Introduction
The problem of abortion has long been of interest to society. Many articles, scientific studies, and books have already been written, and many films and social videos have been shot regarding this issue. Such works usually provide evidence that abortion is undoubtedly the murder of an unborn person with all the ensuing consequences. The permissibility of abortion and its limits is a hotly debated issue in the modern world, including religious, ethical, medical, social, and legal aspects. In some countries, this problem has become so acute that it has caused a split and violent confrontation in society. The main problem in the discussion of abortion is people’s attitude to the status of the fetus, whether the unborn baby is considered a full-fledged person with an inalienable right to life. The current paper analyzes the issue of the irrationality of abortion prohibition due to the ideological, sociological, medical, and legal perspectives.
Embryo Status Issue
According to the ancient Eastern tradition, a person’s age is counted from the moment of conception. It was widely believed in ancient Western civilization that life begins at birth. For a long time, doctors associated the beginning of the life of the fetus with the first stirring. The natural science, or physiological, position regarding the “beginning” of human life differs from the religious one by the fundamental absence of a single solution, even in the space and time of modern culture.
Biology inquiries regard the four-month fetus as alive. Up to six weeks, an embryo is the most superficial tissue; up to two and a half months, it is a mammal of a lower order. From four months, the appearance of the fetal brain tissue is recorded, indicating the emergence of a reflexively perceiving being. The electrophysiological activity of the brain stem is recorded in a six-week-old fetus. Notably, the disappearance of these brain impulses in people is a modern legal basis for ascertaining their death. The contemporary criterion of human extinction brain death can be adapted to the problem of determining the standard for the beginning of life. Then, keeping the logic, these six weeks – the beginning of brain stem activity – must be taken as the time of the beginning of life. Nevertheless, the fullness of brain activity is connected with consciousness and speech. It is impossible not to recall that consciousness and language appear only in the 2nd year of a child’s life as signs of personality. However, recognizing this figure as the beginning of human life is absurd and, therefore, casts doubt on the option associated with the brain criterion.
Another distinguished physiological milestone for the emergence of human life is the first heartbeat at four weeks. At the same time, the formation of the pulmonary system at twenty weeks is fundamental for many, indicating the fetus’s emerging viability. Viability refers to its ability to survive outside the mother’s body. In other words, there are various approaches to understanding when the fetus can be called alive. There is no distinct research proving that abortion is killing. This means that the decision to do an abortion should primarily depend on the personal understanding of the fetus and the mother’s life. In general, the governmental limitations of abortions can be associated with the countries where religious institution is influential. From the perspective of personal rights, the fetus is part of the mother’s body, and she is responsible for it.
Therefore, the considerations regarding the fetus’s life are insufficient. Regarding the ethical component, the researcher compared the four major theories of the fetus status and concluded that: “there is no cut off point from which the fetus starts being a person and thus no cutoff point from which we can decide abortion to be morally permissible” (Jha 53). The mother’s life and her mental and physical health are more valuable than the doubtful fetus’s position at the beginning of the pregnancy. Moreover, the unwanted child will experience significant problems that can damage the future generation’s development and well-being if abortions are prohibited massively.
Stigmatization and Sociological Factors
Despite the lack of practical scientific proof of the fetus’ status, many societies tend to stigmatize women who choose abortion. Such actions result in the distribution of the negative perception of abortion. Practical research shows that women who have an abortion are often afraid of being stigmatized, which causes psychological distress (Biggs et al. 16). As a result of such stigmatization, which is generally driven by religious considerations, some women can save unwanted children. This is one of the most dangerous for the future of child situations. The decision to give birth should be conscious, without any forced opinions. Being afraid of the accusation, women do not think about the child’s future life. Such a perception can even be considered as a more potentially harmful action than abortion, which cannot be accurately proved to be a killing. According to the constitutional understanding of human rights, the principle of a woman’s right to her own body or a woman’s right to control the function of her body. This is considered the main inquiry of liberal ideology. The metaphysical basis of liberal consciousness is naturalistic-materialistic anthropology.
Ethics and Legalization
Most researchers believe that the main reason for the legalization of artificial miscarriage is the massive epidemic increase in the number of abortions, which, under the unfavorable conditions of the underground, maimed and claimed a considerable number of lives. Such a situation resulted in legalization in some countries. Governments realized that despite the prohibitions, women would continue to obtain abortions illegally, which is associated with more significant health risks to the whole population.
From the medical perspective, surgical and abortion pill reversal (APR) causes no harm to women’s health. When supported medically, the unwanted pregnancy can be stopped without any consequences. The critics of abortion and the cases with negative health impacts are significantly smaller compared to the successful APR and surgical abortion practices (Bow et al. 261). However, when abortion is prohibited, medical organizations cannot help women by ensuring healthcare support. As a result, illegal abortion will result in a general decrease in the life expectancy of women. The history of abortion discussions shows that there were many cases when women (primarily feminist movements) won “constitutional protection of the right to make decisions about pregnancy, reproduction, and abortion” (Reagan 150). The women’s fights against the protection of their rights show that the prohibition of abortion damages their perception of themselves, ruining their future and the future of unwanted children.
Discussion
Most clinicians do not use the concept of the child if they are not sure that the mother is ready to give birth. They prefer the medical term embryo. Modern diagnostics in the early stages allows for determining the genetic changes that lead to malformation or inferiority of the fetus. Sometimes abortion is the only right choice when there is a threat to the woman’s life.
Recently, the number of refusals from babies has increased directly in the maternity hospital. Moreover, there are disadvantaged families who give birth to children solely to receive a birth allowance or order to apply for a large family allowance. In reality, children in such families receive neither a normal upbringing nor the required care. In such cases, abortion will protect the unborn child from an unsightly life in advance, from an orphanage, humiliation, and beatings, rather than deprive him of a decent future. The most crucial argument in the debate with religious communities is that the fetus only takes on a person’s appearance in the third month of pregnancy. By having an abortion at an early stage of embryo formation, a woman rids herself of a cell that has just begun to divide and form.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be stated that the general impact of abortion on women and society is positive. Abortion allows women to decide for themselves regarding the future of their future. As far as there is no distinct research ensuring the cutoff when the fetus can be proven alive, giving birth should be treated as a right of the woman. Most of the critics of abortion are associated with ethical and religious considerations. These issues should be respected based on women’s desires. The central human right is the right to choose. Therefore, from the sociological, scientific, and medical perspectives there, it is not a logical reason to prohibit abortions.
Works Cited
Biggs, Antonia, et al. “Perceived Abortion Stigma and Psychological Well-Being Over Five Years After Receiving or Being Denied an Abortion.” PLoS ONE, vol. 15, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-20.
Bow, Steven et al. “The Right to Choose to Abort an Abortion: Should Pro-Choice Advocates Support Abortion Pill Reversal?” The New Bioethics, vol. 28, no. 3, 2022, pp. 252-267.
Jha, Jayshree. “Abortion: A Comparative Analysis of the Ethical and Ontological Status of the Fetus.” International of Applied Ethics, vol. 8, 2022, pp. 49-61.
Reagan, Leisle. Dangerous Pregnancies. ProQuest Ebook Central, 2022. [e-book]. Web.