When a girl or woman gets pregnant, she can be in a difficult situation, especially if she isn't prepared to raise a child. Whether abortion is morally acceptable to allow her to end the pregnancy is one point that one might raise. The majority of traditionalists respond "no," and those who concur defend it on the grounds of challenging pregnancies, particularly when the mother is angry or the infant is severely malformed (Vaughn 25). Since the developing fetus is already a human being and has a right to life, abortion is seen as the elimination of life. Religious groups such as the Catholic do not permit abortion since according to its teachings life starts immediately after conception (Knill, Preidel and Nebel 845). However, some people feel that abortion is right and a woman should be allowed to decide on the fate of her unborn child. Abortion to this group is morally right and morally permissible although others such as the traditionalists see it as murder since the fetus is considered already a person. It is important to realize that a woman's decision to have an abortion does not express her uncaring nature but it is a well-intention process involving self-appraisal and consideration of ethical advantages and disadvantages of terminating or continuing with her pregnancy and thus, abortion should be morally permissible.
Abortion should be allowed and a woman should be given a chance to make a choice whether to carry the pregnancy to term or terminate it. A fetus in this case, should not be considered as a human being and cannot have a serious right to life like the already born babies. According to philosopher Marry Anne Warren, in her book titled The Moral and Legal Status of Abortion, there are five criteria for personhood (43). They include qualities such as consciousness and the capability to reason, self-motivation, capacity to communicate, and having self-concepts (Warrn 45). However, Utilitarianism theory focuses on ensuring quality of life and the greatest amount of happiness to a child. No one should give birth to a baby if she knows that the life of the kid will be full of suffering. Since performing abortion during the early stages may not be painful to the fetuses it is morally right to abort instead of giving birth and failing to provide the necessities to the child (Vaughn 48). A fetus may not have any of the qualities described and thus cannot be rightfully considered as a person and accorded serious right to life. If a woman decides to terminate her pregnancy, the case cannot be termed as murder or a criminal activity. According to Bernard Gert (23), being alive entails presence of consciousness of the world and the moral principle, which helps to differentiate persons that are fully conscious and those that have suffered brain death leading to loss of consciousness. There is no evidence that a fetus has ever experienced any desire to continue living and killing it may not be considered as seriously wrong (Gert 28). The fetus may belong to the human species although it has no mental qualities to make it qualify to be a person. If a woman has no interest of giving birth, carrying out an abortion may not be committing murder and it is morally permissible.
Balancing the fetus' and mother's right is very important especially by considering self-determination that tends to override the right of the fetus. The pregnancy tends to affect the body of the mother and her life, emotional state, and health. Such factors pose some risks to pregnant women putting their lives in danger. For instance, some pregnancies result from rape and incest and the mother should be allowed to choose whether to carry the pregnancy to term or terminate it. Some extremists consider all abortions wrong since they figure out that a fetus should be given a chance to live and enjoy all rights of human beings (Vaughn 67). Even when the life of the mother is in danger abortion critics, do not allow termination of pregnancy. However, according to philosopher Judith Thompson (115), even if a fetus is given the right to life in some circumstances the rights of the mother should override that of the unborn child. For instance, pregnancies that result from failed contraception may affect the mother psychologically since she was not prepared for a pregnancy. Liberalists feel that a woman possesses the right to her bodily autonomy and should be allowed to control their bodies including deciding the fate of their pregnancies (Gert 24). The psychological impacts of unwanted pregnancies must be evaluated since they affect the lives of women greatly. In addition, there are devastating economic challenges which unwanted pregnancies may pose on women as they to save the growing fetus. If someone does not receive family support, raising the baby once allowed to be born can be very challenging. Instead of carrying the pregnancy to term and raise the child with such difficulties, women should be allowed to make choices on whether to abort or not.
On the other hand, abortion should not be permissible unless there is a convincing reason such as the health of the mother being in danger or the fetus having severe deformities. According to tradition theories, abortion is not morally permissible since it is murder of the unborn fetus, which is claimed to be a person (Gert 35). The unborn baby is a creature with full moral status and fundamental rights. Abortion is a violation of an individual's right to life whether done in the early or late stages since life begins immediately after conception. Kantian theory argues that a mother should protect a child at all cost and uphold sanctity of life thus, abortion is morally not right (Hare). Mothers may not have the duty to bear children but are required not to cause harm through activities that may be dangerous such as drinking alcohol or behaviors that can harm the fetus during pregnancy. Some women who have aborted including during the earliest stages feel great sense of loss since life is worthy and everybody should be allowed to enjoy it. Aborting is denying a person the chance to live and achieve his/her dreams and should be considered as outright murder. Embryos and fetuses should be considered as persons and therefore allowed to live (Gensler 83). However, abortion cannot be completely prevented since several circumstances force some women to terminate pregnancies. Even if the fetus is considered as a person abortion may not be classified as murder since some ethical considerations are important. Factors such as medical risks, social risks, and psychological wellbeing of the mother should be considered (Gensler 84). The idea of only having concern for the unborn fetus and not its mother is discriminatory. The physical and medical risks that would call for abortion include eclampsia, severe morning sicknesses, and other health issues while social risks may include marital violence and abandonment. Consequently allowing women to make choices concerning their pregnancies is morally right as it can help in reducing suffering to the mother and child.
In conclusion, Abortion should be allowed and a woman should be allowed to make a choice whether to carry the pregnancy to term or terminate it. A fetus in this case, should not be considered as a human being thus may not have a serious right to life until it is born. It is vital to balance the fetus' and mother's rights is very important especially self-determination that tends to override the right of the fetus. The pregnancy can affect the body of a woman carrying the pregnancy and her life, emotional state, and health making it risky to carry it to term. On the other hand, abortion should not be allowed unless one has a convincing reason such as the health of the mother being in danger or if the fetus is severely deformed. According to tradition theories, abortion is not morally permissible since it is murder of the unborn fetus, which is claimed to be a person. However, liberalists feel that a woman should be left to decide the fate of her pregnancy depending on her stat of health and other factors. Abortion is morality permissible and women should have a chance to decide the fate of their pregnancies especially if they are nit prepared for a baby.
Works Cited
Gensler, Harry J. "A Kantian argument against Abortion." Philosophical Studies 49.1 (1986): 83-98.
Gert, Bernard. " Morality: A New Justification of the Moral Rules." (1988).
Hare, Richard M. "A Kantian Approach to Abortion". Social Theory and Practice 15.1 (1989): 1-14.
Knill, Christoph, Caroline Preidel, and Kerstin Nebel. "Brake rather than Barrier: The Impact of the Catholic Church on Morality Policies in Western Europe." West European Politics 37.5 (2014): 845-866.
Thomson, Judith Jarvis. "The Time of a Killing." The Journal of Philosophy 68.5 (1971): 115-132.
Vaughn, Lewis. "Bioethics: Principles, Issues, and Cases." (2010).
Warren, Mary Anne. "On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion." The Monist (1973): 43-61.
