Abortion- nursing ethics - Essay Example

? Abortion Abortion Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures performed in most health care institutions. The most cause or need to carry out abortion among many women tends to be unplanned pregnancies. However, a woman may consider carrying out abortion after being advised by a medical profession in order to save her life from emerging complications with the pregnancy. There are various moral and ethical issues emerge concerning abortion. Some people support the act while others strongly oppose. Apart from the women who carry out abortion, some of the people who are indirectly affected by the act include nurses. This is because nurses play a significant role on the issue of abortion in either assisting the physician during the procedure or offering help to the woman. Introduction Abortion refers to ending of pregnancy in order not to give birth to a child. When carrying out abortion, the pregnancy is removed from the womb through various means. One of this means is by taking pills. A pregnant woman may opt to take medication pills in order to terminate the pregnancy. These pills ought to be provided by a medical profession. The other method of removing the pregnancy is through surgery. Medical professions may conduct surgical operation on a woman in order to remove the pregnancy because of various reasons. This paper illustrates ethical issues related to the act of abortion. Overview of an ethical issue Many of the women who carry out abortion tend to give various reasons in order to justify that they made the right decision. Some of the common reasons include concern for responsibility. This means that during the time of carrying out the abortion, most of the women consider that they will not be able to cater for the well-being of the child. Another reason is that some of the women consider that the baby would interfere with their daily obligations. These obligations may include either school or employment. Others tend to carry out abortion because of having relationship problems. Moreover, there are those who conduct the act because they consider to have completed child bearing and the pregnancy came as a mistake (McGuinness, 2009). There are two basic principles concerning moral consideration on the issue of abortion. One of these principles relates to the moral status of the unborn child. Many people tend to argue whether the fetus is a person or not (Kimport, Foster & Weitz, 2011). The other principle is whether a pregnant woman has a right to carry out abortion or not. Apart from the above two moral considerations, some of other significant issues that emerge relating to abortion include the fact that the unborn child is innocent. The other issue is that it is morally unacceptable to end the life of the unborn child. Moreover, many people who oppose abortion consider that the fetus is person and therefore it is morally and illegal to end the life of another human being (Kimport, Foster & Weitz, 2011). Personal Perspective of Not Supporting Abortion My view regarding the issue of abortion is that it is completely wrong to commit the act. Abortion is against the recommended moral concept and human values in the society. Abortion also tends to be life threatening to the mother of the child. The unborn child is very much like the common person. This is because the fetus has the potential to grow and evolve into a complete person. This means that committing abortion is the same as killing a complete human being. Therefore, the fetus ought to be given an opportunity to develop. Moreover, research indicates that many of the women who commit abortion tend to regret later (Kimport, Foster & Weitz, 2011). This translate that abortion leads to psychological problems to those who commit the act. A woman mental health is always strong before abortion according to Kimport, Foster and Weitz (2011), but deteriorates after committing the act. Women who have had abortion experience indicate that they had a difficult emotional experience after the act. This drives to my other point that abortion is wrong because women tend to have negative experiences after committing the act. Societal Perspective Regarding Abortion Abortion is an issue that raises great concern in the public domain on whether it is morally right or wrong to commit the act. Most people in the society do not agree on whether abortion is right or wrong. Various differing facts tend to emerge among people in the society regarding the issue of abortion. Those people who fail to support abortion claim that the act is against religious perspectives and moral concerns according to the norms in the society. They claim that abortion is the same as killing and therefore it is a taboo. Moreover, many people in the society argue that the right to life in relation to the fetus is of more value compared to the right to privacy. This is because those who commit abortion argue that they have the right to control their bodies both outside and inside of it. Most people who support abortion in the society argue that it is the right of a woman to decide the fate of her future. They argue that prohibiting abortion is denying women their right to