FREE ESSAY ON ETHICS OF ABORTION

ETHICS OF ABORTION

The Ethics Of Abortion Abortion is a very controversial subject that has been continually
argued over for the past few years and probably many years to come. The main controversy
is should abortion be legalized? First before we get into the many sides of abortion we
must first define abortion. Abortion is the destruction of the fetus or unborn child
while the child is still in the mothers womb. This can be done by almost anyone from the
mother herself to back alley abortions and even to abortions by clinics set up especially
for this purpose. There are two sides to this abortion topic the PRO-LIFE which is those
who are against abortion altogether and the PRO- CHOICE or those who believe it is the
womans right to choose if she wants to have an abortion. These two groups offer different
solutions to problem. The pro-life solution is to have the child and basically live with
it. They believe abortion is not an answer. The pro-choice solution is abortion because
of reasons they feel are appropriate. Although abortion is morally and ethically wrong
should it be legal for victims of rape or incest who have no other alternative? There is
no real answer to this controversy, there are two sides to it though which have been
arguing for many years over the subject. The first is the pro-life group. This group does
not believe in the abortion factor. To understand where the pro-life stands we must first
understand its beliefs and reasons for its beliefs. Then we can discuss what their
solution to the abortion topic is. Pro-life believes that rape and incest are very
emotional topics. They often elicit throughout the population feelings of revulsion;
people draw back from the issue of rape and incest. People don't know how to handle a
person who is in that much pain. There is no quick fix. That is why it is difficult for
even pro-life people to come to grips with the argument over abortion in cases of rape
and incest. Some of those who are pro-life will allow abortion in these cases because
they don't know what else they can do for the victim and except it as a rare case. But it
is known that allowing abortion in these cases usually does not help the victim, instead
it only worsens the problem because the victims needs are not being met. But what the
facts suggest is that only a minority of rape and incest victims actually choose
abortion. This is where pro-life has its biggest problem. Pro-life states that Abortion
is not usually chosen as the immediate solution for rape and incest victims but that is
the prevailing belief of the general population. A woman has been raped and made
pregnant: Oh, she's got to have an abortion. No one has studied the rape and incest
victims needs; abortion is presumed to fill her needs. Various studies and research
indicate that rape and incest victims fall into a high-risk category of abortion. But
what happens after a victim has an abortion? Jackie Baker a victim states: I soon
discovered that the aftermath of my abortion continued a long time after the memory of my
rape had faded. I felt empty and horrible. Nobody told me about the emptiness and pain I
would feel deep within causing nightmares and deep depressions. They all told me that
after the abortion I could continue with my life as if nothing ever happened. (Reardon
21- 22) This is the story we hear from a lot of aborted women. Today in our society it is
believed by most people that it is the womans fault just as much as the mans fault, if
not more. many people think women are responsible for contributing to the rape itself.
Then the rape victims feel self-blame and guilt. And even then a rape or incest victims
family members or close friends may reinforce these negative feelings. Or they drop the
problem because they don't know how to talk about it. We even see the same thing in the
abortion experience. When a person becomes pregnant because of rape or incest there is a
permanent symbol of the rape, at least until it is aborted. Women who have had abortions
fear being rejected by God and loved ones. It is a very traumatic experience which takes
time. The fact is that you are really telling your loved ones of a death in the family.
Opinion polls have shown for years that women are more against abortion than men are. The
women led the opposition of abortion. In 1983 a Los Angelos Times poll found that only
47% of women (compared with 51% of men) favored the general availability of abortion.
(Pro Life Feminism: Pro-Woman, Pro-Life 6) So what is this telling us? The facts are very
clear men prefer abortion over women by a large percent. And most women do not agree with
abortion. So why does it still exist today? What pro-life feels is really happening is
that in our society today abortion is becoming the solution to carelessness. Abortion
does nothing to help the victims rape, and that is the problem they are trying to address
in the first place. Instead abortion encourages the victim to vent their anger out on
others. Pro-life also believes that child birth on the other hand can be a victory. For
those victims who chose childbirth over abortion it can be a triumph. It can state that
the victim is not going to let rape destroy her life. When the needs of pregnant victims
is closely examined it can be shown that abortion is not the answer and is in fact only
worsening the problem. (Reardon 21-22) But the worst strain abortion has on the victim is
mental strain. Many victims become confused and overwhelmed by feelings they thought they
would never have, and don't know what to do. After having an abortion victims thought
they had solved the problem but in fact they had really just started a whole new one.
