adopt slight permissibility of abortion. Therefore, liberalists should not set their bar too low (regarding permissibility) and the conservatives too high (regarding impermissibility) (Shannon and Kockler 82-88; McCoy 45-50).
Conclusion
In the above paper, I have adopted the moderate position to explore the issue of abortion. I have also used the rights ethical approach to explore this topic. As abortion continues to raise heated debate in various parts of the world, the moderate position is the most comprehensive approach towards addressing issues of permissibility. This is because a mid-position considers the rights and entitlements of both the mother and fetus.
Works Cited
McCoy, Ronny. The Morality of Abortion, Coe College: Coe College Press, 2011. Print.
Shannon, Thomas, and Kockler Nicholas. An Introduction to Bioethics, Paulist: Paulist Press, 2009. Print.
Over the years, a number of ethical theories have been utilized to analyze human behavior. These include consequentialism, Aristotelian and deontological approaches as well as Utilitarianism, Kantianism and Virtue theory. Ethical issues, such as abortion, capital punishment and animal rights, among others, have raised debates on how to address and approach them.
While some people have gone for Utilitarianism, others have gone for moral theory in dealing with these issues. On the other hand, others have chosen to stick to Kantianism. According to Mills Utilitarianism, an action is considered right if it brings about happiness or results in the consequences that are considered best.
On the other hand, from the viewpoint of Kantianism, an action can only be considered right in cases where it agrees with the moral principles. Moreover, the moral theory can only be considered right in cases where a virtuous agent also takes a similar action. This paper will consider the case of abortion and relate it to two ethical theories namely, Utilitarianism and Virtue theory (Arthur and Scalet 112).
Abortion
Abortion is a medical procedure that is done on pregnant women with a purpose its (the pregnancy) safe ending. According to statistics, over 40% of women are believed to abort once or more in their lives. This is quite surprising given the huge ethical debate that surrounds this procedure.
Moreover, it has been found that abortion is done by women irrespective of their races or social classes. However, it is also important to note that the women who are most likely to undertake an abortion are over the age of 40, the young, the poor, and the unmarried. In the United States alone, an annual record of abortion cases comes nearly to 1.2 million. It was legalized in the country after the famous ruling Roe vs. Wade by the Supreme Court in 1973.
However, in other parts of the world, this case has been received with skepticism. This is especially true in Africa and the Middle East, where religious influence is still considered strong.
However, most Western and Asian countries have embraced it. In fact, it is believed that between 20 and 30 million legal abortions are performed annually (Abortion par. 1). Moreover, the statistics also shows that there are between 10 and 20 million illegal abortions per year (Abortion par. 1).
This reflects how crucial this topic is in ethical perspective. The medical standpoint attracts the public attention to the complications caused by illegal abortions. This is mainly because of the rising number of deaths due to unlawful procedures. It has also been noted with great concern that a lot of women die due to the poor quality and performance of illegal abortions.
This is quite crucial as compared to few cases in Western countries where legal abortion are allowed. This raises the question whether the other countries in which illegal abortions have led to serious complications should legalize it to save lives or they need not to do it. In addition, ethical theories have also been applied to try to resolve the issue to no avail (Trupin 1).
Utilitarianism
One of the ethical theories mentioned above is utilitarian standpoint. This theory considers an action valid or right if it results in the best consequences. In essence, it focuses mainly on the results of an action. That is why, the consequences of actions are implied before making a decision on something. Utilitarianism is, therefore, focused on maximizing overall happiness and satisfaction. It looks for the best consequences of actions. In essence, Utilitarian view point uses means-ends as its model of reasoning.
The individual, therefore, works to get what he/she wants for the main object of evaluation as a consequence. It is also important to note that the end result is considered good if it enhances ones life. Furthermore, it ensures that a person maximizes utility to achieve better results. Therefore, Utilitarian viewpoint searches for the actions that promote happiness to the highest number of people. In this regard, it can be considered as an act preferred by the majority.
Therefore, if what brings happiness is wrong, they will go for happiness. In this case, the course of action does not matter. Instead, the result matters. Measuring happiness is quite difficult. This is mainly because people are unique and react differently in different situations (Arthur and Scalet 114).
Virtue theory
The next ethical theory is Virtue ethics. This theory is based on Aristotles moral ethics, which focuses on virtuous agents course of action at any given circumstance.
In essence, it considers ones action based on another, considered as virtuous. In this regard, a virtuous agent is taken as the one that acts virtuously in every decision. That is a person that exercises the virtues which human beings hold dear. Virtues that are valued touch upon love, care and the right to life for everyone, among others. People love to see characters traits that flourish in virtuous acts.
In this regard, every action is compared to virtues. It takes into account the kind of habits one should develop as a model of reasoning. Moreover, it tries to determine the desires which such reasoning model considers best. In this regard, one does his/her best to become a better person. Moreover, this can only be done by comparing ones habits to that of another individual considered virtuous. Therefore, actions are only considered right if a virtuous agent considers them such in the given circumstances (Arthur and Scalet 115).
Relation of abortion to Utilitarianism
As it has been stated above, Utilitarianism focuses on the consequences of an action. That is why, if the end results bring happiness to the majority, then that action is considered right and best. Abortion has brought about huge debates worldwide. This is mainly because religious influence has taken center stage on the matter. However, it is important to note that Utilitarian viewpoint has prevailed over religious one in most Western cultures.
