Ethics Abortion. Ethics? What Abortion? Related Affect

¶ … Ethics abortion. ethics? What abortion? related affect . A breif history abortion. Does abortion fall metaethics, normative ethics, applied ethics? I include Christian, Jewish, Islamic views abortion.

Abortion

There has always been much controversy regarding the issue of abortion, as while many believe that it would be perfectly normal for people to have access to the practice, other consider that it is wrong and that society would practically accept the killing of innocent human beings by supporting the concept. Morality is one of the principal ideas that comes up when discussing with regard to abortion. Numerous individuals believe that there is no situation when abortion can be considered to be right. Some believe that abortion is justified when it is performed with the purpose to protect the mother's life and others consider that the pro-abortion argument is very complex and that there are a series of situations when abortions needs to be accepted.

Historical background

While many are inclined to think that abortion has only been used during recent centuries, the reality is that it consisted a viable alternative to giving birth for thousands of years. Abortion has been around for a long period of time and it is largely believed to be one of the oldest operations known to humanity. "In primitive societies abortions were induced by poisons, herbs, sharp sticks, and pressure on the abdomen, causing vaginal bleeding" (Holtz 447).

The abortion debate is also several millennia old, as philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle encouraged the practice in particular situations. Hippocrates also recommended it, but he put across a stricter set of requirements that a woman needed to meet in order for her to be eligible to perform the practice (Holtz 447).

Religious background

Most religions denounce the act of abortion as immoral and as being equivalent to crime. Christianity is currently an avid supporter of pro-life ideas and it harshly criticizes individuals who believe abortion to be justified in certain situations. However, the reality is that this religious ideology also generates controversy with regard to abortion. "St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.) related that the animation and sensation occurred at 40 days after conception. Prior to the first 40 days, abortion was not considered homicide" (Holtz 447). Although there are a series of biblical paragraphs that relate to child sacrifice, there is no clear information in the Bible concerning the practice of abortion. Some Christians actually emphasize that the scripture does not mention this concept because it was unimaginable at that time to even think about such a thing (White).

It is certainly intriguing to observe how abortion is opposed by most religions on the grounds that life begins at the moment of conception and the practice would thus be equivalent to murder. Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism all emphasize abortion as a grave sin and as being especially immoral. Buddhism appears to adopt a more liberal perspective when concerning the matter. While there is no central power that is meant to discuss ethical matters in Buddhism, the Dalai Lama claimed that abortion was justifiable in particular cases: "Of course, abortion, from a Buddhist viewpoint, is an act of killing and is negative, generally speaking. But it depends on the circumstances. If the unborn child will be retarded or if the birth will create serious problems for the parent, these are cases where there can be an exception. I think abortion should be approved or disapproved according to each circumstance." (Dreifus)

Is Abortion ethical?

Morality is a divisive idea and what some people might consider to be moral is likely to be deemed as immoral by others. When considering abortion, this matter is even more controversial because society is unable to provide a clear explanation about whether a fetus can be considered a human being or not. This debate is even more problematic because it brings on the issue of moral rights. Many pro-life individuals emphasizes that fetuses are human beings and that they thus have the right to live, with those who deny this right being liable to be punished by law as a result of violating a basic human right (Bailey 36).

The fact that the fetus can become human influences a great deal of individuals in thinking that it would be wrong to perform abortion, regardless of circumstances. Pro-life advocates support the idea that the moment of conception is actually the moment when life starts and that performing abortion would practically mean that one would put an end to a human life. While individuals such as St. Augustine did not have the scientific material that could have enabled him to understand exactly when life started, the contemporary society has solid evidence regarding how life starts at the moment of conception (Alcorn 27). It thus seems absurd for someone to invoke the '40-days from the moment of conception until the start of a new life' idea when trying to lobby in favor of abortion.

Pro-life advocates support the idea that "long before a woman knows she's pregnant there is within her a living, growing human being" (Alcorn 28). These people want the general public to understand that life cannot be judged on account of its appearance. When regarding matters from an objective scientific perspective life begins at the moment of conception and abortion can thus be considered to be the same thing as murder (Alcorn 29).

Even with the fact that the incidence of women forced to perform abortion is low, it is nonetheless important to consider such cases when discussing with regard to abortion ethics. In many situations parents force their daughters to perform abortions because they believe that an unwanted child would ruin their children's lives. At this point most express little to no interest in what their daughters want and simply think about their opinion concerning the matter.

Reasons for abortion

One of the principal reasons that abortionists highlight when considering a discussion involving the issue of abortion is the idea that abortion can be performed in some cases as a solution to protect the mother's life. This is certainly an ethical dilemma, as doctors and society in general need to focus on determining whether it would be right for them to let the mother to die or whether they should kill the unborn child. In situations when the child is fully developed it might seem logical to have difficulties coming up with a solution to the problem. However, in cases when the fetus is barely developed it is perfectly normal for many people to terminate the pregnancy, especially considering that a large part of the social order has a tendency to perceive fetuses as having very little to do with actual human beings. Regardless or not if a fetus is a human being, as long as a pregnancy is likely to end badly it seems natural for the mother and doctors to get actively involved in terminating it.

Abortion pharmaceuticals are very common world-wide and conditions are critical in countries where the practice is considered illegal. Women resort to buying products illicitly and without actually knowing the side effects associated with them. Some turn to using controversial doctors who are presumably experienced in performing abortions. This leads to numerous deaths occurring as a result of physicians being unable to deal with the complex set of actions associated with an abortion procedure. "One woman dies every 7 minutes around the world due to an unsafe illegal abortion. Women who undergo illegal abortions are those who are very poor and do not have access to family planning facilities for education and prevention of unwanted pregnancies" (Abortion statistics).