...whether it is morally right or wrong. Abortion is a unique subject in that it involves not only morality but also a large amount of theology, emotion, and law. It is also unique because it forces people to choose one side or the other, there is a very small gray area when it comes to this debate, and the side that I will fall on in this essay is the pro-choice side. In this essay I will attempt prove that abortion is not murdering an innocent fetus and that the arguments for pro-choice are stronger than the ones for pro-life. The main point of disagreement between the two sides is what constitutes life, when does human life actually begin? I believe to construct a sound argument this issue must be examined first. I will then go on to cover other various pro-choice points such as a women’s right to choose, the quality of life for the potential child, and the extreme circumstances that will disprove the notion that abortion is morally wrong. As stated in my opening paragraph, the key issue in the case of abortion is determining the status of the fetus in the sense of its humanity. It is my belief that a fetus does not qualify as a human. I agree with Warren when she states that “human being” is a term that is not often distinguished, she suggests that there are two distinct classifications in the sense of the term “human being.” One being the moral sense in which is defined as “a full-fledged member of the moral community, who is also a member of the human species,” (Warren) and...
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... The abortion argument is one of the most complex, controversial and highly charged topics in our society today. Those against abortion view it as the murder of a living human being, whilst its supporters take on the view that the choice of abortion lies with the woman, the foetus is not considered a human life but only a ‘tissue’ hence it is under the control of the mother and she should be allowed to make her decision at any point in her pregnancy without any resistance. On the other hand you have the ‘middle ground’ supporters who take on the moderate view in terms of the trauma the whole experience does to the woman who makes the life altering decision to consider or take abortion as an option, they are for restrictions on abortion to some extent however not banning the option entirely. Overall, this essay will serve to give an overview of the main abortion arguments, discussing, analyzing and trying to understand from each view. It will be looked at from a neutral perspective however no verdict will be made, as to attempt to derive the right answer for abortion will be difficult: the reason being that it is connected to other issues that have their own perceived opinions. The Abortion Act of 1967 regulates the systematic procedure of abortion within the UK: It states that a woman can have an abortion on the condition that she is 24 weeks into her pregnancy. If a decision is taken before or after 24 weeks, in good faith the doctor will agree and make the decision...
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...is immoral and some people don’t. Morality is an interpersonal conflict over a decision between right and wrong (“Morality”). The question is what reasons people have for their beliefs for and against abortion and whether those reasons are reasonable or not? There are two main groups of people in the case of abortion, pro-life supporters and pro-choice supporters. On the one hand, pro-life supporters, those who think abortion is not right, consider a fertilized human egg a human being from the moment of conception. Therefore, they refer to abortion as murder. On the other hand, the pro-choice supporters, those in favor of abortion, have a different perspective. They believe that a fetus is a human only after birth. The moral difference between these groups encompasses one issue. That is “At what stage is a fertilized egg considered a human being?” According to Peter Singer, there are four general stages that the pro-lifers and the pro-choicers argue about in terms of the standing of a fetus. They are: “birth, viability, quickening and the onset of consciousness” (138). The arguments made by the two groups for and against each of these stages causes the standing of an embryo to be upgraded to that of a child in the long run, as Singer suggests (138). Thus, this paper will examine and analyze the four moral junctures for the status of the fetus -“birth, viability, quickening and the onset of consciousness”- considered by anti-abortionists...
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...is the process by which a developing child is removed from its mother’s womb. Is it morally right to kill another human being? Abortion is an act of violence towards the child and mother no matter what the situation is. Who gave human beings the right to decide which human being is worth life? Why do we allow people to hold such power to something that providence has created? Once a child has been given a chance to come on this earth it should have the right to live full life, and given a chance just like the rest of us. A woman may undergo the physical part of abortion, but she is not the only one affected by the act, how about the emotional and mental stress that the close ones and family go through? Our society is has turned upside down. What happened to morals and values, appreciation of the gift of life? Have we become so engrossed in the things that are of less significance and forgotten how this world came to be? We have allowed morals, values and ethics to become debatable and in this process the important aspects of our cultures are getting lost. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary abortion is the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus. Nicely put as a definition, but I see it as the murdering of developing babies. Everything that is created has a purpose and meaning, by killing a fetus we are depriving the child of its purpose and meaning. The main argument against abortion...
