Abortion and Ethics Essay

Outline

Introduction: Introduce the debates.

1. Religion and Ethics consider abortion a murder
2. Counter-argument: It is not murder as the fetus is not fully developed

Argument: Religion and Ethics

1. Abortion is murder on the basis of religion and ethics.
2. It is not murder as the fetus is not fully human and has not developed fully

Second Argument:

1. Women are aware of their situation, and social, economic, and emotional factors. Therefore, they must decide to consider all these factors before bringing another life into the world.
2. It affects the mother and the child.

Conclusion

1. Women must have the right and agency to decide about keeping or aborting their fetus regardless of religion and ethics. As they will be the ones to raise the child.

Abortion

Abortion is the ending of the pregnancy. However, it has health, ethical, religious, and human rights issues. First, it is the health and well-being of the women that are at risk because of the pregnancy. However, religion and ethics would consider it wrong to abort a developing life. They considered it murder. Regardless of the religious arguments women’s rights advocates consider it the right of a woman to decide whether she wants to have a baby or not depending on her physical, social, and economic wellbeing(Adinma). They argue it is unethical to force women to raise an unwanted child, as it will affect the mother and the child in the end. Hence, the paper will discuss the debates for and against abortion considering religious, ethical, and human rights points of view concluding that women must be able to decide based on their physical, social, and economic well-being and preparedness.

Although killing is wrong on ethical and religious bases, abortion is not murder. The mother although intends to end the pregnancy, she does not kill a person as the fetus is not developed into a full being (Adinma). It cannot be considered murder. The fetus cannot feel pain or is aware of its surrounding as it is proved scientifically that the fetus under 26 weeks cannot feel pain, it is not a human being. Therefore, it cannot be considered murder. In addition, being biologically alive does not make a fetus a human being with consciousness and cognitive abilities (Munk-Olsen et al.). Moreover, murder is legally and ethically acceptable if it is done in self-defense and abortion is a kind of self-defense for a mother who is unprepared to have the baby physically or economically.

However, woman’s rights advocates argue women must have their own her reproductive rights and decide for themselves. Women know better than anyone else whether she is prepared psychologically, physically, socially, and economically to raise the child or if she needs more time. The birthing child is not about giving birth to the child, it requires the mother to care for the child and help the child grow properly with emotional, economic, and social support. It would be wrong ethically to give birth to a person without responding to their economic and emotional needs. The lack of response to the social and economic needs of a person leads to problematic behavior in the child (Pazol et al.). Therefore, the mother must consider her well-being and the well-being of her child to decide regardless of the ethical and religious concerns surrounding abortions. Moreover, religion and ethics must be concerned about a fully developed human being and their well-being before supporting the rights of the fetus, which is not fully developed (Jones and Jerman).

To conclude, the mother must decide whether she wants a baby or not and whether she is prepared for the baby or not. It is important because the life of the baby and the mother depends on that single decision of the mother regardless of the religious and ethical arguments.

Works Cited

Adina, E. “Unsafe Abortion and Its Ethical, Sexual and Reproductive Rights Implications.” West African Journal of Medicine, vol. 30, no. 4, 2011, pp. 245–49.

Jones, Rachel K., and Jenna Jerman. “Abortion Incidence and Service Availability In the United States, 2011.” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, vol. 46, no. 1, Mar. 2014, pp. 3–14. Wiley Online Library, doi:10.1363/46e0414.

Munk-Olsen, Trine, et al. “Induced First-Trimester Abortion and Risk of Mental Disorder.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 364, no. 4, Jan. 2011, pp. 332–39. Taylor and Francis+NEJM, doi:10.1056/NEJMoa0905882.

Pazol, Karen, et al. “Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2011.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Surveillance Summaries, vol. 63, no. 11, 2014, pp. 1–41.