Ethical questions

Part 1: Should abortions be permitted in specific cases, such as when the mother’s existence is at danger or when a pregnancy is the outcome of rape or incest?

Part 2: Introduction

            A woman who may become pregnant if there is an action of rape or incest becomes the victim of a fierce and an ethical disgraceful crime.  Some communities allow abortion in these cases while others ban it permanently.  These communities focus on a certain age in which the fetus should not be terminated regardless of these incidences.  At certain events certain factors may lead to abortion in some societies such as abortion that is based on the mom’s wellbeing status such as psychological fitness, a termination may be conducted if the pregnancy is a result of misconduct such as rape, incest or exploitation, if the fetus is viewed to have an improper life quality such as would be physically handicapped, have genetic problems or mental disorders. 

            There may also terminations that are based on social reasons such as poverty, if the mother is unable to handle the child due to her other children or if the mother is too young to raise the child.  Abortion can be also due to the matter of government authority in such that it is trying to reduce the population or a way of refining the population. In the case here, abortion should only be allowed in case of the mother’s health that if there is an actual risk of any serious damage to the mother.  Thus abortion that is based on social reasons is least satisfactory to challengers.

Part 3: Position Statement   

            My position in the question on when abortion is legal is that it should only be allowed when the mother’s fitness is not satisfactory. Many people believe that an abortion will help the rape victim put the assault aside and move on with her life, this is not real as the public is espousing a way that is impractical approach of abortion.  Abortion is not a magical operation that will make a woman un- pregnant but is a life condition that will make the woman more stressful and traumatic.  Once the public considers that abortion is an action with complications on a woman’s life, we must also consider at the special happenings of the pregnancy out of rape.  The question is if the termination will truly console her, no, it will only cause injury to her already ruined inner self (Panicola, 2007).

Part 4:  Supporting Reason

            If I consider my argument on the approach that only the mother’s health status should lead to abortion, I can argue that the fetus is an innocent being in the mother’s womb, thus is morally wrong to end the life of an innocent person as the fetus.  The question on whether the fetus is a person or not has been considered and it is true that it is a person.  If it is considered a person, then it has the right to life which is the right that is given to other persons.  The approach of personhood is the link that connects the fetus with the right to life (Frey & Wellman, 2007).   

Part 5: Opposing Reason

            One consideration that would challenge my approach is that it is argued that in cases of the tragic incidences and the mother’s health, it is true that abortions help in eliminating unwanted children.  People have the notion that these unwanted children are indirectly accountable for many family problems such as child abuse.  The verifications of the mothers who have their children born out of these incidences such as sexual assault leave it as a public debate (Frey & Wellman, 2007).    

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

Frey, R. G., & Wellman, C. H. (2007). A Companion to Applied Ethics. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons.

Panicola, M. R. (2007). An introduction to health care ethics: Theological foundations, contemporary issues, and controversial cases. Winona, MN: Saint Mary's Press.