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...are one of the many things that everyone has an opinion on. an abortion is, “the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus as a spontaneous expulsion of a human fetus during the first 12 weeks of gestation--miscarriage, the induced expulsion of a human fetus, or the expulsion of a fetus by a domestic animal often due to infection at any time before completion of pregnancy.” Abortions have always been and will probably always be a controversial topic in which everyone will not agree upon. Some people believe it is a woman's prerogative to choose whether or not to have a child, while still many others believe it is "morally" wrong. On the other hand, there are moderates who disagree with the idea or the morality of abortion, but agree that there are certain circumstances that should give the woman the option. Morality should be a standard at all times and abortion should be no exception. The decision to have an abortion should not be a woman’s choice. Every human has the fundamental right to life. As human life, the fetus has a right to life, and so no one should deny them the opportunity to grow and develop. For those pro-abortion, if the issue lies in the uncertainty of when the fetus can be considered human life, then they should not abort since “if you aren’t sure when shooting in a bush if the target is your fellow hunter or a deer, don’t shoot.” Finally, it is to be said that a vast majority of...
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...Traditional thought teaches that only in very rare occasions should it be permitted. Many modern thinkers tend to leave it up to the decision of the woman, who is under no responsibility to the fetus because it is not a fully developed person. The question of the moral permissibility of abortion, however, draws out a plethora of other questions such as: can a fetus be considered a human being? If so, when does it become a human being? Does a fetus have the same rights as a person? Is a woman required to sacrifice her health, interests, and commitments to sustain the fetus? In this essay, I will review the articles of Margaret Little and Judith Thomson to expose flaws in their arguments in behalf of abortion, and provide reasons that reject its permissibility. Thomson’s argument is known as the “Bodily Rights Argument,” which utilizes the analogy of the unconscious violinist to show that a pregnant mother, who did not chose to be in that situation, has no obligation to care for the life of the fetus against her will. This analogy tells of a person who is kidnapped and, upon waking, finds herself attached to medical equipment and lying next to a famous violinist. The violinist’s kidneys have failed him and aren’t able to remove toxins from his body, so they needed her, the one person with the right type of blood, to save the violinist. The doctor states how it was a terrible thing to be kidnapped and forced against her will, but the fact remains that she cannot leave for nine months...
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...murder as it is killing the human fetus. Others feel that the parents should have the right to choose and it is not murder until the baby is born. People who think it is bad say that the fetus is something alive, a human being who is partly formed and to do abortion is to kill it and commit murder. The people who think it is ok say that it is not murder until and unless the child is born. I think that abortion has to be seen about which stage the fetus is in. If it is in the very early stage, then it is not murder. But if it has already developed into a larger fetus, it can be considered as murder. There are other times when abortion is also fine. For example if there is a complication in pregnancy and the mother can suffer because of the child, it is ok to do abortion. It is important to understand the various ideas that go behind abortion. The right of an abortion for a mother should be left on her own decision as the mother knows best about her condition. She is going to be the 'host body' for the baby, even though her own, for nine months and according to Thompson, the mother should have the right to decide if she wants to foster and go through with the ordeal. Abortion should not be considered as murder in the early stage, which is the first ten to twelve weeks. Scientific research has proven that even though the fetus starts to develop a face, arms, legs, etc. by the tenth week, it does not have a consciousness and it does not constitute as a human being....
