The Problem of Abortions - Essay Example

Abortion Issue In modern world the issue of abortion is being considered through multiple perspectives and not only by scientists, moralists, and religious people but, first of all, by ordinary women who actually face with this choice in their real-life situations. Hence, it turns out that despite those multiple opinions on the matter these women make their decisions whether to have abortion or not according to their own beliefs and ethical standards. However, the legal issues concerning abortion are very contradictory almost all around the world, as they concern the entire population quantity and quality. The problem of legalization of abortion concerns quite opposite ethical positions, which all seem reasonable under closer examination. Opponents of abortion claim that life is the highest priority and nobody is morally permitted to decide whether it can be discontinued by a person’s will. In the meantime, proponents of abortion argue that abortion is the matter of a particular woman and her body, so it is for her to decide whether she wants to go through the experience of being pregnant and giving birth, or she wants to get rid of the embryo and set herself free from the suffering. There is no right or wrong decision as the choice is very personal and intimate, which means that probably the compromise for this issue would be a precise consideration of each case of abortion intention and either justification of it or total rejection, as such a crucial choice must be made wisely at all accounts. Abortion is a medical procedure that results in death of human fetus; in fact, the procedure is the deliberate termination of human pregnancy which is mostly conducted within the period between 1st and 28th weeks of pregnancy (Grimes & Stuart 93). Abortion is more common these days than it has been before. As it was noted in 1996 by the Commission on Population and Development of the United Nations, many communities of both developed and developing countries pay attention to abortion and the problem of the unborn life has become of crucial importance for people from all around the world. It is obvious that the main issues concerning abortion as a medical procedure are engaged with the ethical dilemmas that people face with regarding it. The very first of them concerns all the doctors that conduct abortion and face with the contradiction to the law of nonmaleficence (Primum non nocere – the first ethical law of medical workers) (Schur 137). In his research on the matter, Edwin M. Schur reasonably notes that the term “therapeutic abortion” doesn’t make any rational sense, as the procedure itself deals with killing a human being, which cannot be therapeutic whatsoever (Schur 137). This means that conducting the procedure makes a doctor a killer but not a savior. However, considering this ethical issue, it is impossible not to pay attention to the embryo discussion that has been going on within scientific circles for the last few decades. Thus the question is whether an embryo can be considered as a human being and which ontological status should people give to it in order to reach a consensus on the matter? Multiple researches have revealed that human embryo cannot be considered as a human being, as it is incapable of existing apart from a grown female body. Hence, it might be considered as a part of human body but not a self-sufficient body. Thus in fact the researches claim that there is no soul in an embryo, so it is just a small piece of flesh that has no features of life until the certain age (Cameron & Williamson 215). This means that the ontological status of human being is considered to be defined through an individual’s ability to be independent in physical meaning. However, the opponents of such a pragmatic consideration of fetal human being claim that embryo is not just a part of a female’s body and they adjust the position by multiple studies. First of all, the biological structure of an embryo differs from the biological structure of any organ of human body, which proves that an embryo is a fully valid human being who is growing in another body (Dunstan 38). As far as foetus is considered to be a human being, according to its physical characteristics, it is possible to say that its ontological status is “a potential human being”. However, in the article “Embryo Ethics” Robert P. George argues this stance and claims that a fetus cannot acquire the status because the notion “human being” requires certain features of specific personality and character, otherwise it doesn’t have any typical characteristics, other than physical, that would allow to call a creature “human” (p. 24). The claim definitely makes sense; as if an organism that had human physical characteristics could be called a “human”, the concept of human being would lose a lot of its transcendental meaning. Regarding this claim, another crucially important experiment, conducted by the creator of highly-effective ultrasound equipment Professor S. Campbell, proves the opposite. In his research he denoted that at 6 months the behavior of an embryo is already a little different from that of a newborn - an embryo can perform complex movements, swallow, complain if it is pushed a little and even smile when he is warmed and comforted. This argument contradicts the position that an embryo doesn’t have humane features and definitely works in behalf of the position that an embryo is a potential human being (who has the right to be called so) must be protected and can’t be killed for no reasons. Although it has been proven that an embryo is a potential human being and abortion would mean a special kind of deliberate termination of human life, it is also difficult to argue the fact that as long as an embryo belongs to a female body, it is a part of it (Wade 239). This means that if pregnancy is a specific condition of a woman’s body, she is capable of discontinuing it because she has a right to manage her own body the way she wants. Thus the argument that giving birth to a child is the personal matter of each woman and her health condition, because it concerns her body, which belongs to her only, is absolutely reasonable. Giving a birth to a child means going through rough times, full of physical discomfort and ultimate suffering; hence, having abortion for many women that don’t want children is the best way to avoid such unpleasant experience. As far as the fact that body is a very personal kind of possession is indisputable. Body is, probably, the most intimate property ever, so a person can do whatever one wants with one’s own body. Thus why wouldn’t women obtain their right to dispose their own bodies and who can decide for them what they are supposed to do with the fetuses that live in their bodies? The question is probably one of the most ethically complicated within the scopes of the abortion discussion. It is easy to answer this question from the religious perspective, as it points on the value of human life and people’s moral right to decide whether they are authorized to manage others’ lives (Hoffmann & Johnson 162). As far as an embryo is a life form, especially the human life form, it is not up to humans to decide whether the life should be discontinued or not, because taking responsibility for such a high moral value as life is not in people’s grasp. Although many people might consider this argument as not reasonable enough and which adjustment lies in some metaphysical roots, any person that follows high moral standards will consider the argument as valuable and crucial for the abortion issue. Moreover, considering the health angle of abortion, it turns out that the medical procedure might cause huge problems for a female organism and reproductive function. Abortion is more likely to cause multiple gynecological diseases than any other procedure on reproductive system. Especially it concerns nulliparous women who are inclined to the most dangerous risk to become infertile. As a result of abortion the menstrual cycle is violated (about 12% of women), the cycles become irregular, there may be bleeding between periods (Koop 173). If abortion is made by women who already gave birth, her cycle may recover in 3-4 months; if before surgery the woman did not give birth, may be delayed up to a year or more to recover all the functions (Sai 17). Abortion disrupts the endocrine and nervous systems, reduces the bodys resistance. According to all the considerations of abortion issue presented above, it turns out that the decision which stance to take is up to each and every woman who faces with it. For many women having abortion is nothing but an ordinary medical procedure that doesn’t have any ethical problems behind it. For others, abortion is a sin and is not allowed under any circumstances ever. The difference between the opponents and proponents of the pro-choice is engaged with their different ethical positions and understanding of the value of human life. Hence, there is no right or wrong decision, as it is all about interpretation. Works Cited Cameron, C.and Williamson, R. "In the World of Dolly, When Does a Human Embryo Acquire Respect?". Journal of Medical Ethics. 31(2005): 215-220. Grimes, D.A., Stuart, G. "Abortion jabberwocky: the need for better terminology". Contraception. 81(2010): 93–96. George, Robert P. "Embryo Ethics". Daedalus. 137(2008): 23-35. Wade, Francis C. "Potentiality in the Abortion Discussion". The Review of Metaphysics. 29(1975): 239-255. Schur, Edwin M. "Abortion". Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 376(1968): 136-147. Hoffmann, John P. and Johnson, Sherrie Mills. "Attitudes toward Abortion among Religious Traditions in the United States: Change or Continuity?". Sociology of Religion. 66(2005): 161-182. Read More