Most women prefer abortion if pregnancy is unwanted. These affect mostly teenagers, old women as well as poor and unmarried ones. Considering teenagers situation, her main goal is to study and get an appropriate education to achieve progress and happiness in life. In this case, having a baby will not be among her main goals. This means that abortion brings her happiness as a way of dealing with future problems.
This is the same with unmarried women, who may not need children in such circumstances due to various reasons such as public pressure, financial issues, among others. Moreover, older or poor women may feel that they do not have enough time, finance or health to support or raise children. This, therefore, means that their decision is based on their needs and on what makes them happy.
In essence, if one feels that abortion will be a benefit for her (or at least deal with possible troubles easing the life), then she will take such course of action. Most women have considered the results of possible decision to abort with regard to what will make them happier. This is the reason why most women are for abortion. It saves them from parental issues that bring about financial constraints at a time when they are not prepared (Trupin 1).
Relation of abortion to Virtue theory
Concerning Virtue theory, it is important to consider religious influence. Human beings believe in virtues which they would like to have and stand up for with the cost of their lives. However, some circumstances may not allow them to do so.
For instance, most women in China would wish to have more than one baby, but the one child policy makes it impossible. It is also the fact that people derive their virtues from spiritual world. That is why religion influences society norms and virtues. Moreover, cultures and traditions also affect virtues.
Nonetheless, it is important to mention that almost all viewpoints concur with one point a child, even unborn, has also the right to life. In this regard, a virtuous agent will not abort a child in normal circumstances. In fact, this is considered a murder since life begins at conception. However, it also important to consider what a virtuous agent would do in case the mothers life is in danger. In such a situation, abortion would be done to save the mothers life since she can still have another child.
Moreover, a child has a long way to go if it is delivered and has no mother to care for and raise it. Therefore, its chances of survival are small. In essence, Virtue theory considers abortion only in circumstances where it cannot be avoided. However, if there is an alternative, then abortion should never be chosen (Trupin 1).
Conclusion
On the one hand, Utilitarian theory emphasizes the consequence of an action. It, therefore, justifies the means by results. In essence, it is for democracy and the will of majority. This is why abortion has been accepted in most Western cultures. Utilitarian theory justifies abortion in such a scenario.
However, it may be considered wrong because happiness cannot be measured. Moreover, it encourages people to go on satisfying their needs without control and to unlimited extent. Due to such a viewpoint, people will consider their desires without making an allowance for what others want. Every child would wish to be born; however, its mother may decide not to give it birth (just to ensure her happiness). This is unfair to the unborn baby. Therefore, Utilitarian theory should be ignored when it comes to abortion.
Abortion is a common debate in most countries. In fact, its legal issue has been questioned by various religious confessions. This is mainly because it goes against their beliefs and virtues. Human beings have a right to life. In this regard, Virtue theory should preferred over Utilitarian one when approaching this issue.
Abortion denies a child this right; that is something that has caused concern, given the figures recorded annually on it. In essence, abortion should not be legalized since it goes against human virtues. In addition, it denies the child an opportunity to live. Another reason for this is that an abortion is considered a murder. Since life starts at conception (this has scientifically been proved), it is not within the mothers right to kill her child. Therefore, under no circumstance, abortion should be conducted.
However, an exception can be made when the mothers life is in danger. This should be determined by a doctor who has the skills and necessary information to determine the chances of saving both the mother and the child. In this regard, Virtue theory prevails over the Utilitarian as it considers action in accordance with a virtuous agent at some particular circumstances (Trupin 1).
Works Cited
Abortion. n.d. Web.
Arthur, John and Steven Scalet. Morality and Moral Controversies: Readings in Moral, Social, and Political Philosophy (8th ed.). New York: Pearson, 2008. Print.
Developments in various sectors of society have led to improvements in the socio-economic status of the individual. Apart from recent developments, there has also been the infiltration of certain concepts about individual health and moral standards. Of all the problems relating to health, gynecology remains the only sphere wherein substantial experiments have been conducted to support the cause of human health and promote healthy moral standards. Our field of concern is related to abortion which is the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus resulting in or caused by its death. For umpteen reasons, this social concern has invited the critical analysis of socialists, activists, medico officials, and womens organizations over the years. A considerable decline in abortion has been witnessed and I propose to assess the factors that have contributed to the decline in abortion. The question to be analyzed is the reason why people go for abortion and its effects on individual health. The next is the reason for the decline in the number of abortions and the factors that contribute to it. For this purpose, I have decided to provide statistical analysis and certain historical facts in the U.S.A
The phenomenon has a historical background and hence, it does not fall into the category of a recent social and medical malaise. It could be evinced that during the earlier days, women werent allowed to disclose the matter due to social stigma or other cultural reasons. The advent of science and modern methods has helped various organizations to approach individuals and the concerned in allowing abortion under certain dire circumstances. Not considering an analysis, it can be safely estimated that more than 40 million people throughout the world would have undergone abortions over the last few years. It would be more effective to present expert opinions and decisions in this regard. The paper I have presented delves into the pattern of study taking into account details from various organizations which are authentic in their predictions.
As mentioned earlier, moral and legal aspects play a dominant role in assessing the impact of abortion. Abortion could be spontaneous, legal, and illegal. Spontaneous abortion is otherwise known as miscarriage that takes place during the initial gestational period of the fetus. This is natural as it depends on the health of the woman. Induced abortion could depend on various reasons that range from individual health, economic status to social position. Illegal abortion is often the result of low morale or indifferent attitude of the society to the continual persistent issue of the difference between the social status of a man and a woman.