Many victims began thinking there was something wrong with them and began to doubt
themselves in situations that they would normally be sure of themselves. Others plunge
into deep depressions which they don't come out of for weeks at end. This is one of the
worst side effects of having an abortion and most women don't realize it will happen to
them because they are too busy trying to correct the immediate problem. . Pro-life
persons don't have any reason to be ashamed to defend pro-life view in the case of rape
and incest. They feel the ones who should be ashamed are the pro-abortionists who have
been exploiting the problems of the victims. Pro-choice has a different view to this
whole abortion controversy. Pro-choice believes that it is the persons right to have an
abortion if they want to and that no one should interfere with that right. Pro-choice has
many reasons for feeling this way. First lets talk about who has abortions and why they
have abortions. There are 1.6 million abortions in the United States every year, there is
no real special class of people who have abortions. Why does pro-choice feel that
abortion is all right? Well pro-choice believes that the answer is what the woman
believes. The most common reason for abortions is when contraception fails. What is a
person suppose to do when the birth control method fails? The fact is that contraceptive
failure led to 1.6 to 2 million of the 3.3 million unwanted pregnancies in the United
States in 1987. These pregnancies account for about half of the 1.5 million abortions
performed every year. Besides these reasons for abortion women also give researchers
other reasons for getting an abortion. In 1987 a survey of 1,900 women at 30 abortion
facilities were asked, why do women have abortions? The women could give as many reasons
as they wanted, and most of the women responded with one or more of these top six
reasons: 1. Concerned about how having a baby could change her life, 92 percent. 2. Not
mature enough or too young to have a child, 81 percent. 3. Can't afford baby now, 73
percent. 4. Doesn't want others to know she had sex or is pregnant, 42 percent. 5. Has
relationship problems and doesn't want to be a single parent, 37 percent. 6. Unready for
responsibility, 33 percent. There have been many studies done on smaller groups that
expressed the exact same reasons for having an abortion. Older women were more likely to
say that their families were complete while younger women said that a baby would
interfere with education, career, and personal freedom. At any age women say they have
too many responsibilities and not enough money to take care of a baby. The reasons for
which the public is approving of abortions is not always the reason of the person who
wants to have an abortion. Women do not have abortions because of rape, incest, deformed
fetuses, or because their physical life is in danger. But these are the best reasons
accepted by the public. Being poor, too young, unmarried, and not wanting a baby are the
most unpopular reasons for having an abortion and are looked down upon by the public.
Pro-choice feels the main reason for abortions is because contraception failed and they
didn't want to have a baby at the time. What are some of the benefits to having an
abortion. Well the most obvious one is the abortion itself. First of all pro-choice wants
to make it clear where they stand. They believe in first time abortions. This is usually
because of contraceptive reasons or maturity, but where they draw the line is at third or
fourth time abortions. This is because although they think abortion should be legal they
believe that is a little extreme and may be a solution to a bad habit. But the big
benefits of having an abortion can be seen right away is relief. The feeling most women
have after having an abortion is relief. A 44-year-old psychologist with three children
had an illegal abortion at 18 and a legal abortion at 28. Both times she primarily felt
relieved for herself and all the family members for whom she was responsible. Another
example is a newly married 27-year-old elementary school teacher had two abortions at age
18 and 21. She felt the same relief as the psychologist. There have been many studies
that researched what the primary reaction to having an abortion was. One study done by
Kaiser Permanent in northern California asked women subscribers how they felt about their
abortions. The most common answer was relief. Abortion also leads to safer contraception.
After a person has to go through an abortion because of a failure in contraception it is
found that from then on the couple is much more cautious about safe-sex. It is found that
almost all of the 742 low-income women who received abortions in 1970-1971 at the State
University Hospital in Syracuse, New York, intended to use contraception in the future,
an attitude that was even stronger after their abortions. Perhaps the abortion is
actually a lesson in life. Another positive impact is maturity. How might a person mature
because of their abortion experience. Well the most obvious example of maturity is after
an abortion the aborted person usually changes their bad habits. This could be anything
from safe-sex to everyday things like listening to others. This may not have been the
case before the abortion. When people were asked how they felt about themselves after the
abortion many of them responded by saying they felt more mature. It caused them to
reevaluate their behavior, their lives and their future. Others felt they were freer and
stronger. Two benefactors to having an abortion is increased self-image, self-esteem, and
increased psychological health. It is said that an abortion usually changes a womans
uncertain self-image into a good self-image. The average woman gets back the self before
she got pregnant and sometimes a little more. It is also said that it can increase your
psychological health. Can this really be? Pro-choice states that a woman is damaged by
abortion, but pro- choice women state that is not so and it actually benefited them.
