Introduction
Abortion has always been a disputable issue because of the numerous ethical issues associated with it. The parties supporting the legalization of the procedure and those insisting on its prohibition offer various arguments to support their claims. The moral permissibility of abortion depends on the perspective of the procedure and the factors used to justify it. Thus, applying the practical view, it is possible to view abortion as a morally permissible procedure as a woman has the right to make decisions about the future of the fetus as she can consider the consequences of their choices for herself and the fetus and select the best possible outcome.
Moral Issue
The moral dilemma behind abortion is related to the question of whether it can be considered a murderer or not. The opponents of the procedure view it as murder and emphasize the critical importance of every life (Vardy, 2020). The given assumption is not doubted; in modern humanistic society, people have the greatest value, and their lives should be protected by any means.
However, when speaking about abortion, there is a question of whether a fetus can be considered a human being and, as a result, its right to life should be considered when making a choice. Furthermore, discussing the moral issue, it is impossible to disregard the mother’s role and perspective on the procedure. The woman’s right to control her body and make all decisions, including this one, is one of the arguments often mentioned by all parties and serves as the basis for vigorous debates.
Opposing Claims
Abortion and its nature are debated by various groups nowadays. The contradictory question is always linked to the ideology and rhetoric of civil rights activism (“Far-right groups in America,” n.d.). Thus, the central moral claim made by the supporters of abortion is that women’s right to control their bodies is unalienable and cannot be limited. Supporting the claim with credible sources makes it possible to show its importance (Eby, 2011). First, pregnancy might impact their reproductive and overall health, while their upholding is crucial nowadays (The PLOS Medicine Editors, 2022).
Moreover, the prohibition will not reduce abortion rates as illegal and unsafe ones will be available to women (The PLOS Medicine Editors, 2022). Untrained practitioners and harmful methods would undermine women’s health and can lead to numerous complications, including the death of the patient (The PLOS Medicine Editors, 2022). At the same time, women might possess an enhanced understanding of the child’s future and make decisions regarding the current situation and possible hardships a child might experience. In such a way, the supporting claim emphasizes women’s right to make decisions about their bodies, their understanding of the consequences of their choices, and care about the child’s future.
However, the opposing view on abortion offers arguments that should also be considered. For instance, from a religious point of view, the termination of pregnancy is unacceptable. Human life is sacred, and any attempt to interfere with it violates God’s will (Niţă & Goga, 2020). It means that the moral nature of abortion is linked to religious and spiritual questions, which are essential for individuals and their decision-making (Niţă & Goga, 2020).
Furthermore, women who think about undergoing the procedure face a moral dilemma and conflict, which might impact their mentality and cognition (Niţă & Goga, 2020). Finally, the critical claim is that an embryo is a living creature and a human being with the right to live and cannot be killed by other people, even if it is a mother (Niţă & Goga, 2020). In such a way, both positions can be supported by powerful arguments.
Ethical Theory
The resolution of every ethical dispute and dilemma implies using a specific theory. For instance, utilitarianism is one of the frameworks that might be employed to determine and discuss the nature of people’s acts and decisions. This ethical theory distinguishes right from wrong acts by focusing on outcomes and consequences (Driver, 2022). Thus, if it does not produce any good, it is not good, and vice versa (Driver, 2022). In such a way, the effects of actions become more important than their nature or the motifs standing behind them.
Actions that maximize happiness and well-being for all individuals are considered the foremost priority and should be viewed as the only acceptable ones (Driver, 2022). At the same time, utilitarianism can be applied to various moral dilemmas and choosing decisions that might help meet all parties’ interests and avoid critical outcomes. Utilitarianism helps to avoid religious or other subjective constructs and pays attention to the results that are the most desired ones.
Application of the Theory to the Moral Dilemma
Speaking about the moral dilemma linked to abortion, it is possible to state that utilitarianism might help to resolve it. From the perspective of this ethical theory, the termination of pregnancy can be considered morally permissible when a woman makes a decision understanding its consequences for her and a fetus. In other words, the woman’s readiness to have an abortion is justified when she considers the risks to her health and the health of a child when they are born. The high risk of medical complications or severe diseases might impact the quality of a person’s life and their chances for happiness. It might serve as one of the causes affecting the female’s desire to have an abortion.
Furthermore, the woman’s right to control her body and her reproductive health is another aspect that can be considered from the perspective of practical theory. The life of an unborn individual should not be considered more important than the life of a mother. In many cases, the fetus and labor might cause severe damage to a woman and her reproductive health (Niţă & Goga, 2020).
At the same time, a child’s outcomes and health might remain vague. In such a way, from the practical perspective, protecting the mother’s health is the best possible outcome, meaning that abortion might be justified and viewed as a morally acceptable procedure. Finally, the woman might consider the would-be living conditions and determine whether a child can be happy, which is another critical argument. In such a way, the practical ethical theory might be used to support abortions and their importance.
Conclusion
In such a way, abortion is one of the moral dilemmas that are discussed in the modern world. There are various perspectives on the issue and arguments offered to support them. As for me, I believe that women ought to have the autonomy to manage their bodies and make their own choices about the fetus’s future. They realize the conditions impacting them and their children and the consequences of their choices, which is essential from the utilitarian ethics perspective. For this reason, I support the right to abortions and can resist the attempts to introduce laws limiting them. It might be a severe threat to women’s reproductive health and children’s well-being.
References
Driver, J. (2022). The history of utilitarianism. In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web.
Eby, E. (2011). The college students guide to writing a great research paper. Atlantic Publishing Group.
Far-right groups in America. (n.d.). Gale. Web.
Niţă, A. M., & Goga, C. (2020). A research on abortion: Ethics, legislation and socio-medical outcomes. Case study: Romania. Romanian Journal of Morphology and Embryology, 61(1), 283–294. Web.
The PLOS Medicine Editors (2022) Why restricting access to abortion damages women’s health. PLoS Med 19(7). Web.
Vardy, E. (2020). Abortion: UK women face protests by emboldened campaigners. BBC. Web.