A peep into the rate of abortion in America shows interesting graphics that relate to abortion. The research design that I have selected will cater to the interests of medical officials and women of the different cross-sections of the society through the work should not be considered the ultimate resource to provide any further research in this field. To account for the validity of the sources, I have taken into confidence, reports from trusted organizations. To present unplagiarized, true reports I have taken the support of the electronic media the internet which has been properly documented.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based nonprofit organization that focuses on reproductive issues, the number of abortions has declined proportionally every year. The researchers have outlined the reasons for abortion:
concern for / response to other individuals 74%
cannot afford a baby now 73%
a baby would interfere with school or employment or ability to care for dependents 69%
would be a single parent or having relationship problems 48%
According to the Los Angeles Times, pills account for 13% of all abortions in the U.S.A.
The U.S. abortion rate continued its downward slope to reach the lower level since 1974, according to a study published today by the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI). To substantiate this finding, yet another fact that is stated below supports the fact. Continual and habitual abortions severely deteriorate the reproductive health of a woman. Another striking fact is the decline in the rate of abortion due to the decline in the number of abortion providers. The reasons for the same are outlined as follows:
antiabortion harassment and violence,
social stigma and marginalization,
professional isolation/peer pressure,
the graying of providers ,
inadequate economic or other incentives and
lack of medical training
There is some relief in the U.S. as facts have been provided to show that abortion providers have been declined by 2% between 2000 and 2005 (from 1819 to 1787).
A detailed analysis of the reasons for the decline of the decline abortion in the U.S. clearly outlines that family pressures do not allow a woman to undergo the process. Against or willing the procedure the family sees a threat to its privacy. Women often face a hostile group of people who intentionally harass or resort to violent methods to curve individual freedom. Families also see abortion as a social stigma and lead to the marginalization of sections of society. This causes severe mental and physical torture to the subdued. Yet another glaring fact is professional isolation or peer pressure wherein the individual has to bear the child on account of pressures from friends and the circle of influence. Very often the woman who is promised economic or other incentives is not adequately provided with. Lack of medical training and fitness quotient is yet another cause for the decline in the number of abortion providers. The most important of all the reasons is the graying of providers .
Contraceptive pills and condoms have been specifically designed to suit the needs and demands of people all over the country. An estimated 44% of the total population of the U.S. use contraceptives and the fall of abortion is due to the effective use of these sources. 49% of the total population of the U.S. uses condoms while 76% use pills. No doubt that people have resorted to using devices that protect them against contracting AIDS and other venereal diseases. Though the population at large has helped to control the rate of abortion it has harbored a disease that reduces the life span of an individual.
It is striking to note that planned parenthood, new medications and increased birth control contribute to decline in the rate of abortion. Emergency medications, sometimes called morning-after-pills , such as Plan B have grown in popularity.
Teenagers have also started taking precautions. The following text confirms the statement. Teenagers choices to become sexually active and to use contraception, as well as their ability to obtain and use contraception if this choice is made, are influenced by many factors. These factors operate at the individual level (e.g., knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, future expectations, substance use), the interfamilial level (e.g., family structure, parentchild communication, socioeconomic status), the extra familial level (e.g., peer influences, sexual health education at school, health services) and the community level (e.g., norms and values concerning teenage pregnancy). Some of these factors are readily modifiable, such as individual knowledge about sexual health, but others are not easily changed or cannot be changed at all .
It can be suggested that increased restrictions within the family and outside, along with the growing use of contraceptives have contributed to the downward trend. It does provide great relief to know that women in a different section of society are wholeheartedly cooperating with their governments to enhance healthy living. Mc McCormick, Editor of The Spectator quotes Lisa Boyce, Vice President of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin stating that access to birth control and family, planning education were the stemming causes of the decline in abortions.
Apart from social organizations coming forward to some extent to resolve the situation, teachers and other well-wishers have played a major role. The education system in the U.S. has strictly introduced sex education in schools to increase awareness of unwanted pregnancies and wanton behaviors. They have also made students realize the importance of safe sex. It has been seen that there is a deep drop-in crime due to the reduction in individuals said to have a higher statistical probability of committing crimes: unwanted children, especially those to mothers of African Americans, impoverished, adolescent, uneducated, and single.
Thus we see that a sizable proportion of the population in the U.S. shirk from abortion or do not resort to it due to various above said reasons. In the course of this study ethical issues and implications seems to arise. I would like to bring to the notice of the concerned authorities that the problem of abortion cannot be terminated but its pace can certainly be reduced. It largely depends on the individual male or female to choose to live up to his/her dignity and to bring about a dramatic change in the culture of society It is not the U.S.A. that solely faces this predicament but it is also realized by the developing, under developing and other developed countries.
Having discussed and analyzed abortion and the recent decline in the rate of abortion in the U.S.A., it would be appropriate to estimate the ethical issues involved in it. To arrive at the issues, I would first chart out the need for having principles in life, the importance of family, the role of society, and adhere to the codes of law. A person must cultivate certain principles for himself and follow them strictly according to the best of his conscience. This would enable the individual to arrive at realizing the importance of family, children, friends, and colleagues. An affectionate bond based on mutual trust and faith should be the guiding light of every individual. Tolerance and control of the senses should be practiced. Uncanny desires and false justifications lead to crimes beyond control. Once a victim of unruly desires, the person would find it impossible to control himself and would reduce into a social menace.
