...Abortion Essays A01: Explain religious and ethical arguments against abortion. (30) Generally, religious teachings are against abortion – most teachings suggest that protecting the defenceless and protecting human life are important values in religion. Although ethical systems could be seen to allow abortion, the focus is totally on the many ethical arguments that are pro life. Firstly, an ethical argument against abortion could be derived from Utilitarianism, particularly Bentham’s utilitarianism including the hedonic calculus. Take a circumstance where a woman is considering terminating her pregnancy. Combine the potential pain and guilt she would experience and add it to the pain the foetus may experience (which some scientists believe could be as early as 16 weeks) and this would outweigh the pain she would experience putting her own interests aside. It is likely that in this particular instance Bentham would be against Abortion. The hedonic calculus can also be applied against abortion., by applying all 7 factors of the calculus to a certain situation. E.g. If a 15 girl became pregnant the calculus can be applied to argue the pro life stance.. The guilt at having an abortion is immediate (remoteness), having an abortion may reduce her choices and freedom in life as it may reduce her chances of having a baby (Richness), the girl having aborted a child may feel such intense guilt that she cannot enjoy any pleasures (intensity), The lack of freedom from the pain/guilt...
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...Deals with difficult moral questions and controversial moral issues that people actually face in their lives Examples: the moral issues regarding… abortion euthanasia giving to the poor sex before marriage the death penalty gay/lesbian marriage (or other rights) war tactics censorship so-called “white lies” etc. A. What is applied ethics? 4. Given the time we have left in the semester, we’re going to focus on only two example issues: • Whether or not we are morally obligated to help the less fortunate (especially those in other nations) • Whether or not abortion is morally wrong 5. Why we haven’t spent more time on this: • Often results in gridlocked or endless discussions • Having some prior knowledge of some normative theories helps give a framework for discussion • Brings in issues that are not philosophical E.g., a discussion about whether or not the death penalty is morally OK may require sociological information about its effectiveness, etc. B. Suggestions for having good discussions 1. Abortion is a very emotional and charged issue - Students are bound to have strong, conflicting opinions. - Many students may have been personally affected. 2. To avoid a shouting match, it’s best to try to respect everyone’s opinion. 3. Focus on the arguments and not the people giving them: (a) Even if you are pro-life, you may agree that a certain argument against abortion is not sound. (b) May agree with those on the other side about what the most...
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...In the end, Marquis would consider abortion to be wrong because it keeps the fetus from having a valuable future, and for him, that is what determines whether killing is moral or not. The problem with Marquis is that his writing does not take into account many of the different angles of abortion, such as, the right of the woman to control her body and whose right trumps the other. In the end Marquis would argue that it is morally wrong because it is killing one who would, otherwise, have a valuable future ahead of them. However, his paper and arguments leave a lot left to the discussion on abortion. Thomson considers abortion in three different situations, abortion because of rape, abortion when the mother’s life is at stake, and abortion after...
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...DEFINITIONS OF TERMS Euthanasia is the act of deliberately ending the life of a patient at the request of the patient or at the request of close relatives. “Euthanatos” is the art and discipline of dying in peace and dignity, practice of painless death. Euthanasia is commonly known as “mercy killing”, comes from the Greek root word that translates as “good death” but more strictly translated as “easy death”. It is the action of hastening death of a person who is seriously or terminally ill or injured to bring relief to the individual. Abortion - it means taking action to bring to a premature ending the process of fetal development, aborting or expelling the unborn from the womb and thus terminating the cycle of nature. To abort something means to stop something that has already begun. In military terms we say to abort a mission that has already begun or started. When we speak of abortion we mean to stop a life that has already begun to develop. Thus it is putting a stop to God’s plan for human life. OTHER TERMS Passive Euthanasia - is a refusal to use life sustaining medical equipment to prolong life where there is no (medically) prospect of recovery. Active Euthanasia - is to take purposeful action to end a person’s life, in a sense it is an aided suicide. Voluntary Euthanasia - Form of suicide where one may make a ‘living will’ which guarantees him a right to “die with dignity”. Involuntary Euthanasia - Socially or politically motivated acts in causing the death of people...
