Fetus Right to Life - Essay Example

? Fetus' Right to Life Procreation is nature’s one of the most awe-striking phenomenon. Be itthe purpose it serves to preserve the human race or the way a tiny small cluster of cells grow up to be a tiny human being; reproduction has been the major course of discussion in science, philosophy and other relevant discourses. However, like any other major phenomenon, many aspects of procreation has evoked curiosity and intrigued philosophers and scientist alike, the most controversial and popular of which is pr-life vs. pro-abortion (Baird & Rosenbaum, pp. 167-191). What today is discussed on every TV channel, newspaper and blog in terms of a highly pressing concern and agony against whether abortion should be allowed or not is a significant but a small subset of a larger debate which engulfs the realms of bioethics and that is whether a fetus possess a right to life or not. This is an interesting debate since it brings out the most intriguing debates on abortion and its legality. This paper will bring out the philosophical arguments that surround the notion of life and juxtapose them to each other in an attempt to reach a conclusion. It will be an effort when one can claim that fetus acquires the right to life in the process for pregnancy and that there is no outright black or white answer to the question of whether fetus has a right to life. To begin with, the central issue in this question is the status of the fetus. There are in total three different philosophical grounds for this debate: the liberal, the conservatives, and the moderates. Let the paper begin with the liberalist’s argument on the topic. Mary Ann Warren, a famous liberalist on this notion, analyses the concept of personhood. Her claim is that if one assumes fetus to be a person, then it justly proves its right to life but then the whole question boils down to the definition of personhood. Therefore, Warren suggests a five-point postulate, which is agreed upon by pro-life and pro-abortion alike (Baumgardner, 15). First, a person is conscious of objects and events, which exist externally and internally with respect to his being particularly, the ability to sense pain. Second, a person can exercise reasoning, which means that one has a capacity to solve complex problems. Third, a person can carry on activities on motivation derived by his own self. Fourth, a person has an ability to communicate and lastly, a person is the one who possesses self-concept and self-awareness. Using this as a criterion, warren argues that despite the fact that the fetus will eventually grow up to be a person fulfilling all these standards, it does not, in its present status possesses any moral status and thus a right to life. However, one cannot ignore that this definition of personhood and demolishing fetus from being considered a person legally provides just grounds for infanticide. Thus, the argument of personhood becomes illogical and irrelevant until a divine ‘rationale’ is introduced. Hence, this definition of personhood denies the potentiality and eccentricity of the fetus. Now the paper turns to conservatives. These people argue that a fetus has a moral status since the day of conception. John Noonan, a pro-life activist defies the argument of stages of development of fetus. He contends that these stages do not exist in real and that the human development takes place with continuity. He notes that whether the fetus is a result of rape or not planned or is a sufferer of any defect, these exceptions should not be exempted from the rule. The only way this school of thought permits abortion is when the embryo poses danger to the life of mother. Between these polar and raging extremes lies the moderate school of thought. Jane English, a famous proponent of this view suspects the concept of personhood explained by Warren and takes into consideration both the views and gives her decision in favor of what US Supreme Court decided a in the case of Roe vs. Wade in 1973 (Romaine, 105). Her basic argument is that the notion of whether fetus is a person is not a valid ground on which the argument should base on. Expanding on this argument, if the conservatists are assumed correct and even if one accepts the idea of fetus being a full-fledged person, there still are incidences when abortion is the only possible and legal way to protect the life of woman. On the same note, if one goes with the liberalists and believe in the lack of moral status of a fetus, the resemblance of the embryo to a person in minds of people, especially in the later part of the pregnancy will make abortion unjustifiable. Hence, the moderates reach a middle ground and suggest that abortion should be allowed in the early phase i.e. first trimester of the pregnancy when there is a little resemblance between the fetus and a person. However, in the second trimester or the middle phase, fetus has a right to life only until it goes parallel with the physical and social well-being of the mother. That is to say, if it poses any harm to mother’s health or well being in anyway, the fetus can be aborted. Finally, in the third trimester, despite the assumption that fetus does not possess moral character; it does claim a right to life with exceptions where it jeopardizes the health of the mother significantly. This is exactly what US Supreme Court ruled in 1973 for Roe vs. Wade. In order to answer this question more effectively, it is important to look at the naturalistic perspective of the commitment that ties two people together in the commitment, which brings with it the courtship and intimacy, which results in conception. First, its primary to understand that sexual intercourse is a conscious endeavor, which serves a biological function to preserve the human race. However, it performs different psychological functions as well. To start with, it creates a bond between two individuals leading to an emergence of a family that protects a feeble infant that results from the act. However, it is also important to understand that not every intercourse could lead to a pregnancy. Thus, unwanted pregnancy can be morally avoided from the very beginning by using contraceptives and other modern techniques. Secondly, the intercourse serves a humane purpose only if it