The facts, statements, and electronic evidence support the view that abortion is indeed the worst crime that can be committed by any individual even without a criminal record! Would anyone want to become a random baby killer? The answer to this question lies in the moral and ethical standards of an individual, a society, a code of law, and the country as a whole. To eradicate this evil, cooperative efforts by individuals themselves belonging to varied social and political dominations are demanded.
If a woman finds that she is pregnant, and does not want to be, what is the best (or least worst) way out for her, the potential baby that she is carrying, and all the other people concerned including her boyfriend or husband? According to Bruce A. Robison, in Abortion Overview, the expecting woman has three options from which she can exercise discretion. First, she does nothing, gives birth to the baby, and raises the child herself. Second, she does nothing, gives birth, and gives the responsibility of bringing up her child to an orphanage. Third, she aborts the child and terminates the pregnancy. However, the latter option which in most cases the option that women resort to as a last resort, is where the most controversial moral issue in bioethics is abortion.
Abortion is one of the most sensitive and debatable subjects that induces very strong ethical opinions, findings, extreme stances and very heated allegations. If a woman did not take preventive measures and consented on sex, then she was aware that she might end up getting pregnant and therefore is not only aware of but also responsible for the consequence. Once a woman is pregnant, a new life is nurturing inside her and is dependant on her for its survival. Therefore, whether the foetus has transformed into a living being or is a mass of tissues, the woman still has some moral and ethical obligations towards it. This moral obligation may not be powerful enough to eliminate abortion as a choice but it is sufficient to raise an ethical question regarding the practice of abortion.
Main body
There different religions, cultures, political parties and genders have failed to arrive at a consensus regarding this controversial and sensitive topic. Hence, we must consider and evaluate the different opinions, viewpoints and perspectives that people, religions and scholars hold. When we consider views regarding abortion in different religions, we hear that it is intensely disliked and disapproved and is considered equivalent to murder. Traditions among religions are very varied and pluralistic though, and therefore there are religions that condemn abortion but still allow a woman to opt for it under special circumstances. Every religion does not have final guidelines regarding abortion or consider it a simplistic decision or something written in black and white and due to this it is important that we understand and interpret religious traditions to the best of our knowledge and ability. However one thing that can be easily observed after a preliminary research of the different religious viewpoints is that abortion is completely prohibited in most religions, especially if there is no strong reason and justification to have it.
Medical views regarding abortion run parallel to the religious views and perspectives because of the nature of this practice and therefore need to be understood before moving on. In terms of medicine, abortion is described as termination, usually premature, of a pregnancy which results in the death of the fetus or embryo. It is a practice to put an end to pregnancies and in essence involves the killing of the undeveloped embryo or foetus. It can take place as a result of miscarriage or by external means such as chemicals or operations. Interestingly, there is no agreement among physicians, biologists, and anthropologists on when a human life begins. Different views exist on when the foetus stops being a bunch of cells and acquires value as a human life with a soul. Some argue that the foetus has a soul and is human life since the point of conception while others say that it happens later on during the pregnancy when the foetus develops into a more human form. However there is no scientific concrete evidence regarding this matter and that is why people usually turn to their religion to explain it.
According to a widely agreed upon definition of human life, it is a member of the species homosapiens, the human species and since the foetus cannot be classified as any other species or non living body as it has the same DNA as that of human beings, it also falls under the classification of homosapiens. The question that arises then is that isnt this foetus a human being with and invaluable and precious human life? And if it is then isnt terminating this life equivalent to committing murder of a fully developed and grown human being? This is the point supported by pro lifers, people who condone abortion as they argue that life begins at the point of conception. According to John Ankerberg and John Weldon, in their book When does life begin?, say that no honest and intellectually informed scientist or physician can dare to deny that human life begins at conception since this is a well documented and widely agreed-upon scientific fact.
However, pro-choicers who are people who advocate abortion, generally point out that the foetus is initially only a bunch of cells and acquires a more human form later on in the pregnancy and it is then that it acquires a soul. According to Peter Wenz, in his book Abortion rights as religious freedom; the young foetus has not yet developed or displayed the abilities that are characteristic of human beings and therefore cannot be treated as a human life equivalent to a fully grown, developed, rational human being. Dr. Stephen Schwarz (1990), in his book The Moral Question of Abortion, offers a range of developmental stages of a baby at the time it is aborted by different methods (appendix 1). This gives us an idea of how alive the baby is in different stages of growth.
Islams stance on the practice of abortion is similar to other religious views and philosophies; however, Islam gives more freedom to the mother-to-be and makes an allowance for her to terminate her pregnancy safely and fairly under special circumstances. Islam has a clearer, more specific, moderate and easy-to-understand perspective than some other religions about the convoluted aspects regarding abortion. Islam shows compassion to its believers and followers and understands their problems by making allowances for difficult circumstances.
Islam advocates and encourages the practice of family planning as it considers having too many children while having insufficient resources to support them to be an undesirable situation. It also makes an allowance for abortion if the mother cannot support the child or faces other challenges due to which giving birth is not a reasonable option. Contraception was supported by early Muslim theologians as far as both the partners mutually agreed to it. One of the many views that scholars have regarding this practice is that abortion could be an option if the foetus has not yet been given a soul which occurs between 40, 90 or 120 days after conception. This however can be challenged by the other schools of thought prevalent in the Muslim world. Usually, a valid and sound reason is required for justifying the abortion of the baby, e.g. a threat to the mothers life (Leila Hessini, 02). Illogical reasoning is not tolerated as an excuse for getting away with aborting the child.
