...Imagine a world where every child in the mother's womb is allowed to live and fulfil his or her dream. A world free of abortion means a perfect world for all humanity. The truth is, there is no such thing as perfection. Every year, about 42 million innocent babies are killed through the process of abortion. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion has been around more than thousand of years. The earliest known description of abortion comes from the Ebers Papyrus (ca. 1550 BCE), an ancient Egyptian medical text drawn, ostensibly, from records dating as far back as the third millennium BCE. Abortion was performed without any law or restriction. Until the 19th century, the United States of America passed abortion laws which prohibited any actions on abortion. Nowaday, more than 90% of all countries worldwide ban abortion,...
Words: 907 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 274 - Pages: 2
...have been focused either on normative ethics, which studies what features make something good/bad, an act right/wrong or a trait virtuous or vicious - or metaethics, which studies philosophical questions about the meaning of ethical words, or the nature of ethical facts 2. Applied ethics is a distinct category of ethical philosophy A. What is applied ethics? 3. 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...
Words: 2993 - Pages: 12
...Abortion is the ending of pregnancy before the birth and the Roman Catholic Church would say that this is morally wrong. An Abortion results in the death of an embryo or fetus. Abortion, the Church says destroys the lives of helpless, innocent children. By aborting these unborn infants, humans are hurting themselves; they are not allowing themselves to meet these new identities and unique personalities. The Church teaches the human life begins at the moment of conception. Does a mother have the right to take the life of her unborn child? Some may say that it is God’s will for that fetus to be born, and that the child is supposed to be born. I will be using different views from an ethical standpoint to try to understand if abortion is morally good or bad. From a non-biblical standpoint, it is based on whether a woman finds it ethically right to terminate a pregnancy and what effect it would ultimately have on her happiness. Therefore, abortion is not philosophically incorrect. Abortion is defined as: “The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy." However, if only the debate over the abortion issue was as simple as the definition provided. Much like every aspect of human life, a statement is not right or wrong, but can be left opens for interpretation. There is no black and white in life, only gray areas. Some issues provide us more gray areas than others. Abortion is a good example of that. If a woman does not believe in a higher power, what justifies her right to...
Words: 386 - Pages: 2
...Abortions: Morally Acceptable or Not? The issue of abortion is one of the most sensitive and controversial issues faced by modern societies. This issue leads to topics of whether abortion is right or wrong, if it is the actual killing of a person, and what actually defines the moral status of a fetus. In this paper, I will be arguing against Bonnie Steinbock, who believes that abortions are morally acceptable. So I will be supporting the view that abortions are not morally acceptable. In Bonnie Steinbock’s essay, “Why Abortions Are Not Wrong,” she argues that abortions are morally acceptable because fetuses are non-sentient beings and therefore lack interests as well as moral status. Her first premise suggests that it is wrong to kill an organism with moral status, so she believes that a fetus is not morally equivalent to a newborn baby because a first trimester fetus cannot think, feel, or perceive anything like a newborn baby is able to. Steinbock states that a fetus “is certainly alive and human but it feels and is aware of nothing.” She also believes in the interest view which limits the moral status to beings who have interests and restricts the possession of interests to conscious and sentient beings. Which leads to her next premise that being sentient and having interests is essential for having moral status. Steinbock states that, “sentience is the ability to experience pain and pleasure.” The difference between sentient and non-sentient beings, is that since non-sentient...
Words: 1129 - Pages: 5
...Abortion February 23 2015 “Is abortion moral or immoral?” We still have no answer. We defend about the nature and the moral status of the fetus. Don Marquis as well as Bonnie Steinbock embraces with the argument of their own, which point out the morality of abortion. Don Marquis upholds the fact of since abortion deprives the fetus of a future like ours therefore most abortion is morally wrong. He adheres in his article “abortion is, excepting possibly in rare cases, seriously immoral”, what he meant was that not all abortions are wrong. He did not discuss about the exception of “… abortion before implantation, abortion when the life of a woman is threatened by a pregnancy or abortion by rape” Regard of that, Marquis has claimed, “… It is in the same moral category as killing an innocent adult human being.” He inquires the reason of killing a human being is wrong. Marquis explains the killing is not just cause of pain and perceive of loss to the victim’s family, moreover it includes the basis loss to the victims themselves as “the loss of one’s life deprives one of all the experiences, activities, projects, and enjoyments that would otherwise have constituted one’s future”. With the respect of Marquis’s theory, it is the loss of a valuable future like ours that respond to the question of why killing a human being is morally wrong. Moreover, Marquis also stated in his article “…the future of a standard fetus includes...
Words: 1384 - Pages: 6
...“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...