succeeds to satisfy one’s sexual needs with implanting a sense of commitment with it. In cases otherwise, it is nothing but an exploitation of humanity and sanctity of human body. This exploitation does not only upset the tranquil of a society but also leads to personal frustration and dissatisfactions. Thus, the institution of marriage preserves this lasting commitment and thus builds a relationship based on responsibility. Third, since sexual act always comes with a possibility of conception and thus, a potentiality of another human being, commitment is a ground rule of any such act. Lastly, it is also of utmost importance to realize that there is an inherent urge of human interaction in human psyche. In cases when one is suppressed sexually, extreme psychological pathologies occur. Thus, having sex just for the sake of child is an improbable order and goes against the human psyche. In addition, whether fetus has a right to life has a major connection with the development of the embryo itself. Those who claim themselves liberals on this issue use as their point of argument the stages in which development of a fetus takes place. Paper will now look at this process closely to study the intricacies of the process and explore how much does this viewpoint hold water. The fertilized zygote, which emerges as the fusion between sperm and egg, turns into an ovum through meiosis and goes through several changes. The next stage is cleavage in which this cell or zygote is converted into a cluster of cells called morula. This morula is then implanted in uterus and is changed into a hollow mass of cells referred to as blastocyst, which has two parts: inner cell mass and trophoblast. This occurs after one week of fertilization. The trophoblast turns into placenta and the inner cell mass becomes the embryonic disc. This embryonic disc then turns into gastrula in a week’s time, which comprises of three separate layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. Now these three layers will give a form to the fetus, a process one refers to as organogenesis. The ectoderm will transform into nervous system and specific glands; the mesoderm will turn into heart, bones and muscles including hidden internal organs while endoderm give birth to certain parts of digestive and respiratory system. It is also interesting to note that between the fourth and the sixth week, the toes, fingers, legs, and arm develop. At the end of the eight week, the fetus resembles a human form (Basu, 141). Thing that is worth mentioning here is the fact that, in more than 20% of all cases, mothers loses their child at this stage. This can result because of either a genetically impaired developmental pattern or a sudden expulsion of the uterine fluids also known as miscarriages. Here, it is also important to introduce the concept of viability, which refers to an entity’s ability to survive on its own. It is usually after the seventh month that fetuses attain viability; those born before this time are not usually ready to survive on their own and mostly pass away despite of intensive medical support and new technologies in the field. This account on the anatomical perspective demonstrates a very crucial point: although the process is portrayed as a gradual phenomenon divided into stages, in reality, it is a continuous process of growth. Since the very moment of fertilization, the concept of a new child in the form of an oocyte is established. Before the fertilization occurs, this oocyte is just one of the million cells of the body: oblivion and undetermined of its fate. As it grows towards its fate of being an embryo, it occupies an important position in the body and serves a particular function. Thus, the debate about fetus being a ‘person’ goes invalid here since the definition of personhood does not apply to embryos or for that matter, children either. To put it in simpler terms, whether it’s an embryo, infant or a toddler, they all carry the same amount of personhood but what’s significant here is the fact that the fetus cannot be underestimated to just a random bunch of cells. They have their own function to perform added with an esoteric quality of life potential which all the other cells are deprived of. Thus, comparing them to cancer cells is also not justified since neither these cells are abnormal nor do they attack on their host. Hence, a fetus is something that emerges from a deliberate act committed consciously with an idea of possible consequences in mind, which demands that one respects its potential and sacred status. The paper brings in the perspective hereby asserting that the moral responsibility towards the fetus and its life begins from the sexual intercourse itself. Thus, a good sense of understanding and moral compliance should be embedded in adolescents through effective educational resources, which promotes this responsibility. Personally, the reason pro-abortion or those who express themselves as liberals and moderates do not find anything wrong with the abortion specifically in first trimester is because of the conditioning that one has all undergone. Since the fetus does not resemble a human form, there is considerably less harm and guilt perceived in destroying the embryo. This very same mass when comes out in human form becomes sacred and to kill him then is to attempt infanticide, regardless of the notion proved above that both possess the same amount of personhood (Landau, 440). Concisely, fetus has a right to life. Abortion is a crime and is justified only when life of the fetus is death of the mother or when embryos are defected. As far as cases of rape and poor single parents are concerned, the community should make an effort to build mechanisms that can support kids in such instances. Works Cited Baird, Robert M., Rosenbaum, Stuart E. The ethics of abortion: pro-life vs. pro-choice: Contemporary issues. Publisher Prometheus Books, 2001. Basu, A. A Practical Approach to Gyncologic Oncology. Jaypee Brothers Publishers, 2010. Baumgardner, Jennifer. Abortion & life. Akashic Books, 2008. Landau, Russ Shafer. Ethical theory: an anthology. Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. Romaine, Deborah S. Roe V. Wade: Abortion and the Supreme Court Famous trials. Lucent Books, 1998. Read More