When seen in comparison with other religions, the abortion stance in Islam appears to be straightforward and liberal. It lays down guidelines but does not impose one viewpoint or decision upon its followers and gives the decision making authority to the mother to make decisions after weighing the different options and circumstances.
Most Muslim scholars have agreed on three rules after interpreting the teachings of Holy Quran and Hadiths (sayings of Prophet Mohammed, Peace Be Upon Him). First, abortion or preventing pregnancy because of the fear of economic obstacles runs counter to the main concept of Islamic faith which maintains that Allah is sole provider and keeper of all living souls. This also states that it is a sin to abort a baby based on its gender. Lawrence M. Hinman of University of San Diego indicates that some people worry that abortion, coupled with techniques for determining the gender of the foetus, could be used for sex selection, which would probably result in fewer female babies. This will take us back two hundreds years when people preferred to have boys rather than girls. Second, abortion, however, is permissible if pregnancy endangers the mothers life, regardless of the stage of pregnancy. This viewpoint is nonnegotiable and is agreed upon by all Muslim scholars. Third, abortion is allowed if the age of the foetus is less than 120 days, four months, when the foetus is still not a human being yet, but rather a mass of tissues or a bunch of cells.
There is unanimous agreement on the second legality of abortion, however there are different viewpoints regarding the first and third one. Islam permits abortion if its being done for saving the mothers life because it is seen as a lesser of the two evils in Shariah (Muslim Law).
Abortion is lesser of the two evils in this scenario because:
The creator of the fetus is mother
The mother has an already established life
The mother has a responsibility toward children who are already born
Mother is an essential component of the family
In most cases the death of the mother also results in the death of the fetus (BBC, 01)
Different scholars have different views about what Islam or Quran has to say because they interpret its teachings differently. For example, there are a lot of conflicting views regarding the third legality of abortion and few schools of Muslim law allow abortion during the first sixteen weeks of pregnancy while some only allow it in the early seven weeks. However, still those scholars who consent to abortion proclaim it to be something wrong but do not eliminate it as an option and leave it as last option in some circumstances. The sin of abortion is considered to be bigger in the later stages of the pregnancy. The Quran does not overtly point to abortion but proposes direction and provides guidelines regarding associated issues. Scholars use this assistance for deciding on the practice of abortion.
Life is in fact believed to be a consecrated gift from God. Taking someones life or to stop it by any means, if its not just or in accordance with Islamic rules, is not allowed in Islam. The Holy Quran says that God prohibits all Muslims from holding another being as equal to him, treating parents badly and killing children with the excuse of poverty. It says that Allah provides sustenance for everyone and that we should not take a life which God has made sacred openly or secretly, except when it is justified by law or religion (Chapter 6, Verse 151). The same text also negates abortion on socio-financial basis which involves the mother or the entire family as when there is an unintended pregnancy and the parents or parent fears that the baby might interrupt the females education or occupation.
Some Muslim scholars do not agree with this interpretation. Professor Riffat, a professor at the University of Louisville, in the book Sacred Choices by Daniel C. comments that by killing, taking lives of already born children is being highlighted especially those of girls as was done in older times. The verses are accusing that norm. She also says that the word Kill does not only refer to killing by a weapon, poison or burying alive but it can also mean that children shouldnt be humiliated or deprived of their childhood rights, proper nurture and education. Thus some scholars say that this text is being interpreted in a way it was not intended to and is being used out of its original context. The verses do not clearly attend to abortion firstly and secondly can not be taken so literally. (Daniel C, 118).
If however it is established in an early stage of pregnancy that the fetus has a fatal deficiency that will make the child suffer in future, some scholars agree that abortion is acceptable but only if the pregnancy is less than sixteen weeks, though in such cases, the view of minimum two experienced medical authorities is necessary. If they confirm that the child can have a physical or mental deformity then abortion is permitted. An example here can be of Iran. In recent times in Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, the former leader of Iran passed a fatwa allowing abortion of foetuses which were less than 10 weeks and were diagnosed to have Thalassemia, a genetic blood disease. More generally referred, is a declaration passed by the Islamic jurisprudence council of Mekkah (the Islamic World League) in its 12th session held in February 1990. According to the declaration abortion is allowed if the fetus is deformed and is in an incurable state and this fact is proved by medical investigations. The abortion must be requested by the parents and the fetus must not be older than 120 days calculated from instant of conception (Attributed, Mekkah Al Mukaramah, February 1990). (BBC, 03)
Supporting the deference of the fetus, Elsayed Kandil (2001), editor of SALAM magazine, said that it is quoted from the prophet Mohammed that the human being is a fertilised ovum in the mothers uterus for 40 days, then for the same period it turns into a clot and then into a piece of flesh for the same period as well. Then RUH is blown into that foetus by an angel and his destiny is then written down in advance. Furthermore, according to Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the president of the International Association of Muslim Scholars (IAMS) in his book, The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam states that Muslim jurists unanimously agree on the fact that after a foetus has fully formed and has been provided a soul, abortion is considered haram (unlawful).