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...philosopher makes a non-theistic argument for the immorality of abortion. What primarily makes killing wrong is neither its effect on the murderer nor its effect on the victim’s friends and relatives, but its effect on the victim. The loss of one’s life is one of the greatest losses one can suffer. The loss of one’s life deprives one of all the experiences, activities, projects, and enjoyments which would otherwise have constituted one’s future. Therefore, killing someone is wrong, primarily because the killing inflicts (one of) the greatest possible losses on the victim. This is one of the most hotly contested topics in today’s society. People adopt different viewpoints on this which include: • Abortion is wrong whatever the reasons • Abortion is permissible if the woman’s life is at risk • Abortion is acceptable for a variety of reasons Your opinion on whether abortion is acceptable or not very much depends upon your set of values. If you feel that it is a woman’s right to choose then you are likely to favor the ‘pro-choice’ stance. But if you argue that the fetus has rights and should be treated the same as any other human being then you will adopt the ‘pro-life’ stance. Opponents of abortion cite several reasons for their opposition which include the killing of an innocent human being, the fetus’s right to life, the responsibility of the woman towards the fetus and respect for all forms of life. There are people who are against abortion on principle but do recognize...
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...Question 3: Assess the arguments for and against abortion, giving consideration to both medical and ethical issues. Abortion is defined as the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of a foetus or embryo from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death. It is derived from the Latin word ‘aboriri’ that means ‘to fail to be born’. 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...
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...In "Abortion is morally wrong", John T. Noonan argues against abortion advocates and defends his idea that abortion is morally wrong. Exceptions are those cases, when the mother's life is under threat. The first argument is that the fetus can not be considered a person because it is dependent on the mother. However, he states that the child's dependence does not end at his or her birth. Moreover, the dependence of one organism on another is a weak argument to assert that the being is not a person. Also, incubation technologies will progress and the vitality of children will improve. The next argument was that abortion becomes morally wrong when a person accumulates experience. It means that people with memory loss do not deserve to live and...
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...By definition, abortion refers to the ending of a pregnancy by removal of fetus from the uterus of the mother before the embryo can survive its own. As an added note, abortion can be categorized into two types. One is natural abortion otherwise known as a miscarriage. In this case, the fetus is rejected by the mother’s body and does not survive to term. In some circles, this considered an act of God and therefore moral. The other is induced abortion. Induced abortion is an act done purposefully for either health reasons or other personal reasons. The last definition is where society has been divided and has caused a monumental debate as the case for and against abortion when done purposefully has ignited society’s deepest outlooks. Many philosophers...
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...Maxwell Husband St. Joseph’s University Moral Foundations T/TR 8:30-9:45 “Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice” Abortion is and forever will be a very controversial topic of discussion. It has been debated for years 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...
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...increasingly common practice for parents to undergo prenatal genetic diagnosis (PGD). Subsequent selective abortion appears to be the rational course of action following PGD that reveals a fetus that carries certain markers for a disease or disability. However, many disabilities rights advocates, such as Marsha Saxton, argue that this practice is harmful and morally problematic because of what it implies about the value of those currently living with conditions that would likely be selected against. In this paper, I will present Saxton’s Expressivity Argument, as well a few of the most persuasive counterarguments to her stance, and then explain why I am not compelled to discredit the Expressivist Argument by these objections. Saxton’s Expressivist Argument takes the following...
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...Many people believe that abortion is only a moral issue but it is also a constitutional issue. Involving six different amendments, the Roe v. Wade decision was greatly based on The Constitution. The supreme court decision in Roe v. Wade was incorrect legally and constitutionally. All unborn children are entitled to protection under the constitution for they are human beings, but the decision that was made after just after two years of arguing made it possible for unborn children to be aborted within the first six months of the pregnancy. One may wonder why such a situation would have to occur, the answer is simple, a minority of pro-life citizens made abortion illegal. This scene is not one that a person could envision occurring in the United States, a land that is considered to be contemporary and enlightened. This very panorama could become reality due to the moral arguments given by means of those who support pro-choice. The problem with these arguments is that they are based on nothing more than inaccurate, uninformed opinions. The Supreme Courts job is to, of course, is to resolve the issue by constitutional...