Words: 1097 - Pages: 5
...Ethics of Abortion Destiny Vazquez SOC 120 Instructor Slack Monday, April 16, 2012 Abortion, one of the most ethical issues debated today. It has been a widely controversial debate for many years dated back to even before it was made legal in the United States. Like most ethical issues, there are two sides as to what is the right thing to do. Some people think that abortion is completely and utterly wrong. Some people think that abortion is right when and only when the mother’s life is at risk. And others think that there is a range of different circumstances that make abortion morally acceptable. In this paper I will present the issue of abortion, explain the three classical theories of utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics on how to solve the issue and contrast this response with the perspective brought to the issue of abortion by ethical egoism. I will also present you with my personal opinion as to why I believe abortion should be in fact morally accepted by society. The issues that arise when debating about whether abortion is ethically wrong or right are many. There are two sides to this debate and they call themselves, “pro-life” or “pro-choice”. Pro-lifers say that it is morally wrong to end pregnancy because you are in fact killing an innocent human being, and the pro-choicer believes that the choice should be made by and for the impregnated woman and that under certain circumstances, abortion is in fact acceptable. Many questions are being asked to...
Words: 1945 - Pages: 8
...or later. This leads us to another subject, abortion, which is also very controversial matter. In today’s word, abortion is taking place everywhere. Many of us claim that abortion is murder. Majority agrees with a fact that life start when an egg and sperm meets and fertilization starts. Since fetus have their own genetic code, it is a new life. With that said fetus is another being and have its own rights. In Sharon Stedman case it is morally and ethical wrong for her to do abortion, since she is already four-and-a-half months pregnant. One of the obvious reason that goes against abortion is that, it is ethically and morally wrong. It is morally wrong for Sharon Stedman to abort the baby for just for materialistic reasons. According to professor Dorcas in our class lecture that “Abortion is the act which a women perform in voluntarily terminating her pregnancy” (Chung). That explain that it is a deliberate act which ethically and morally wrong and against the fetus rights. When we talk about right and wrong actions, it take us to Kant’s argument. As stated by Kant, “all behaviors and actions are done by people simply because they are the right things to do. Second, people do things based on whether it is moral rather than on any purposes (Pratt). Kant would argue against the abortion because it is morally wrong to kill someone and take someone’s life. With that in mind we can say that it is wrong for Mrs. Stedman’s to do abortion under any circumstances. In addition Kant also...
Words: 739 - Pages: 3
...College 7/24/12 1 Abortion Abortion is defined as expulsion of the products of conception before the embryo or fetus is viable. Any interruption of human pregnancy prior to 28th week is known as abortion (“Abortion”). In some today’s world society, abortion has become a controversial issue because people are becoming more and more aware of the impact that abortion brings in those societies especially in the United States of America and in those who are going through the process of abortion. However, the pro-choice side of abortion believes that a woman has the right to choose if she wants to continue with her pregnancy or if she want to terminate it; the pro-choice think that whether the woman wants to keep it or not is a legal choice. On the other hand, the pro-life has somewhat a totally different opinion from the pro-choice people because they believe “life begins at conception; it is morally wrong; and, it can cause medical and psychological damage to women later on life.” therefore, they are against abortion. On abortion, statistics [shows] that since 1973, there have been roughly about 48,589,993 children aborted for different reasons. But what we [people should] think about is [that] apart from all these reasons for which a child is murdered even before [he or she] finds out what life is; [they continue to say that] it is not our right to take a life, and it is morally wrong to do it too. [Some people argue that] there are no records of abortion been spoken about directly...
Words: 1004 - Pages: 5
...discuss the effects of abortion on the women who have this procedure. For many cultures abortion is a horrible act. It is considered murder of an unborn human being. In today`s society many people still consider abortion to be an unethical practice and dangerous procedure. It is a typical conflict theory argument of social problems in today’s society. It is a conflict in society because it comes down to peoples ethical and religious stand point that is what makes up the conflict. Ethical is either it right because the fetus is in the women’s body and its her choice to choose if she wants to be a mom or not. The other side of the ethics argument czn stem from religious as well it is a life and murdering an unborn baby is wrong. There are two groups of people who fight to sway the law makers to their side the pro abortionist group and the antiabortion group (Henslin, J. M. 2011). These are commonly known as the prolife and prochoice groups. Many people though when you use these terms don’t take the group seriously they considered these people radicals. There are protesters who believe they are standing up for the unborn by murdering abortion doctors and burning down abortion clinics. The vigil-anti`s think this is justifiable due to the fact that abortion doctors are taking innocent lives and without the clinic there would be no place to have an abortion. The pro-choice group believes that abortion is ethical and...
