Abortion should be encouraged - Essay Example

Abortion should be encouraged Abortion is a medical process, in which a fetus or unborn in the mother’s womb, is either spontaneously or by induction, terminated or destructed within 20 weeks of pregnancy. Medical personnel supervised induced abortion is proper and safe for the women’s health; however there are illegal abortion clinics opening ‘shops’ at many places. Although, abortion is done for various personal, health and social reasons, it is not positively viewed by certain sections of the people. The pro-choice or pro abortion group ethically and medically supports abortion, by stating that the women or expectant mothers have clear rights to go for abortion. On the other hand, pro-life or anti-abortion group does not consider the rights of women and instead considers the fetus to be a living human. When one looks at both sides of the argument, the community or section of people involved in this issue are women and the unborn fetus. Women’s rights relating to the medical process of abortion is a crucial and at the same a controversial one. So, this paper after discussing both sides of the abortion debate, will take a pro-abortion or pro-choice stance, by pointing out how abortion has to be carried in certain situations to maintain the physical or mental health of the women, and also how the right to decide whether to have a child or abort it, should entirely lie with the women. Pro-Abortion Side Personhood concept supports the line of the pro-abortion advocates. Personhood concept focuses on the rights and the self-determination of individuals. With all the women having the right to control their own bodies, they has the right to decide when to have a child of their own. The clash in personhood concept arises, when the pro-life groups considers fetus also as a human being. However, the pro-abortion groups state that fetus is not at all human, because to consider a living form as a human, they will need to have mental aspects like consciousness, reasoning, self motivation, self -awareness and communication skills. Thus, they counter the view that embryo is a living entity by using scientific evidences and show embryo is not a ‘living human’ but just an ‘undeveloped entity’. “…all parties in the debate agree that the embryo is not yet an entity with interests or rights “(Robertson 1). The other argument is, embryo neither looks like a human being nor contains the totality of a person subsequent humanity because cell division continues throughout the gestational period. (Schroedel 6). So the fetus cannot be considered as a human and abortion is therefore permitted medically as well as morally. Importantly, many situations particularly grave situations will arise, where abortion might be the most helpful choice the woman may have. One of the grave situations is, when a woman gets raped and becomes pregnant owing to that rape. A legal abortion will not only remove the mental scare of that sexual assault, importantly it will aid her in living a dignified and normal life, without any social ostracization of her as well as the baby that might be born. “Many pregnant rape victims are essentially assaulted twice,” Roth said, “first by their rapist and second by public officials who ignore them, insult them and deny them their right to a legal abortion.” (qtd. by Hendershott 172). Normally, if a woman is raped; it will result in severe physical as well as mental trauma, plus social discrimination. These traumas and discriminations could reach extreme ends, if she also becomes pregnant due to that rape. Pregnancy that occurred because of rape is completely against her wish and will, and in those cases; abortion could be the only logical solution. So, it is clear that women who become pregnant due to rape should be given the fullest right to undergo abortion to protect her life in the physical, mental and social sense, as well as to avoid social problems for the unborn child Along with these reasons, a pregnant woman is forced to go for abortion if the child is likely to be physically or mentally challenged due to congenital abnormalities or exposed to any radiation or have any viral fever in the first 3 months. All embryos or fetus conceived cannot have good physical conditions. If the medical tests done during pregnancy shows that the soon to be born child has serious medical complications, and will either die soon after the birth or will struggle throughout its entire life, then the parents should be given the option to abort it. In addition, if the socio-economic status of the parents or woman does not favor her to have a child, then also abortion should be allowed, according to pro-abortion groups. So, all these problems or worst case scenarios clear favors abortion as the solution Anti-Abortion side One of the biggest arguments that people make in favor of abortion is that the unborn fetus is not a living human, and just a tissue. However, many experts state that the life of a baby begins long before he or she is delivered, and so they attain personhood. A human life begins at the time of conception, when the sperm and ovum meet to form a single cell. Importantly as the fetus shows all the characteristics of a living entity, it is assumed to be a living human. For instance, living things are structurally heterogeneous and as the fetus consists of organs, tissues, cells and basically DNA, he/she should be seen as a living human or entity. It takes a short time for a fetus to acquire human characteristics at an early age, almost certainly at the age of ten weeks (Thomson 47). Rape is one of the heinous crimes committed against the women as well as against the child, which may be born out of that act. According to anti-abortion groups, the fact is, the unborn child is also a victim of rape and so they should not be punished again in the form of abortion. It is a horrible situation for any women, but the punishment should not be given to the unborn baby, in the form of abortion. Just as the raped woman does not ask to be raped, the resultant babies did not ask to be conceived. “…all human life is sacred; the means by which a child is conceived should have no bearing on the worth of that childs life.” (Grigg 21) From moral as well as medical perspective, unborn baby did not ‘ask’ for abnormalities to happen to him or her. Actually, in the case of congenital abnormalities, it is the faulty genes of the parents, which could have caused the abnormalities. So, instead of aborting, both the father and the other family members need to support the expectant mother and importantly the unborn child. The support can be done by medically treating the mother and also by gathering information on what the special needs of this child are going to be. Personal Perspective From the above analysis of both the sides, it is clear that although anti-abortion groups have some valid arguments, when the pro-abortion groups’ arguments are considered, it appears weak. That is, the argument of pro-abortion groups that the unborn is just a living entity without any human like characteristics and without personhood is aptly valid. The other argument of abortion being the only option in certain cases is also very strong. That is, in times of rape and the resultant pregnancy, it is not at all correct morally as well as medically, to ask the woman to carry on with the pregnancy. Apart from the physical pain, this would further accentuate her mental pain. More importantly, in the case of soon to be born child suffering from critical health complications or other congenial abnormalities, it will be better to abort it instead of allowing the child to be born and prolong its sufferings. So, in most cases, abortion should be encouraged, as it can relieve a lot of pain, sufferings and even ostracization. Conclusion With this information and analysis, a call should be made to give women clear cut rights regarding abortion. Nowadays, women are having equal rights and equal importance in the society. They also have lot of responsibilities. They do not want to be just a reproductive machine and should be given the choice to have a legal abortion, at their will. “It is up to the woman to evaluate her circumstances and determine whether she is to continue her pregnancy or terminate it” (Hernandez 4). There are high chances of illegal abortions done by non-professionals in unhygienic conditions, turning out to be fatal as well as causing serious complications. So, legalizing abortion in most situations will ensure proper medical facilities for women opting for an abortion. By giving birth and undergoing a lot of sufferings themselves, as well as putting the innocent small ‘human’ lives in grave and isolated situations, it is better to give the choice to the mother herself, whether to abort or not. References Grigg, William Norman. “Rape Does Not Justify Abortion.” Opposing Viewpoints: Abortion. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press. 2002. Print Hendershott, Anne B. Status envy: the politics of Catholic higher education. Transaction Publishers. 2009. Print. Hernandez., Bret. “Rape Justifies Abortion.” Opposing Viewpoints: Abortion. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1997. Print. Robertson, John A. “Symbolic Issues in Embryo Research.” The Hastings Center Report, 25 (1995). Schroedel, Jean Reith. Is the fetus a person?: a comparison of policies across the fifty states. New York: Cornell University Press. 2000. Print. Thomson, Judith Jarvis. “A Defense of Abortion.” Rights, Restitution, and Risks: Essays in Moral Theory. Harvard University Press. 1986. Read More