Regarding the abortion before four months, some Muslim scholars explained some Holy Qurans verses differently, which is very common in many precepts in Islam. They contend that abortion is not allowed during pregnancys time, under the condition that pregnancy does not endanger the mothers life, regardless of age of the foetus; they consider that action as a murder. For better understanding of this point, the issue of sex and marriage in Islam needs to be highlighted here. What is Islams view of sex between the opposite genders? Islam does not support the idea of free sex between men and women as is the case with many of the states which are not muslims and where pre marital sex is considered as a part of their societies. However this does not mean or indicate that sex is considered wholly as a sin that does not suit humanity in Islam. The only prohibition in Islam is sex whatsoever outside or before marriage. It respects sex between married men and women and elevates it to a condescending degree. Sex after marriage is considered equivalent to securing one half of their faith by Muslims. There awaits a reward for them afterwards. This reward is indeed in form of children. Abortion shows disrespect towards a gift of God. It shows selfishness of mankind as claimed by many Islamic scholars negate the concept. Thus abortion without any justified reason such as a threat to the mothers life is unacceptable and if committed then is tantamount to murder.
Supporting this ideology, Kandil (2003) points out that the value of the human life is very sacred, and Allah said that killing one innocent life is equal to killing of the entire mankind. He referred to the verses of Holy Quran that explained that if somebody kills apart from retaliation of murder or with intentions of spreading mischief in the world, it is as if he killed all mankind. And someone who saves a life, it is as if he saved all mankind. Though, all schools of Muslim law admit that abortion is allowed if going on to give birth to the child endangers the mothers life. This is the soul reason that is justified for abortion; otherwise it is sinful to have an abortion.
Abortion in case of rapes or incest is also a debatable issue among Muslim scholars. Some say that abortion is allowed in such cases within 120 days of pregnancy. There are still others who support that abortion in cases of rape is even not allowed. Pondering upon the difficulty of a rape case, one scholar says:
I regard the worth of life to be the equal; either the offspring is a consequence of intercourse with someone related or unrelated or legal marriage. The value of life is same in all cases according to Shariah. (Sheikh M. A. Al-Salami, Third Symposium on Medical Jurisprudence).
Yet some scholars have a different opinion in such a case. Abortion is considered illegal in Egypt and in June 2004, Muhammad Sayed Tantawi, Grand Sheikh of Al Azhar, allowed a rape victim to abort her child. In fact he drafted a law that made it legal for women to undergo an abortion be it less or more than four months after the foetus has formed in cases of rape or incest (BBC, 02).
Having followed what comes in the Holy Quran and Hadiths, many Islamic countries have a very selective stance on abortion (appendix 2). However in countries such as the United States where abortion is not prohibited, women intentionally or unintentionally get pregnant and then abort their children.
Conclusion
In summary, the Islamic view on abortion is more comprehensible than some other religions. In general, abortion is allowed if there is any health risks related to the mother. Generally, most Muslim scholars consider abortion possible before the fetuss total composition, which is the period before 120 days of beginning of pregnancy. Be it a case of rape or a deformity of foetus, aborting the child is allowed within 120 days of pregnancy. There are debates on when the life begins though and this will be there because different scholars have different views about the point of conception. However, a few Islamic schools consider abortion to be completely prohibited during the entire time of pregnancy. They only allow abortion in case of any potential threat to the mothers life if she continues being pregnant. Otherwise it is considered Haram in all other cases even rape.
Appendix 1
Number of Weeks
Status of Development
Type of Abortion
2.5
Blood cells, heart.
3
Foundation for childs brain, spinal cord, and entire nervous system. Eyes begin to form.
3.5
Heart starts first pulsations.
4.5
The three main parts of the brain are present. Eyes, ears, nasal organs, digestive tract, and gall bladder are forming.
5.5
Heartbeat essentially like that of an adult.
6
Brain waves noted.
7
A well-proportioned small scale baby. Brain configuration like adult brain sends out impulses that coordinate functions of other organs. Nervous system well developed. The heart beats sturdily. Familiar external features and all internal organs of the adult. If the area of the lips is stroked, he responds by bending his upper body to one side and making a quick backward motion with his hand.
Suction D&C
8.5
Eyelids and palms of hands sensitive to touch. If eyelid is stroked, child squirms. If palm is stroked, fingers close into a small fist.
Suction D&C
9
All structures completed; only development and growth from now on. Entire body sensitive to touch, except sides, back, and top of head. Child moves spontaneously without being touched.
Suction D&C
10
Threefold increase in nerve-muscle connections. If forehead is touched, he can turn his head away. Arm movements, bending the elbow and wrists independently.
Suction D&C
11
Facial expressions similar to his parents. Fingernails appear. Eyelids close over eyes.
Suction D&C
12
Baby can move his thumb in opposition to his fingers. He swallows regularly. He moves gracefully. (All this before the mother feels any movement.)
Suction D&C
13
He can kick his legs, turn his feet, curl his toes, make a fist, suck his thumb, bend his wrist, turn his head, frown, open his mouth, press his lips tightly together. He drinks amniotic fluid.
D&E Prostaglandin Saline
16
Weight increases six times since week 12. He is 8-10 inches tall.
D&E Prostaglandin Saline
22
He is now about one foot tall, weighs one pound. Fine baby hair begins to grow on his eyebrows and his head. He sleeps and wakes just as he will after birth.
D&E Prostaglandin Saline
38
End of time in the womb; some babies are born before 38 weeks.
It seems to me that by the end of the essay, Selzer feels depressed and confused. He is at a loss because he saw something that he could not recognize. In part, he feels remorse since he perceived the abortion as murder, even if he described it metaphorically. He understands that there is a need for abortions, but he cannot cope with the bitterness, sadness associated with the realization that they killed a living being.
