Abortion, Including Rape and Incest:

Abortion, Including Rape and Incest:

One of the major, contentious moral issues facing the modern American society is the practice of abortion that attracted huge debates and controversies. Much of the debates and controversies have been based on the elective assumption in which pro-choice abortions are the only kind. However, there are other types of abortions such as those performed for therapeutic reasons. The main examples of the therapeutic abortions are those performed when the pregnancy poses a serious threat to the mother life or the mental stability of the pregnant women. Nonetheless, there are serious concerns and debates that emerge when considering the issue of abortion in cases of rape or incest. Actually, a Republican Congressional Candidate recently became the center of increased criticism for comments he made regarding exceptions for abortions such as cases for rape and incest.

Suggestions for Exceptions for Abortions:

In the past few years, many individuals including those who main goal is to assist girls and women who are victims of sexual abuse and assault believe that abortion is the best alternative or solution in situations where pregnancy occurs as a result of sexual abuse or assault. This is despite of the fact that research indicates that many women who become pregnant through such incidents don't want abortion since they consider abortion as a measure that only compounds their trauma (Sobie par, 2). However, there is a general agreement between both sides of the debate that many women who become pregnant through sexual abuse or assault want abortions. This premise is based on the argument that women in such incidents say that they want abortions since it will help them in putting the assault or abuse behind them. The women also argue that abortions would help them to recover more quickly and avoid the extra trauma that emerges from giving birth to the child of a rapist.

The argument for abortion in cases of incest pregnancies is even stronger as research indicates that incest victims rarely voluntarily agree to abortion. Rather than considering the pregnancy as unwanted, the victim of incest is more likely to view the pregnancy as a means of getting out of the incestuous relationship. These victims do not voluntarily agree to abortion because they consider birth of the child as a means of exposing the incestuous sexual activity. Furthermore, the pregnant woman is likely to see in her pregnancy the hope of bearing a child with whom she can develop a truly loving relationship than the exploiting relationship she has been trapped to.

However, the main concern with the girl's or woman's perspective of the pregnancy as an alternative for releasing her from the incestuous situation, the pregnancy poses serious threats and risks to the abuser. Moreover, the pregnancy also poses some threat to the pathological secrecy that may include other family members who are afraid to acknowledge the sexual abuse or assault. As a result of the dual threat to the abuser and pathological secrecy, the victim of incest may be coerced or forced into an unwanted abortion by the abuser and the other family members.

Morality of Abortions Due to Rape or Incest Cases:

The reason for increased concerns, debates, and controversies surrounding abortions of all types is the morality of the practice. Similar to elective and therapeutic abortions, abortions from complex situations like rape and incest has continued to raise serious ethical questions and concerns on the morality of the practice. The ethical concerns and moral questions emerging from the practice are mainly based on whether the life of the unborn fetus is an absolute and overriding factor in the decisions. The other basis for such concerns is associated with the moral significance of birth, particularly on whether birth makes a difference to the moral rights of the fetus or infants (Boss, p. 102). This concern has specifically been fueled by the fact that many contemporary philosophers believe that birth does not make a difference to moral rights. Based on this belief, it's extremely difficult to justify a legal or ethical difference between infanticide and late abortion. Secondly, these philosophers deny the moral significance of birth by arguing that birth adds nothing to the moral rights of infants because those rights have been in existence since conception.

While the human newborn may not have intrinsic properties that can support a moral right to life stronger than that of a fetus, the emergence of the human newborn makes it suitable to treat it like it had a stronger life. However, birth is morally significant since it's the mark of the end of one relationship and the commencement of others.

On the question of the morality of abortions in rape or incest cases, the debates and considerations extend beyond the life of the unborn fetus as an absolute and overriding value. There are several dimensions to consider in determining the morality of the practice based on the various arguments that have been raised by proponents and opponents of such practice. Generally, the mental health of the woman comes into serious consideration when examining the morality of this practice since the tragic cases of rape or incest have serious mental impacts on the woman. Since women are likely to experience trauma from pregnancies emerging from these tragic cases, it's argued that the woman's mental health can be safe-guarded by abortion.

Furthermore, since pregnancy from rape or incest is a product of grave injustice, the woman should not be obliged to carry the fetus to viability or undergo the resultant trauma during the term of the pregnancy. This is primarily because the pregnancy will keep reminding the woman of the sexual assault or abuse she experienced, which will in turn increase her mental anguish. In order to support abortion in cases of rape or incest, it's argued that the value of the mental health of the woman is greater and more significant than the value of the fetus. Moreover, the fetus is also considered as the aggressor against the integrity and personal life of the woman. Therefore, abortion is justified in cases of pregnancies from rape or incest if it's the only way to safe-guard the human and personal values of the woman and a morally defensible way for repelling the aggressor.

Nonetheless, there are several opposing positions that could be considered in order to stop from justifying abortions in cases of rape or incest. The justification of abortion in cases of rape or incest can be regarded as like trying to support the elimination of traffic laws since people are likely to violate some of these traffic rules in rare situations. Therefore, providing an exception to abortion in such cases does not develop and establish a general rule. Secondly, the argument that the fetus is an aggressor is refuted by the fact that the presence of the unborn entity does not endanger the life of the mother (Beckwith par, 6). The rapist or perpetrator of incest is the aggressor whereas the unborn entity is an innocent victim just like its mother.