Arguments and perspectives on abortion ethics from opposing viewpoints

Abortion

Describe the Compelling Attitudes both for and Against Abortion

This paper explores the particular virtues and morals to which each side of the debate subscribe; this is of particular importance since the pro and anti-abortion camps each believe that they are morally just while contending that the other is not. According to Marquis (1989), this is the reason why neither position has successfully been able to persuade the other, and both sides have had difficulty compromising and arriving at any middle ground. The basis for such divisiveness stems from altering perceptions of whether a fetus constitutes a human being; while the anti-abortion group believes that a fetus is in fact a living being (such that abortion becomes equated with murder) the pro-abortion camp asserts that a fetus is not yet a human being and so abortion is not a form of murder. Meanwhile, those who are pro-abortion believe that the anti-abortion camp is immoral due to a perceived restriction on women's freedom.

One of the chief virtues espoused by the anti-abortion camp is the necessity for a unified family. It is believed by this group that abortion results in (or even promotes) sexual promiscuity, since men and women are not punished for their promiscuity. Moreover, there is a fear that if abortion were to become more culturally acceptable, society would no longer remain reproductive and the population would decrease. The emphasis on reproductive society is particularly germane to the anti-abortion argument since its position is in large part derived from the perception that human beings have descended from God (Lake, 1984); to this end, abortion breaks the reproductive cycle and does not pass God's legacy on to the next generation. Accordingly, it is important to note that a significant segment of the anti-abortion community is staunchly religious; while there are certainly members of the pro-abortion group who are religious, the ratio is dwarfed by that of the opposing camp.

Another virtue preached by the anti-abortion position is informed decision-making with regard to having sexual intercourse. Specifically, it is believed that because people are aware that they can have an abortion should pregnancy result from sexual intercourse, they engage in sexual intercourse with no regard for the biological consequences. Instead of only having sex with someone with whom one is committed to having children, people are openly promiscuous and it is the potential for such reckless behavior that represents perhaps the backbone for the anti-abortion community.

The pro-abortion community also assents to universal virtues, yet the specific principles differ between the two opposing viewpoints. Perhaps the foremost virtue advocated for by the pro-abortion group is freedom; it is believed that with the option for abortion, people are free to engage in sexual relations without the unwanted possible outcome of a child. Even when people practice safe sexual intercourse and use protection, there still remains the small chance that a woman can get pregnant, and with abortion available, women have the security of knowing that they have total autonomy in deciding whether or not to have a child. For the pro-abortion community, freedom is also expressed in opposition to the Catholic Church and other facets of the anti-abortion community, which seek to ban contraceptives and some forms of the birth control pill. Those who believe in abortion as a legal procedure see it as protecting adults not only from unwanted parenthood, but also from unwanted marriage, since there is a great amount of stigma against single parents.

Much of the rhetoric surrounding abortion is couched in the terms of women's rights; in this regard, abortion is often referred to as a "woman's right to choose." Not only does the phrase "right to choose" reinforce the emphasis on freedom discussed above, but it establishes the abortion controversy as a gender conflict as well. Many pro-abortionists believe that the anti-abortionists are sexist, discriminating against the gender who incurs the burden of giving birth. One of the main arguments for abortion is that it protects women who have been impregnated as a result of non-consensual sexual relations. For example, if a woman was raped and became impregnated as a result, then abortion protects the woman from giving birth and becoming a parent against her will. To be fair, there are many in the anti-abortion camp who are willing to grant abortion in instances of non-consensual sexual relations, although the majority of anti-abortionists are unwavering in their uniform contempt for abortion.