During the procedure, Selzer sees the needle that was in the womans stomach twitch. It was a completely unexpected shock for him, even though the chief surgeon said that it was just a reflex (Selzer, 1976). This sight made Selzer imagine that the fetus was struggling with the needle in this way, that he was scared and hurt, that he was trying to save itself. After what he saw, Selzer stopped treating this operation as something ordinary. He even wanted to prevent an abortion when he imagined what the fetus feels like now, being in the uterus.
Selzer understands that a woman has the right to an abortion if the child is unwanted, if she became pregnant accidentally or if the pregnancy threatens her health. He does not try to insist on his point of view, does not try to convince readers of his rightness, does not point out the advantages and disadvantages of abortion he only describes what he saw with his own eyes and what he felt moment.
This essay touched me to the core because the author used an accurate, even crude description method. Selzer used medical vocabulary but tried to explain it in an understandable way to the ordinary reader. Selzer is an experienced doctor who has seen many different, unpleasant things, but the abortion was a real test for him. This makes us think about the value of life, about the practicality of terminating a pregnancy, about conscience and morality, which are struggling with severe necessity.
Abortion remains one of the most controversial topics in different communities today. Many jurisdictions and nations have unique laws intended to analyze and describe the issue from divergent perspectives. For many years, this debate has attracted attention of scientists, ethicists, and even researchers in the field of healthcare. Abortion needs to be illegalized unless women are facing social challenges, such as poverty. Those whose lives are at risk could be permitted to secure the practice. Criminal activities, such as rape, could present a strong case for abortion. A proper understanding and continuous assessment of these issues could support the formulation of proper laws with reasonable limitations. With abortion resulting in the loss of life, strict guidelines and limitations are critical to meet the needs of more women affected by poverty, health concerns, sexual abuse, or rape.
Supporting Abortion with Limitations
Social Reasons
Diverse Social Problems
From a social perspective, abortion should not be permitted unless the identified women are experiencing diverse social problems, such as poverty, economic disempowerment, and lack of resources. Mosley et al. (443) reported that 10 percept of the global population was living below the agreed poverty line. Most of these victims will at some point become pregnant and eventually give birth to children who might be unable to achieve their goals in life without proper support. Governments in different parts of the world, especially in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, have recorded poor outcomes due to the challenge of poverty (Mosley et al. 445). Some individuals would are unable to climb the social mobility ladder might fail to get decent education or healthcare services. Such people compel the government to incur additional expenses to meet their social and economic demands. The move to permit abortion in such populations becomes plausible if positive national gains are to be realized.
Underage and Number of Children
Proposed laws should discourage abortion unless the identified women are underage, have many children, or are facing challenges to bring them up. Using the lens of sociology, communities can allow the health practice when someone below the age of fifteen becomes pregnant (Foster 409). Under normal circumstances, such a person would be described as a child who does not have adequate financial resources and time to provide good care to the newborn child. Some of these girls could be living on the streets, thereby being unable to provide meaningful support to their young ones. In any just society, it would be appropriate for its members to formulate laws that allow abortion under such conditions. The approach would encourage and make it possible for underage girls to continue pursuing their academic goals. The concept of stakeholder engagement becomes necessary to learn more about the challenges most of these citizens have to go through. The next tactic would be to work with the relevant agencies to empower and support them to have safe abortion.
When the Life of the Mother is at Risk
Endangering Life
Abortion laws need to illegalize abortion unless the pregnancy is endangering the womans life. In some countries, such policies have been informed by the occurrence of health challenges throughout the development stages of fetuses. Under certain circumstances, some individuals might report a wide range of medical complications that tend to result in poor health outcomes or experiences (Foster 410). The absence of proper support mechanisms and personalized care could eventually cause unexpected death. Berer relied on this understanding to explain why around 98 percent of countries across the world were embracing the idea, but with specific limitations (15). Some good examples include the United Kingdom, Canada, and the different American states. Continuous review of such policies would be a necessary practice that should be informed by emerging ideas and research findings in the field of maternal health.
Saving Lives and Improving Womens Health
The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies abortion as a safe and evidence-based procedure that could be performed to help reduce maternal deaths in extreme cases. In a report by Blackshaw and Rodger, it emerged that more lives could be saved if countries followed strict policies to ensure that abortion was followed using medical procedures and clinical guidelines (466). Being a safe practice, it could be possible to pursue it as one of the best strategies for transforming or improving overall women health. Those who choose to ignore the outlined protocols for safe abortion could be endangering other peoples lives. For instance, Mosley et al. observed that one in every six deaths recorded during abortions could be attributed to unsafe practices (442). Such insights support the notion that such a medical practice could be pursued in a professional manner when the life of the mother appears to be at risk.
Abortion and Criminal Activity
Rape and Pregnancy
While criminalizing abortion is a necessary legal approach, exceptions could be made if the specific pregnancy has resulted from crime. Cases of rape remain common in different parts of the world. More often than not, such a malpractice could result in unwanted pregnancy. Under such circumstances, the woman finds it hard to carry the fetus to full term due to the psychological and mental challenges with the experience, such as depression (Mosley et al. 445). Governments should consider progressive laws to address this problem by ensuring that the affected victims of rape are guided to abort in a safe manner. Such beneficiaries would find it easier to record positive psychological outcomes and be in a position to pursue their goals in life.
