Pros and Cons of Abortion - Research Paper Example

Pros and Cons Paper: Abortion Introduction: Overview and Summary ments Abortion, as the suggests, means abort of finish, miscarriage. An act of instantaneous slaughter of a human before the baby is born. For the past two decades, the issue has been debated regarding the ethical and moral concerns. To date no convincing result could be procured rather, it emerged as the most contentious of all the existing contemporary societal concerns of the present century ("Ethics of Abortion: Is it Moral or Immoral to Have an Abortion"). Historical Facts I. Religious- Life is present in the fetus since the moment of conception. With the act of abortion, the creature divest from the endurance and hence it is corresponding to murder. It is well supported by a few religions including the Christianity. Abortion has been debated since ancient times, Aristotle presented his views about the issue as "delayed ensoulment". According to Ted Lockhart, "perform actions that we are maximally confident are morally permissible". This argument is known as the "moral certainty" argument. Every mother has the right to decide upon the birth of the child and therefore Ted Lockharts suggestion served to deal abortion as a practical solution in contrast to the moral issues ("Introduction to the abortion debate"). II. Ethical- Women is the choice maker as under a given circumstances women is the best judge to nurture the fetus and later the child with utmost care and devotion, lacking to do so could culminate into psychological problems in the child. In the present situation where women are contributing equally to the economic growth and development, continuing with the pregnancy may hamper career growth. It is essential to understand that the personal ethics of women are imperative to pursue the pregnancy. Moreover, the anatomy of the body should also allow the continuity of the pregnancy, especially at the later stages of life when the female cannot afford to continue with the pregnancy and hence termination of pregnancy should be allowed. It is not moral to give birth to the unwanted child and nurture the child with least botheration. In certain cases conception could be the result of contraceptive failure or a woman may not be prepared for; such cases demand legalization of abortion ("Ethics of Abortion: Is it Moral or Immoral to Have an Abortion"). III. Scientific basis- Any pregnancy cannot occur without the male partner, consent of the father is essential before aborting the child. If the father agrees to take up the responsibility of the child, women gains confidence. In the present era where relationships are fragile, women do not want to have any binding to forgo her career or liberty. Now-a-days living relationships are prevailing and under such relationships, the couple does not like to enter into some kind of bonding related to child. Abortion- Pros Abortion is an issue that is now opted to get rid of unwanted pregnancies. Ultimately it is the women who have to go through the pain of continuing pregnancy and delivering a baby, taking up the responsibilities of rearing and up bringing the baby along with the daily chores, preparing the baby to be a responsible individual by making changes, adjustments as well as alteration in her routine may be with / without family support. There is nothing called pro-life. Health and well-being of the mother directly influences the well-being of the baby. If mother is not prepared mentally to carry the pregnancy and if she is forced to continue with the pregnancy then its repercussions may directly influence the health and development of the baby. If mother does not want the child then she should not continue with the pregnancy. Delivering a baby with unsound mental health would be all the more traumatic as it is accompanied by unending duties ("Pros and Cons of Abortion"). It would be better for the legislative authorities to legalize the abortion. Decision to opt for abortion varies from person to person as for some abortion could be traumatic while for others giving birth to an unwanted child and bearing all responsibilities could be more traumatic. One rule cannot hold true for all situations and for every individuals. The psychological strength and supportive situations also pave the way in woman’s life to opt for abortion. Decision of the lady should be respected as she has to carry her life and responsibilities further and directly influence the life of the child her frustration could hamper the development of the child ("Pros and Cons of Abortion"). Biologically speaking abortion could be performed only in the first trimester when the placenta attaches the fetus. The health of fetus therefore depends on the health of the mother. The notion of personhood is diverse from the notion of human life. Unless the fetus leads a separate and independent life, abortion cannot be correlated with the murder. Abortion, a medical procedure possesses less than 0.5% jeopardy of serious impediments, is mostly