ownership of their bodies. Moreover, those who support abortion argue that women ought to have the right to self-determination. This means that a woman has the ability to decide of her own future. This further translates that it is morally wrong to force a woman to have a child if she is not ready. The law permits abortion because of various reasons like medical issues where the life of a woman may be in danger. For example, there were 1.2 million legal abortions in American in 2008 (Sedgh, Singh, Henshaw & Bankole, 2011). Nursing care considerations for the client Some of the nursing care considerations regarding the issue of abortion include the importance of offering optimal psychosocial care. The other consideration is that there is a need to adhere to the recommended technical procedures when conducting abortion through the means of surgery. Nurses are also supposed to show empathy in their relationship with the woman undergoing abortion. As a nurse, one is supposed to show the ability of helping the woman ready to carry out abortion to overcome fear. Another consideration is making sure that the client agrees on various set rules related to abortion by signing a consent form. Some of the rules includes that the client agrees with the method chosen to terminate the pregnancy. Moreover, nurses are required to have the recommended knowledge in order to demonstrate clinical competence in various technical procedures while assists a woman to carry out abortion (McGuinness, 2009). All information related to the client concerning abortion ought to be confidential. This means that it is against rules and regulations set in nursing care when a medical profession speaks about client’s health with others not playing part in giving the patient medication. Specific community organizations or community supports are available related to abortion Some of the community organizations available related to abortion includes Birthright, Heartbeat International and Carenet (Clowes, 2008). These particular groups tend to support the act of abortion by giving various reasons. Other organizations related to the issue of abortion include Pro-life Catholics and other Religious organizations (Clowes, 2008). Many of these groups tend to oppose abortion by giving various religious reasons. Most of the reasons related to region state that abortion is the same as killing. Therefore, according to various religious norms, abortion is against the law of God and those set in the society because it is taking away another person’s life. How to address abortion as a future nurse One of the main factors to consider in the issue of abortion as a future nurse is offering counseling and support to women who opt to carry out abortion. This means that it is necessary to show the woman various pros and cons of the procedure. The other issue to consider is to be ready to provide the require help to a physician especially during the procedure of abortion. My other role is to offer the recommended help to and care to those women who have had abortions. Moreover, I would consider various moral and ethical questions concerning the issue of abortion while offering help to the concerned women as a future (Fry, Veatch & Taylor, 2011). The other significant issue about abortion is that I have the right not to take part in abortion if I do not believe in it. This translate that I have the right of choosing what to do in my career as a future nurse. Conclusion Abortion tends to be a controversial moral issue in the society, there are those people who support this particular act and those who strongly oppose. Both of the two groups tend to have significant reasons while making an insight on the issue of abortion. The main factor to consider as a nurse is the moral and ethical issues contributing a woman to opt carrying out abortion. The government and other support organizations have a role to play in order to come up with a firm stand regarding the issue of abortion. This means that an answer is yet to be found on whether it is right to carry out abortion or not. Reference Clowes, B. (2008). The Abortion Lobby's Deep Pockets. (cover story). Human Life Review, 34(2), 27. Fry, S. T., Veatch, R. M., & Taylor, C. (2011). Case studies in nursing ethics. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Kimport, K., Foster, K., & Weitz, T. A. (2011). Social Sources of Women's Emotional Difficulty After Abortion: Lessons from Women's Abortion Narratives. Perspectives On Sexual & Reproductive Health, 43(2), 103-109. McGuinness, S. (2009). Abortion: prohibitions and exceptions. American Journal Of Bioethics, 9(8), 70-72. Sedgh, G., Singh, S., Henshaw, S. K., & Bankole, A. (2011). Legal Abortion Worldwide in 2008: Levels and Recent Trends. Perspectives On Sexual & Reproductive Health, 43(3), 188-198. Appendix I. Why did you decide to carry out abortion? II. Have you ever enrolled in counseling sessions concerning abortion? III. Have you informed your spouse or parents about this issue of abortion? IV. Do you well understand the negative consequences that might occur during the procedure of abortion? V. Are you really prepared mentally and psychological for the abortion? Bottom of Form Read More