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...Abortion and the Categorical Imperative: Refusing an abortion to a pregnant woman who does not wish to bear a child violates the principle that one must always treat other human beings as an ends, never only as a means. By refusing abortion, the pregnant woman would be treated as a means, and even if the fetus were considered human, it would be treated as a means as well. Denying access to abortion treats the pregnant woman as a means. Many arguments against abortion involve a concern for protecting the rights of the fetus. But by prohibiting the pregnant woman from having an abortion, she is being treated as a means by which to bring another human being into existence. Telling her that she has no choice but to have the baby is essentially treating her as a vessel by which a life is to be born out of, rather than a human being with the right to decide whether or not she should bring a new life into the world. Callahan discussed how embryonic life can only exist from a woman’s participation in the genetic inheritance of the human species as a whole (1. Callahan, Reader, pg. 17). In other words, the woman’s baby is her contribution to the genetic inheritance of the human species as a whole. Callahan would argue that in having the baby regardless of whether she wanted it or not, she is acting according to the categorical imperative in that she is acting for humankind and not in anticipation of her own well-being or cost-benefit (2. Callahan, Reader, pg. 17). However...
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...Samaritanism case). I will achieve this in four steps. Firstly, I will explain Thomson’s background ideals that a fetus is a person, and explain what a minimally decent Samaritanism is. Secondly, I will present Thomson’s argument. Thirdly, I will present one original objection to this argument. Lastly, I will argue that this objection isn’t strong enough to make Thomson’s argument unsuccessful. For her argument, Thomson assumes that the fetus is a person. She only assumes this because of the dimness of the prospects for ‘drawing a line’ in the development of the fetus. A human develops continuously from conception through birth into childhood, but picking a point to which something isn’t a person before this point and is a person after this point would be arbitrary. However, Thomson does think that a fetus has become a human being well before birth because of how early it acquires human characteristics. So, although it isn’t sure exactly where a fetus becomes a person, Thomson agrees that the fetus is a person before birth. Therefore, she grants that the fetus is a person from the moment of conception for her argument. (p. 146) Thomson also uses the phrase ‘minimally decent Samaritan’ in her argument. By this, she means one who doesn’t go out of his way to help one in need. However, they don’t ignore when their help is needed, either. A minimally decent Samaritan does just what is considered to be minimally decent of them; they help when needed, but only with basal acts. In...
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...a pregnancy prematurely by removing a fetus or an embryo from the uterus. Abortion is a very sensitive matter that has people with differing opinions about its permissibility. Some people believe that abortion is similar to committing murder since the fetus is a human with a life. On the other hand, others feel that parents have a right to choose whether to see a pregnancy to full term or to terminate it before it's due. This argument is usually centered on the notion that removing a fetus or an embryo from the uterus cannot be compared to murder as this is not yet a baby. The major controversy about abortion lies in the definition of what stage of development the fetus is in and at which point...
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...those who support it are known as pro-choice. Whether or not people support it, the biggest argument is whether or not the unborn child, or fetus, is human. Everyone knows it is wrong to kill a human, but at what point does an unborn fetus become a human. Most pro-lifers say it’s right at conception, and pro-choice say it’s when the fetus is born. Pro-life supporter, Don Marquis goes on to argue in Why Abortion is Immoral that abortion is a form of murder. He goes on to support his argument that such killing is immoral because it deprives us of a future of value and it falls under the same category of murdering an innocent human being. When someone is murdered, the murderer nor the victim’s friends suffer a loss as big as the victim did. The loss of a person has a big effect, but the bigger loss is that person not being able to have a future anymore. By murdering an unborn fetus that is stopping them from getting a chance in life and of a future. Marquis believes that unborn fetuses have the same rights as humans do,...
