Introduction
Abortion is one of the vital moral topics in today’s generation. Emotions run deep, accompanied by heated and endless arguments over the topic. It is tempting and quite challenging to evaluate the issue of abortion based on cultural and traditional standards. Different people have different perspectives when it comes to deciding when to terminate the life of a fetus. For instance, Christians use their doctrines based on God’s Word to condemn abortion. Other people apply laws and policies based on moral principles when reaching a verdict over the topic. However, abortion is legal in some countries, resulting in mixed opinions. Although a particular action has been made legal does not necessarily mean it is moral, correct, or ethical. Abortion is perhaps amongst the leading, dramatic, and challenging social issues. On some occasions, the act has been legalized, but, at the same time, it is against God’s commandment. Thus, under the certain circumstances discussed below, abortion should be legalized.
Abortion when Mother’s Health Is at Stake
In most cases, abortion restrictions in some countries put a mother’s health in a compromising situation. Delaying or total denial when abortion is the only solution to save the mother can result in major complications (Bixby Center, 2016). Some conditions resulting in pregnancy termination when trying to save a mother’s life include heart failure and severe infections. Also, the serious occurrence of preeclampsia, a medical condition where the mother develops extremely high blood pressure, increases the risk of stroke, can result in abortion. Furthermore, terminating a pregnancy before the baby’s due date is abortion and sounds morally unacceptable, but such an exception needs legalization. In such a case, restricting abortion will put a mother’s life in jeopardy and even greater risk, such as death. Also, abortion should be allowed to be conducted in a case where the mother is mentally ill. It is crystal clear that an insane woman will not practice sound parental services; hence, terminating the pregnancy seems viable.
Abortion if the Pregnancy Is the Result of a Crime
Allowing the pregnancy to grow when a mother conceives from criminal cases might be compromising on some occasions. For instance, if a woman conceives during the act of rape and desires to terminate the pregnancy, abortion needs legalization. The Brazilian neoconservative forces allowed abortion when a woman conceives due to a rape case (Machado, 2017). In such a case, the law should legalize abortion after the medical practitioners have agreed in good faith to conduct it. In some countries, such as Singapore, the statute laws allow abortion regardless of the cause (Rajamanickam et al., 2018). Apart from rape, abortion, when the pregnancy was a result of incest, should be legalized. It is against traditional moral values for related individuals to bring forth a child. It is considered taboo, and the child will eventually experience growth complications if the pregnancy grows.
Legalizing Abortion on Pregnancy where a Child Will Experience an Unacceptable Life Quality
Even if abortion at all costs is considered morally wrong according to the Bible’s doctrines, they should legalize it when the baby develops some serious health problems. For instance, it is possible to detect if the fetus suffers from a physical handicap due to technology sophistication. On such an occasion, the law should legalize abortion after the pregnant woman’s consent has been sought. Quite often, women develop anxiety and worry when pregnant. Most of them worry about the disability and health conditions of their unborn children. However, deploying technology such as amniocentesis helps determine the fetus’ chromosomal abnormalities (Ziegler, 2017). Since it is possible to detect any genetic disorder of the unborn, the authority should legalize abortion for such cases. It will be a burden for a mother to continue the pregnancy for the whole nine months while knowing the fetus has health complications.
Abortion due to Social Reasons
Some social reasons can be the limiting factors resulting in the need for abortion. In some cases where the expectant mother cannot handle a child, abortion in such a scenario needs legalization. In America, significant programs have been implemented over the past years to help American women and their partners over the social issues of family planning. The government availed improved contraceptives to low-income women to reduce unintended pregnancy and abortions. It has achieved some significant results, but major disparities stood constant. From 2011 statistics, the rate of unintended pregnancy amongst women living below the federal poverty threshold was higher than the rate of women with income above the poverty level (Boonstra, 2016). As a result, the government should legalize abortions due to such financial challenges. Apart from financial constraints, abortion should needs authorization when the mother is too young to manage the child.
Counteracting the Argument
Abortion has to be legalized in certain exceptional scenarios depending on the social laws of different countries. However, in some cases, abortion should not be allowed when there is evidence of a moral violation. For instance, the responsible body should formulate and implement policies to illegalize unsafe abortion due to any reason. Abortion is amongst the safest medical operations when conducted as per the World Health Organization’s (WHO) medical procedures (Berer, 2017). However, it has contributed significantly to maternal deaths due to complications when medical expertise is not involved. Therefore, abortion should be the only alternative for medical professionals to conduct the procedure safely. An appropriate approach to consign unsafe abortion is eliminating legal restrictions and consequently providing access to safe and accredited abortion procedures. Therefore, unsafe abortion should need legalization to prevent further complications and maternal deaths.
Conclusion
Abortion is considered a sin according to Biblical teachings, but in some exceptional cases, it is morally acceptable. The social issue of abortion has resulted in several undecided debates globally since every country has its policies governing the practice. However, the appropriate initiative should legalize abortion in specific exceptional circumstances such as:
- When Mother’s health is at stake
- If the pregnancy is a result of a crime
- On pregnancy where a child will experience an unacceptable life quality
- Due to Social Reasons
In the above cases, there is a need to legalize abortion to avoid future implications due to one reason or another. However, responsible bodies should illegalize unsafe abortions since most of them contribute significantly to maternal deaths. Furthermore, medical professions should perform abortion following policies governing the entire procedure. In summary, abortion needs legalization in extreme circumstances, such as saving a mother’s life.
Sources and Ideas
- Berer-illegalizing unsafe abortion
- Bixby Center-implications of abortion restrictions
- Boonstra- abortion due to poverty
- Machado-abortion as a result of rape case
- Rajamanickam et al.- legalization of abortion in Singapore
- Ziegler-legalizing abortion due to genetic disorders
References
Berer, M. (2017). Abortion law and policy around the world. Health and Human Rights Journal, 19(1), 13-27.
Bixby Center. (2016). Abortion restrictions put women’s health, safety and wellbeing at risk [Ebook] (pp. 1-2). University of California, San Francisco. Web.
Boonstra, H. (2016). Abortion in the lives of women struggling financially: Why Insurance Coverage Matters. Guttmacher Policy Review, 19, 46-52. Web.
Machado, L. (2017). Abortion as a right and abortion as a crime: The neoconservative setback. Cadernos Pagu, (50) e, e17504.
Rajamanickam, R., Kok Ann, T., Noor Azira Tengku Zainudin, T., & Azam Mohd Shariff, A. (2018). Termination of pregnancy by rape victim: The Dilemma in Malaysian Criminal Law. International Journal of Engineering & Technology, 7(3.30), 159-162. Web.
Ziegler, M. (2017). The disability politics of abortion. Utah Law Review, 2017(3), 587-631.