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...structure to an argument, it ends up being more of a debate and is usually enjoyable, especially if you win. Since people have been debating for so long, and like to do it, you would think that there would be a surefire way to come to a mutual understanding. However, certain topics will be debated until the end of time before there is ever any sort of resolution. When it comes to abortion, seldom is somebody without an opinion; and others could not be more rooted in their beliefs. In order to form an objective opinion it is imperative to understand both sides of a debate and then make a decision based on the facts. On the matter of abortion, the logic behind being pro-choice is more objective and therefore the stronger viewpoint. The first step in choosing a stance on abortion is to understand what the different beliefs are. There are two main beliefs on the matter: pro-life and pro-choice. A recent poll shows that about 51 percent of Americans are pro-life while 42 percent are pro-choice (Operation). According to the world’s oldest and largest pro-life organization, the mission of the pro-life belief is “to protect and defend the most fundamental right of humankind, the right to life of every innocent human being from the beginning of life to natural death” (NRLC). In other words, it is morally wrong to get an abortion because it is killing something against its will. On the other hand, pro-choice believes that “women should have the option to choose abortion” (NARAL)....
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...“Abortion is impermissible, because it deprives a being of a future like ours. Accordingly, it is morally similar to killing a healthy adult.” Critically discuss this argument, drawing upon at least one of the authors we have looked at in the readings. Abortion in general can be defined as terminating a pregnancy before birth and this still remains a controversial topic in the world today of whether it is immoral or moral to do so. Besides certain exceptions, the view of abortion as a seriously immoral action has minimal support or evidence in present-day philosophical literature (Marquis, 1989). However, views exist when it comes to illuminating the permissibility of abortion, particularly when future prospects of the foetus are taken into account. This is what the future like ours argument also points out that killing an adult human being is wrong because it deprives the adult of a future and the foetus has a future as well, killing foetuses is wrong in the same way that killing adult human beings is wrong (Kuflik, 2008:417). The future like ours argument is parallel to controversial religious claims and does not appeal to perplexing or difficult philosophical theories (Kuflik, 2008:418). In this essay an attempt will be made to critically discuss abortion being impermissible as it is similar to killing a healthy adult. People against abortion normally depend on the idea that the foetus is a human being or a person from the moment of conception, this notion is argued for...
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...Abortion Abortion is a serious issue that is always discussed in America. Abortion is known world -wide as a termination of pregnancy. Currently in many states it is becoming illegal and abortion clinics are being shut down. The topic of Abortion cause a huge debate in America, there are people who are completely against in and people who are strongly for it. Abortion should not be completely illegal but, it should only be offered to people who have had a traumatic life event that has happened to them. Americans who are against abortion have very strong reasons for their choice. There are citizens who believe life begins as soon as an egg is fertilized and if pregnancy is terminated it is as if one is committing murder. People who are pro-life also believe that in real society it wouldn’t be allowed to harm a living person so it shouldn’t be allowed to harm a fetus. They also believe in cases such as rape or incest abortion shouldn’t be allowed because it punishes the child instead when it should really be the suspect who should be punished. A huge ordeal that could prevent pregnancy in the first place in using contraceptives, abortion shouldn’t be the ultimate back up plan. Women should be responsible enough to use protection when being sexually active so they don’t immediately turn to abortion when they suspect they are pregnant. After having an abortion it is told that some women have doubts about the decision they have just made. A lot of girls who go through with...
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...Abortion Abortion has been a long standing social problem leading to political debate which has only resulted in a standstill with no progress towards a solution. For those who are for abortion say that the idea of individuality and human life is not quite the same. Idea of a human life has come from conception. Simultaneously on the other hand, fertilized eggs used for in vitro fertilization are also human lives but eggs unable to implant are routinely thrown away. Those who are against abortion say that abortion is badly affecting our society today. People in huge numbers feel it to be evil as it kills an unborn for no reason. Conversely, others believe that it is a woman’s legal right to choose abortion especially in case of incest, rape, or health issues threatening life of a mother. A couple decades ago, when abortion was illegal, thousands of women died because they did not want to bear an infant and attempted to terminate the child's life by themselves or with an unprofessional approach. After 1973's Supreme Court decision, which allowed women to have the choice to abortion, thousands of women were saved. Abortion can save thousands of lives of women and thus, should remain legal in the United States. Imagine you have a balance beam. On one side you have the physical life of an infant and on the other you have the mental and emotional life of a mother and her unwanted child. Which side can we, as civil humans, claim as more valuable? Up to this current day, abortion...
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