Pros and Cons of Abortion - Essay Example

[Teacher’s Abortion is topic that is surrounded by controversy due to its implications on different spheres of life which include the health risks associated with the procedure and the ethics that are involved in committing and choosing to carry out an abortion. The main argument against abortion today is ethical. Due to the advancements in the medical field, abortions that are carried out within twelve weeks of any pregnancy have been found to have a good prognosis without any complications on the mother. As mentioned above, the ethical implications are still existent and many questions have been raised on the nature of the process and when it can be considered murder. In addition, there is debate over the rights of the mother in deciding if an abortion should be carried out. Another factor that has to be considered is the life of the baby if an abortion if an unwilling or incapable mother is forced to abstain from an abortion and keep her baby. Therefore, in cases when the pregnancies is twelve weeks or less the mother should have the full right to carry out an abortion and she deserves no ethical judgment for this action. There are many reasons why an abortion may be necessary and these by far supersede the minor ethical issues that are raised by abortion opponents. One of the main arguments that are raised by individuals against abortion is that the act is murder and it is wrong to take the life of an innocent human. Despite the fact that unborn babies are protected by the United States and are considered human beings, embryologically there are certain developments that have not taken place that make this act questionable. The nervous system is one of the anatomical systems that only begin developing after six weeks and this process occurs gradually over a period of many months. Therefore, the baby fetus at this age does not possess any of the features that make us human such as feelings, memories or normal organic functions. Labeling fetuses as humans is clearly incorrect and raises unnecessary ethical and legal questions in a situation that already has many issues in need of consideration. Furthermore, considering a fetus at this age a human and abortion as murder is demeaning to the meaning of life and death. These are elements of society and inappropriate use of them can make them lose their meaning. Some neurobiologists such as Dr. Condic state that fetuses feel pain during abortion and the process can be considered as torture. She illustrates that the pain reflexes that are formed in the spinothalmic pathways develop within 8weeks of fetal development. The completion of spinothalmic tract development for fetuses is extremely variable and other components of the nervous system and the fetus are still underdevelopment which makes the pain and any feelings felt by the fetus incomparable to that felt by a fully developed individual. This is one of the examples indicating the misconceptions that are possessed by individuals who oppose abortion. It illustrates the confined argument possessed by these individuals that it takes only a certain aspect into consideration whilst neglecting other factors as abortion involves many different societal factors. Kaczor appropriately states “the issue of abortion is manifold and complex, but one obvious truth is accepted by the most ardent defenders of abortion as well as by its most ardent critics, namely women considering abortion are undoubtedly persons” (8). This statement indicates that women also have a right to decide what they do with their own bodies. It is worth noting that at the legal pregnancy duration for abortion the fetus is incapable of living without the mother. This means that she has the choice to decide if she is willing and ready to accept the responsibility of fending for this fetus. Keczor goes on to indicate the depth of problems that are experienced by women due to inequality and other gender based disadvantages (9). In short, men are usually responsible for the decision making in the majority of unions involving a man and a woman. However, in terms of pregnancy the woman has more precedence as the pregnancy is inside her body. In addition, there are several complications that are associated with pregnancy and these may place the life of the woman at risk making abortion one of the only options (Kaczor, 9). The fact that the fetus is completely dependent on the mother raises the suggestion that abortion should only be prohibited when the fetus is capable of surviving outside the womb. This is self explanatory as the decision can be made without the mother due to the difference in the two bodies. The mother no longer has to put herself at risk; however, there are also questions on whether the mother should still be allowed to make the decisions on the fetus even after the complete viability of all organs. The basis on the question and debate of the possibility of a mother to make decisions in all cases to abort her fetus lies in the guardianship she possesses on the fetus. There may be viable reasons for the abortion hence it should be carried out were necessary. Numerous sociological studies have indicated that children that are born through unwanted pregnancies are more susceptible to growing up in unstable families. In addition, these families are more likely to end in divorce. These psychoemotional implications this environment has on a child also raise the question on whether abortion is the best option in certain situations. Studies have also indicated that there are some suicidal tendencies among children that are born in these families. This illustrates that the suggested evils that are presumed to occur when the fetus is twelve or less months old are less in severity compared to the implications that may occur in the future. These are also likely o involve and affect more individuals as there are financial strains on the female and she is likely to be limited in her future choices due to her unwanted pregnancy. Abortion has also been contested due to the possibility of the act being abused. In Asian countries were some nations are trying to reduce their population abortion has been utilized for sex selection. Jain stated in her article that “abortions for the purpose of sex selection in India have again caught the attention of Indian policy makers and the global press after the 2011 Indian Census showed a decline in the sex ratio. The number of girls per 1000 boys dropped from 927 in 2001 to 914 in 2011 for children aged 0-6 years” (346). This illustrates that abortion may lead to some misbalances in the natural societal balance between females and males. Naturally, there are more females than males and abortion is resulting in an increase in male populations in some countries. Acording to Janita, in countries such as India there have been some petitions that were dedicated towards saving girl fetuses (346). There are some adverse effects that are associated with abortion; however, this cannot be utilized to judge all abortion cases. In many different cultures there is less emphasis that is placed on giving birth to a male child and abortions are frequently carried out for different reasons. Several studies have illustrated that the is an increase in the number of teenage pregnancies and the reason for abortion in these cases is that the mother is unprepared to raise a child. At this point in life, many girls are entering their tertiary education and the males responsible are often not willing to share the responsibility. Even in cases when the males are willing to share responsibility they are not required to make the same sacrifices as females who physically carry the baby and may have to post pone some of their goals. Therefore, for young adolescents abortion seems to be a far better choice than keeping an unwanted pregnancy. In addition, many studies have shown that the procedure is very safe at this age. Grimes stated that “Decades of experience have established that surgical abortion is safe for adolescent women because young women are generally healthier and have less comorbidity than adults, they fare better” (12). In summation, there are many different angles with which the issue of abortion can be analyzed. However, there are more benefits associated with abortion and in the majority of cases it is carried out it is completely necessary. In fact, the above mentioned data illustrates that abortion in these cases has better social and health impacts on the mother and helps in avoiding the future social difficulties that may surround the child’s life. There are also arguments that are made comparing abortion to murder as some people consider fetuses to be humans. However, embryological studies indicate that there is a clear difference in the morphology of a < 12 year old fetus in comparison to an older fetus in the final trimester and even to a fully developed human being. The low level of development in these ages is an indication that these fetuses are not at a point to be classified as human beings. There is also debate to the feelings that are experienced during these abortions. Works Cited Grimes, David A., and Elizabeth G. Raymond. "Medical abortion for adolescents."BMJ 342 (2011). 12 Jain, Anita. "Sex selection and abortion in India." BMJ: British Medical Journal (2013). 346 Kaczor, Christopher. The ethics of abortion: womens rights, human life, and the question of justice. Routledge, 2013. 8 Read More