Words: 4926 - Pages: 20
...Illegal Abortion is a topic that gets a lot of attention but it often misinformed about. What is abortion in definition form? What are the ways abortions are performed? How do we as a country, try to limit them?What are the ethics of abortion? 2015 Dakoda Breanna Schoolman Grace College 6/17/2015 Murder in the Womb : Why it Should be Illegal Abortion is a topic that gets a lot of attention but it often misinformed about. What is abortion in definition form? What are the ways abortions are performed? How do we as a country, try to limit them?What are the ethics of abortion? 2015 Dakoda Breanna Schoolman Grace College 6/17/2015 Table of Contents Introduction 1 Body 1 What is an abortion? 1 History of Abortion Laws 2 Roe vs Wade 3 How Harmful Abortion is to the Mother 4 Is Abortion Murder? 5 Is Abortion Morally wrong? 6 Is Abortion the Best Option? 7 Development of Babies 8 Ways to Avoid Pregnancy 8 Closing 9 Dakoda Breanna Schoolman Professor Richard Bragg English 1100 20 November 2014 Murder in the Womb: Why it Should be Illegal Introduction Imagine you have a teenage daughter. You have coached and explained to her the consequences and how you should wait to have sex till after you are married. One day she comes to you crying and upset. She tells you that she broke your rule of no sex before marriage and says that she is pregnant. What would you want her to do? Would you tell her to go have an abortion so that she...
Words: 3467 - Pages: 14
...MeeksShawna BandmannMay, 24,2013 | | Ethics is best described as the difference between what is morally right and what is not right. Ethical theory defines what is perceived to be right and what is wrong, while ethical practice suggest that one’s environment and cultural beliefs determine who one will react in any given situation. The question how do we as a society decide what is morally right or wrong in moral “free choice” (Mosser, 2010)? Morals are unique to each person, culture, religious belief and environment. Ethical practice is defined by the diversity within each society, where no to people are alike. Morals don’t define ethics, ethics define morality. Abortion an age old ethical debate between moral right choice and wrong choice, why? To evaluate abortion with ethics, we must first understand the argument from all perspectives. What is the debate reason abortion is so fiercely argued in past and present generations? Abortion is the term to define the choice to terminate a woman’s pregnancy. Unitarian view, which is the view that relativist challenge. Utilitarian view suggest that abortion is not wrong because its selfish and benefits the mother not the unborn fetus, this is what Unitarians refer to as :ethical egoism”(Mosser,2010). Relativist view is just a little less judgmental, suggesting that some situations may be determined morally correct while others simply remain wrong. In this paper neither the argument that neither the Unitarian view nor the Relativist view...
Words: 1698 - Pages: 7
...Fathers' rights The abortion issue is largely devoted to dealing with the rights of the foetus and the mother. The rights and concerns of the father are rarely discussed. The most common case concerning fathers and abortion is when the father wants the mother to have an abortion and she doesn't. But sometimes the mother wants an abortion and the father wants her to have the baby. Is an abortion ever morally wrong because it transgresses the father's rights? Fathers and the courts * in 2002 a new Chinese law put a man's right to have a child on an equal footing with the right of his wife, and a man has sued his wife for infringing that right by having an abortion * American courts have consistently decided that a woman's right to an abortion can't be vetoed by a husband, partner or ex-boyfriend, and also that a woman doesn't have to notify the father that she intends to have an abortion * In 1987 and 2001 men attempted in the UK courts to prevent their former partners having abortions; they failed Harm to the father Fathers' rights have not been much discussed. However, the philosopher George W. Harris has put forward the idea that there are circumstances under which a woman's decision to have an abortion would be morally wrong because it would do harm to the father. A woman can legally deprive a man of his right to become a parent or force him to become one against his will. Armin A. Brott The argument goes like this: If the father has a morally legitimate interest...
Words: 545 - Pages: 3
...Abortion: Where Has Morality Gone? In today’s society, often times many people do not even consider the question of morality before taking certain actions, because the subject of morality has become a gray area in which morality can scarcely be defined. For instance, Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines morality as "the quality of being in accord with standards of right or good conduct” (Webster Online). However, everyone has a different opinion of right and wrong. There are approximately 46 Million abortions per year worldwide about 1.37 Million abortions here in US (abortionno.org). This difference of opinion on what is moral causes many disputes such as in the topic of abortion. 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 to have an abortion. 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. Since abortion is essentially the killing of an unborn child, why are women who abort not convicted as murderers, just as women who kill their children face such charges? Morality should be a standard at all times and abortion should be no exception. In fact, abortion is destroying the life of a child; therefore, it should be considered morally wrong, except when extenuating circumstances leave no other choice for the woman. Abortion...
Words: 1138 - Pages: 5
