Abortion: Is it right or wrong - Essay Example

To bolster their position, the Churches have the support of pro-life movements and politicians who advocate traditional values. This essay will try to give more concrete ideas on this raging issue. Warren and Don Marquiz To explain the position of Mary Anne Warren, the fetus for her is not a person, and so ending its life is not morally wrong. A person has inner and outer capabilities including self awareness, feelings for self and others, as well psychomotor abilities to express thoughts and feelings through actions and movements of body and limbs.

A fetus does not have these, since it appears to be simply an organic thing. It is an “it” and not a “he” or “she” who has rights and duties as a human being. Aborting “it” for reasons whether medical, social, or psychological can stand on moral grounds. On the other hand, Don Marquiz thinks the fetus is really a person, because while it does not have any human capacities (thinking, feeling, moving, etc.), it can acquire these through growth in the womb and life after birth. Don Marquiz stands for what he is calls the Potential of Future Value Theory (Philosophy TV, 2010).

Using a comparison, an acorn can become an oak tree. A fetus can develop and be born to become an active member of society, perhaps even an achiever. To show examples, if George Washington was aborted as a fetus then we would not have an American nation; same with Abraham Lincoln in which case we will still be a country freed of slaves; and so with industrial titans in which case we would not have today our towering skyscrapers, amazing systems of air and land transports, and conveniences of satellite communication.

Necessary or not necessary abortion In case I were a women who is tree months pregnant, and it was found out my child is 90% likely to have severe physical and mental handicap, I can follow either Mary Anne Warren’s or Don Marquiz’s position on abortion. As a Mary Anne Warren, I will have my three months baby aborted. No moral anxieties will bother me, since Don Marquiz himself with other anti-abortion advocates admit exceptions to their position. They agree that the fetus may be aborted in extraordinary cases like pregnancies due to rape, medical risks to the life of the mother, etc.

In this case, the medical reason is clear because the baby has only 10% chance of being a normal baby. The growth of an abnormal fetus in the womb of the mother and delivery of the baby may also pose dangers to the life of the mother. It can be argued that if the fetus has the right to life, the right of the mother to life must also be recognized and given more weight, given the difference in human maturity of a fetus and a mother. On the other hand, as a Don Marquiz, I will insist that the baby be born, given the Potential of Future Value Theory.

Even a severely physically and mentally handicapped baby deserves to live because no one knows the potential future of the baby. Modern medical technology may develop to cure him. The mother may desire to take care of her offspring as a religious duty and challenge. Even if modern medical assistance may not do much to a severely handicapped child, still the love and care of parents should be seen as of higher value, especially given traditional religious values. Conclusion The above arguments are limited to the questions made up for a Mary Anne Warren and a Don Marquiz.

To end, laws already exist which removes the criminal nature of abortion, in addition to exemptions stated in the law (reasons of rape, medical risks, psychological burden, etc.). Restrictions in the law must also be considered since the law requires timeliness, namely within several weeks period as the law provides. To add, advice and