Martha's case: applying virtue theory to abortion

Abortion has been quite a controversial topic in the society over time however this topic is not freely discussed and thus it becomes so hard for people to express their opinions regarding this issue. Despite this, many people have different views on the matter .The truth of the matter is abortion is real and is taking place in our society today as a matter of fact it is something that is deeply rooted in the society today and something has to be done fast in order to stop this vice.in the scenario Martha is a high school student who is faced with a dilemma. The reason for her current state of dilemma is her choice of going to a party, getting drunk and having unprotected sex. The purpose of this paper is to show how Martha should not go on with the abortion using the virtue theory.

Position

This theory puts an emphasis on virtues or moral characters contrary to the approach that puts emphasis on rules or duties (Hursthouse, 2012). Martha appears to be an individual of good morals who has succeeded to get a position in one of the prestigious nursing schools. She however made a mistake by attending the party and getting drunk and eventually getting herself pregnant through unprotected sex. However, her interest of attending that party two months ago would easily make her not join the school and hence not becoming a nurse. Martha is only 17 years old but this does not mean that she is not ready to be a mother. She knows the consequences of unprotected sex very well and should therefore have been careful when having unprotected sex. Procuring an abortion is not the only solution to her predicament. Who said that giving birth is a crime and that she cannot be accepted later in the school simply because she is a mother? Having an abortion is not moral and it is a sin before God. This denies an innocent soul life and therefore is equated to murder. Therefore as someone who is moral, Martha should not be swayed by her friends and persuaded to commit this immoral act.at the end of the day she is the one who will remain with the guilt and regret if she goes through with it. None of her friends will know exactly how this feels since they are not the ones who went ahead with it.

Counter argument

Having an abortion is killing a human being because we know that life begins at conception. Martha is being selfish because having a child does not mean that she can not achieve her dreams.at the end of the day the nursing school is there to stay and she can always defer her position and go back to school when read (Hursthouse, 2012).Therefore her position in nursing school is not a justification for her caring out the abortion. Martha should therefore have this child as it is the best decision for someone who is morally upright.

Conclusion

Based on the virtue theory Martha has the moral obligation toe ensure that she does what is ethical regardless of whether she will gain or loose .not having an abortion means that Martha will have upheld her morals