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...of pregnancy by the removal of an embryo or fetus, has had an extensive history of controversy. The controversy has been centered on whether or not abortion should be legalized. In Mary Pluski's case, I do not think it is morally wrong for her to want to have the abortion. She wants to have the abortion, because she's not ready to have any children. She was not having sex for the pleasure of it, she was raped and that is believed to be the cause of the pregnancy. I personally feel that a women should be allowed to choose if she wants to have an abortion or if she wants to keep the baby. I believe in pro-choice, which means that a woman should have complete control of her decision to either continue with the pregnancy or terminate the pregnancy. In the Mary Pluski Case, she was raped, became pregnant and does not want to have a baby. She is not ready to take care of a baby and she does not want to bring a baby into the world while she is not ready to make that change into her life. In some cases of rape, abortion can be seen as a method to free the woman of the pain and trauma the victim may have received. For plenty women, giving birth to a child that resulted from a rape can be just as brutal as the rape itself. I believe the ethical theory my argument reflects would be Act Utilitarianism. The person that may or may not have the abortion is making a decision for a certain reason. The decision may not be a right or wrong decision, because of the outcome or...
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...death of the embryo or fetus as a spontaneous expulsion of a human fetus during the first 12 weeks of gestation--miscarriage, the induced expulsion of a human fetus, or the expulsion of a fetus by a domestic animal often due to infection at any time before completion of pregnancy.” Abortions have always been and will probably always be a controversial topic in which everyone will not agree upon. In the midst of the controversy, two groups have emerged. These groups are referred to as pro-life and pro-choice. According to Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context, pro-life supporters claim that life begins at conception, therefore, abortion at any stage in the pregnancy is murder. They believe that life is valuable and the life of the unborn baby has the same rights as the mother. Pro-choice supporters, on the other hand, claim that it is the woman’s right to choose what she does with her body. These pro-abortionists claim that anti-abortionists are truly against the rights of women and free choice rather than the termination of the fetus. Pro-life and pro-choice advocates differ in many of their opinions, specifically, concerning when life begins, affects abortions have on the mother, and how politics and religion play a role in abortions. In order to fully understand any topic, a complete explanation is required. Therefore, the history of abortions and different procedures used are no exception. Abortions have been around for thousands...
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...issue in terms of women’s right, we should see the issue in terms of the right to life too. Different Medical evidences show us the fetus even as a single cell is the basic structure for a human being. If we respect the right to live for every one; by any means we should not justify the murder of fetus as a right, no matter how old the fetus is. Many countries also define abortion as an illegal practice, and almost all religions don’t allow it to their followers to practice abortion. If we see abortion from every single direction it is immoral; so by any means abortion can be legal and justified as right. If killing the fetus is legal, killing the human being is legal too. I don’t see any difference between babies exist in his mother womb, and the one who get outside the womb. If we are not allowed to kill the actual children, so why we justify to kill the fetus inside his mother’s womb? It is unreasonable to approve the killing of human being simply because the baby developing inside the womb rather than outside the mother. As we all know the new born child does not look like exactly adult person; but this dissimilarity between the child and the adult human being does not make the child less human being. As a new born baby needs time to fully grown up and looks like an adult, the fetus also needs time to develop before they looks like a new born baby. Even though the combination of the fertilized oven and a single sperm cell does not look like a human being, it is the main structure...
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... is subjective A. If subjective then no disagree: Paul I like my coffee sweetened, Helen unsweetened: no disagreement B. If Paul “drs should sometimes assist their patient’s death, Helen: No (then real disagreement) C. There is a point here about disagreement A characteristic of ethics and ethical argumentation consistency: A. It is always wrong to kill a human being B. Abortion is not always wrong C. I am committed to holding that abortion isn’t always the killing of a human being a. This sets a limit on the subjectivity of ethics b. Another such limit: factual accuracy c. One can enjoy a taste without knowing what it is d. In ethics we have to understand the facts of the matter: patient’s prognosis, wishes etc in regards to resuscitation (2) Ethical relativism A. Similarity to subjectivism: B. Ethics depends upon a group, a culture etc. a. Darius: eat or burn one’s dead b. Herodotus each culture things its custom best c. Nomos vs. Phusis d. Anthropology: no superior morality which...
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