Ethical Arguments on Abortion

Essay by geo5 January 2009

download word file, 3 pages 2.0 1 reviews

Downloaded 24 times

Debates on abortion continue to circle around the question if it is morally right to terminate a pregnancy before birth. Deliberately terminating pregnancy is similar to killing a person. With that, some people think abortion is completely wrong, yet some people think there are cases of which abortion can be considered or morally accepted.

The main premise is that killing or terminating life is wrong, and this morally concludes that abortion, wherein a fetus or life is terminated during pregnancy is wrong. Some mothers who got unwanted pregnancy cause by rape, or unplanned pregnancy consider abortion due to many personal reasons. Pregnancies caused by rape [1] are often emotionally and psychologically challenged by social traditions and norm. In some societies, children who grow up with the society knowing that the pregnancy was caused by rape often experience socializing and acceptance to be difficult. To a mother, she may be right to think of protecting a person from such psychological torture, but we all know that with the future unknown, abortion is not an option.

A fetus contains the genetic code of life of human being and therefore abortion is always wrong.

There are some ethical arguments that may consider abortion as a morally correct choice. One is when the mother's life is in potential danger because of the pregnancy. When a fetus is diagnosed to have a disability that affects the mother's life, there are often things to consider. One, if the fetus or child is in its early stage or already in its developed stage. If in its early stage, surely keeping the fetus alive is not option. If the disabled child is already in its developed stage that if the doctors believe can be supported by technology, another dilemma emerges. If the parents choose to the child, will...