Child Abuse, Incest, and Pregnancy
Due to the problems of incest and child abuse, young girls who become pregnant could be allowed to access free and safe abortion. The vulnerable nature of underage exposes them to numerous challenges even when they are in their respective homes. Sexual abuse remains a common malpractice that most of these individuals have to go through. Without proper mechanisms to support such people when they become pregnant, chances are high that they will remain troubled and be unable to focus on their studies (Foster 411). Some might become disoriented and eventually remain mentally disturbed. The idea of permitting abortion under such circumstances would be plausible and capable of transforming the expectations of such young girls in a positive manner (Foster et al. 410). The inclusion of supportive laws and social systems could play a crucial role towards dealing with the predicament and guiding more young women to realize their maximum potential.
Counterargument: Reasons for Not Permitting Abortion with Limitations
The decision to allow abortion, even if there are certain exemptions, will result in a moral or ethical dilemma that should be analyzed from the religious worldview perspective. Some scholars and theorists have presented unique concepts to explain why the studied practice needs to be disallowed irrespective of the womans position or needs. For example, Berer describes Kantian ethics as a moral principle that compels people to act diligently and pursue actions in accordance with the idea of the categorical imperative (17). Such a practice means that an act or idea would only be allowed depending on the moral or ethical attributes involved.
Proponents of this view argue that abortion results in the death of an innocent human being (Blackshaw and Rodger 469). Such thinkers go further to indicate that people should start to view life differently and accept the fact that it starts from conception. Such an understanding could explain why it would be inappropriate to permit abortion at all cost. The proposed practice will eventually protect Gods creation in accordance with various worldviews.
While the idea to permit abortion under specific circumstances could be acceptable, some loopholes would exist whereby corrupt medical workers do so for personal benefits. Mosley et al. observe that the absence of strict policies and guidelines to pursue abortion could worsen the process (443).
For example, a woman who does not have any good reason to secure an abortion could identify herself as someone who is poor or incapable of supporting the child. This individual might corrupt the system to ensure that her wishes are eventually fulfilled. When such a practice takes place, many ethicists and scientists would acknowledge that it would amount to the death of an innocent unborn child. Without popper legal frameworks, it becomes impossible to pinpoint specific scenarios and situations that could lead to the permission of abortion. Mosley et al. rely on this understanding to explain why analysts and policymakers should present better laws to remove such loopholes (452). Without them, societies should be keen to disallow abortion.
So-What Factor
With these analyses, it becomes clear that abortion is a contentious issue that more people and communities continue to examine from moral, social, economic, and moral perspectives. Many countries at the global level have gone further to implement policies aimed at permitting abortion. In societies whereby such a practice remains illegal, some laws are in place to dictate how it could be done and during what circumstances (Mosley et al. 454). These policy developments have been informed by most of the existing challenges and opportunities in different communities. On top of such legal frameworks, there are groups and activists who believe that abortion is wrong and should never be acceptable in any given situation. The nature of these viewpoints and arguments would explain why the abortion dilemma continues to persist.
Based on such observations, it will be appropriate for all stakeholders to come together to pursue the best solution that serves the interests of the greatest majority. Specifically, the move to permit abortion under specific circumstances and with limitations seems plausible have considering most of the emerging issues. The idea has the potential to prevent the mental pressure and depression associated with the process of giving birth to a child associated with a criminal activity, such as rape. The common issue of incest remains problematic whereby some women might become pregnant after engaging in sexual intercourses with their close relatives (Mosley et al. 451). Under this situation, the involved people could decide to pursue abortion and prevent getting a child who could be having physical deformities, developmental problems, and psychological issues.
The relevant government agencies and departments should consider a balanced view to introduce practical laws capable of guiding individuals who meet the outlined criteria to secure abortions. Such policies need to revolve around the social, ethical, and moral questions associated with abortion. The involvement of different professionals would ensure that women who are eligible for abortion are vetted or examined carefully. The ultimate goal should be to prevent unnecessary abortions that would affect human posterity (Blackshaw and Rodger 468). Through the use of strict guidelines, societies would only have a small percentage of women benefiting from abortion. Such an approach would guide the relevant institutions to identify and report people who could be lying to the system (Blackshaw and Rodger 470).
Practitioners and physicians who support women to abort without proper or acceptable reasons should be identified and disciplined accordingly. The final result is to ensure that abortion remain permissible under strict circumstances or conditions.
Conclusion
The ongoing abortion debate has led to numerous viewpoints that all stakeholders should examine from an informed perspective. The completed argument has revealed that the practice needs to be allowed only under specific circumstances. Social problems, such as poverty and lack of adequate resources, could explain why some women should be able to access safe abortion. Cases of sexual abuse and incest present strong foundations for permitting the practice. Women whose lives could be in danger due to pregnancy could benefit from the evidence-based medical approach. The introduction of adequate restrictions would ensure that people without valid and verifiable reasons are not able to procure abortions.
Works Cited
Berer, Marge. Abortion Law and Policy around the World. Health and Human Rights Journal, vol. 19, no. 1, 2017, pp. 13-27.
Blackshaw, Bruce, and Daniel Rodger. If Fetuses are Persons, Abortion is a Public Health Crisis. Bioethics, vol. 35, no. 5, 2021, pp. 465-472.
Foster, Diana G., et al. Socioeconomic Outcomes of Women Who Receive and Women Who Are Denied Wanted Abortions in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, vol. 108, no. 3, 2018, pp. 407-413.
Mosley, Elizabeth A., et al. Attitudes toward Abortion, Social Welfare Programs, and Gender Roles in the U.S. and South Africa. Critical Public Health, vol. 30, no. 4, 2018, pp. 441-456.
