Abortion: Ethic and Moral perspectives

Abortion
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 Over the decades, the question of abortion has been the cause of heated debates in various circles. Scholars, religious leaders and other interested parties have uncompromisingly engaged one another over the morality and ethics of procuring abortion. Surprisingly, current discourses on abortion mainly focus on the legal and political aspects of the issue, thereby ignoring fundamental moral and ethical questions that surround the practice. Conversely, discourses about the legality of abortion ought to be cognizant of the fact that moral values constitute the basis for good and ethical legislation and hence, morality is an integral part of legal choices surrounding abortion. Consequently, abortion is an ethical issue in that the moral obligations of the mother and the father to the fetus, personal autonomy, and issues surrounding the ethics of bearing an undesired child come into question (MacKinnon, 2011). Thus this paper seeks to explore the morality and ethics of abortion by examining its pros and cons, arguments around it, and its effects on the family and the society at large.
By and large, abortion can be understood as the deliberate removal or expulsion of an unborn child or human fetus from its mother’s womb in a manner that subsequently leads to the demise of the removed fetus. In other words, abortion constitutes a purposeful action to expel an unborn human being from the human female’s womb. In this respect, abortion is executed through the pregnant mother’s agency and is solely aimed at terminating a pregnancy and ending the life of the fetus growing inside the requesting woman’s womb. Except for those cases where medical concerns necessitate elimination of the fetus, abortion is for the most part voluntary and it is performed at the demand of the pregnant woman. Thus, abortion entails intentional and purposeful removal and killing of the human fetus and hence the numerous moral and ethical concerns (CSUS, 2013).
Admittedly, proponents and opponents of abortion cite several reasons in support of their position. Among the justifications advanced by abortion proponents is that; firstly, abortions tend to be generally safe and have previously been executed successfully. In countries where abortion is permitted, the procedure is performed by a well trained caregiver, thereby ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the mother during and after the procedure. In this respect, the woman procuring abortion in such an environment has some ethical right to safe medical care and personal autonomy; fundamental and moral entitlements provided for by the laws governing the society (MacKinnon, 2011). Thus despite the difficulties pregnant mothers go through in deciding whether to procure or not to get abortion, good laws provide the ethical basis for such decisions, thereby rendering it morally sound for pregnant woman to safely and successfully procure abortion.
Secondly, abortion provides pregnant women with an opportunity to prevent negative effects that the birth of a child may have on the mother. Continuing with a pregnancy carries with it numerous obligations among them the labor of delivering, raising and parenting the baby, all of which are mainly undertaken by the mother. These obligations tend to be mentally and physically demanding to the mother particularly in the absence of support from the family and partner. In the event that such a mother fails to procure abortion, she is likely to suffer from insecurity, depression and other mental problems once the child is born (Naden, 2008). In this case therefore, the mother has a moral obligation to procure abortion to avert serious problems that are likely to befall her and the baby if the pregnancy is allowed to continue to term.
Thirdly, abortion provides women with a lasting solution to unwanted pregnancies and babies. Bringing up an unwanted baby or continuing with an unwanted pregnancy carries with it the risk of rendering the relationship between the spouses unhealthy. Similarly, it is also likely to have detrimental effects on the lives of both the mother and the unwanted child. Additionally, procuring an abortion carries with it fewer risks compared to failure to perform it. For instance, the feelings of guilt associated with abortion wear off more quickly compared to the resentment and struggles associated with raising an unwanted child (Russo & David, 2002). Thus, despite the ethical obligation of the mother to carry a pregnancy to term and ensure the safety of the unborn, regardless of whether it is wanted or not, abortion allows moth...