carried out for unwanted pregnancies and is mostly carried out for unmarried women ("10 Abortion Arguments: 10 Arguments For Abortion, 10 Arguments Against Abortion"). Incidence like rape or incest, where a woman is forcefully made pregnant due to violent act, results in psychological harm and grave implications. As most of the rape victims are minors so it becomes essential to safeguard the future of the girl by means of abortion. Besides, the trauma of carrying a baby of rapist further hampers the psyche and well being of the lady. Abortion in such a condition becomes a compulsion to save the prestige and self-respect ("10 Abortion Arguments: 10 Arguments For Abortion, 10 Arguments Against Abortion"). Teenage pregnancy is becoming an important issue in the European nations. Pregnant teenagers not only stake their future by leaving their studies and career but also become an irresponsible parent. They need some support both financially as well as morally to rear their babies. Such situation could result in stress; to avoid stress and depression abortion is the safe measure to relieve the uninvited range of problems ("10 Abortion Arguments: 10 Arguments For Abortion, 10 Arguments Against Abortion"). Technical advances enable physicians to find out if any complications, syndromes or any anomaly is persisting in the unborn baby. If there exist some teratogenic defect or any incurable disease then abortion is always a safe method to prevent complicated child who is bound to lead miserable life and also make the life of associates miserable. Abortion- Cons An emotional bonding is developed between mother and the child and it becomes difficult for the lady to choose abortion as the option to get rid of unwanted pregnancy. It is merciless act to kill an unborn individual. Most imperative argument states that as abortion is for unplanned pregnancies but it could be extended to childbirth which may prove to be beneficial as the child has the ability to reconcile the broken relationships. A growing fetus has the right to survive and therefore should not be killed. Repeated abortion may lead to the health hazards. Abortion may result in severe psychological mutilation or impairments. Abortion may lead to depression and guilt ("Pros and Cons of Abortion"). As the life onsets with fertilization of the egg so abortion is parallel to murder since it involves an act of taking away life. As a civilized society cannot permit any of its inhabitants to harm or kill other individual so abortion is not permitted. The unborn baby has not done any harm and is not liable for any kind of punishment. There are serious health hazards of abortion such as augmentation of ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages and pelvic inflammatory condition. Essentially, abortion should not be used as a means of contraception. A woman should have control over her body and unwanted pregnancy could be prevented by means of contraception. Ladies opting for abortion are often minor, immature, lack knowledge of life and repent upon their haste decision for abortion. Abortion culminates depression, guilt and takes years of medication to overcome emotional trauma, leading to altered psyche and serious complications. Woman may inculcate fear and repugnance towards the society, a direct implication on her well being ("Pros and Cons of Abortion(a)"). In certain cases girls have to leave their houses, witness poor family and partner support, cause distress towards relationships. Abortion may become the cause of the infection in the womb preventing further chances of pregnancy, cause blocked fallopian tubes, weakened cervix and uterine scattering ensuing surgical procedure for complete cure. Pregnancies after abortion may result in babies with severe disabilities ("Pros and Cons of Abortion(a)"). Student Position on the Debate Abortion poses ethical, societal, and therapeutic predicament that blend up poignant answers among disputants. Abortion is such an issue that carries two viewpoints encompassing choice and life. Conclusion and Historical Significance It is necessary to clarify that society is formed by humans, and persons only modulate all the ethics and morals but when the help is truly desired it remains unattended and therefore in the present situation women have adopted abortion as the means to safeguard themselves from all worries and lead a life of respect and dignity. Women of today has understood the severity and the consequences of continuing with the unwanted pregnancies and they do want to lead a happy life and not a life of shame and guilt, it is therefore abortion has emerged as the most contemporary moral issue today. Depending upon the preparedness of woman and considering the rights of the fetus it is personal outlook, but one must consider the financial burden of one more child, the exponential growth phase of the population burden that the planet can endure and therefore unwanted pregnancies must be prevented through abortion. 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