Pro-Choice also believes that it is the moral right for a person to be able to control
their own body whether it is having a baby or destroying it. They feel it is the womans
right to be able to do what she wants with herself and what she has created. Pro-Choice
also argues that at the stage where abortion is done the fetus is not really a human
being therefore it is like you are not destroying anything. It is merely biological and
really does not exist until further stages. This is the reasons why pro-choice is arguing
for the legalization of abortion. They feel that the increase in more mature women after
abortion, safer-sex, increased mental health, and increased self-esteem and self-image
are good enough reasons for legalizing abortion. After researching about abortion the
solution that I find best fit to the abortion controversy is that although abortion is
morally and ethically wrong there is no real alternatives for those who are victims of
rape or incest. That is why the best solution to this controversy is to legalize abortion
for those who are victims of these awful crimes. Although pro-life and victims of rape
and incest state that abortion adds to the pain of these crimes there is no other real
solution. Most victims would agree that it would be better to suffer through the pain of
abortion than to have to live with a deformed child or even worse a child that is not
really your own as a product of rape or incest. Victims of these crimes also report
feeling dirty, guilty, sexually violated, etc... But is that as bad as having to be
constantly reminded of the traumatic experience you went through everyday you see your
child? Your child is a victim too! But the most obvious reason is the fact that a victim
of rape or incest was violated against her will. She did not ask for it, and does not
deserve it. She should not then have to deal with the child if she does not want to
because it may lead to further complications for the victim and child. By further
complications I mean mentally, physically, and emotionally. Many victims often go through
long periods of depression when they are forced to keep the child because it often stirs
unwanted memories. This is why abortion should be allowed or legal for those unfortunate
few who have no other choice but to have an abortion or live with this great burden.
Abortion on the other hand should not be legal for all. When a person chooses to have sex
she is taking a chance. This she does of her own free will, and she has control over what
she is doing. This is the total opposite of the rape victim. If a person decides to have
sex whether it is safe or not, what happens after that is her responsibility as well as
his. And if you are going to chose to participate in this risky and unsafe practice then
you must be ready to pay the consequences. I also believe that a fetus is still a child
contradictory to the beliefs of the Pro-Choice. I think that when two people create
something like a child, even if it is as small as a fetus it should still be considered a
child because it is a living breathing organism made by the two people. I think that even
a fetus has rights to a good life, love and happiness no matter how small it is and no
one should be able to take that away from him. Therefore my solution to the abortion
problem is it should be legal for only those who are victims of rape or incest if they so
chose to have an abortion. But should be illegal for those who are not victims because
they chose to do what they did and they must deal with what they have created. -- The
Ethics Of Abortion Abortion is a very controversial subject that has been continually
argued over for the past few years and probably many years to come. The main controversy
is should abortion be legalized? First before we get into the many sides of abortion we
must first define abortion. Abortion is the destruction of the fetus or unborn child
while the child is still in the mothers womb. This can be done by almost anyone from the
mother herself to back alley abortions and even to abortions by clinics set up especially
for this purpose. There are two sides to this abortion topic the PRO-LIFE which is those
who are against abortion altogether and the PRO- CHOICE or those who believe it is the
womans right to choose if she wants to have an abortion. These two groups offer different
solutions to problem. The pro-life solution is to have the child and basically live with
it. They believe abortion is not an answer. The pro-choice solution is abortion because
of reasons they feel are appropriate. Although abortion is morally and ethically wrong
should it be legal for victims of rape or incest who have no other alternative? There is
no real answer to this controversy, there are two sides to it though which have been
arguing for many years over the subject. The first is the pro-life group. This group does
not believe in the abortion factor. To understand where the pro-life stands we must first
understand its beliefs and reasons for its beliefs. Then we can discuss what their
solution to the abortion topic is. Pro-life believes that rape and incest are very
emotional topics. They often elicit throughout the population feelings of revulsion;
people draw back from the issue of rape and incest. People don't know how to handle a
person who is in that much pain. There is no quick fix. That is why it is difficult for
even pro-life people to come to grips with the argument over abortion in cases of rape
and incest. Some of those who are pro-life will allow abortion in these cases because
they don't know what else they can do for the victim and except it as a rare case. But it
is known that allowing abortion in these cases usually does not help the victim, instead
it only worsens the problem because the victims needs are not being met. But what the
facts suggest is that only a minority of rape and incest victims actually choose
abortion. This is where pro-life has its biggest problem. Pro-life states that Abortion
is not usually chosen as the immediate solution for rape and incest victims but that is
the prevailing belief of the general population. A woman has been raped and made
pregnant: Oh, she's got to have an abortion. No one has studied the rape and incest
victims needs; abortion is presumed to fill her needs. Various studies and research
indicate that rape and incest victims fall into a high-risk category of abortion. But
what happens after a victim has an abortion? Jackie Baker a victim states: I soon
discovered that the aftermath of my abortion continued a long time after the memory of my
rape had faded. I felt empty and horrible. Nobody told me about the emptiness and pain I
would feel deep within causing nightmares and deep depressions. They all told me that
after the abortion I could continue with my life as if nothing ever happened. (Reardon
21- 22) This is the story we hear from a lot of aborted women. Today in our society it is
believed by most people that it is the womans fault just as much as the mans fault, if
not more. many people think women are responsible for contributing to the rape itself.
Then the rape victims feel self-blame and guilt. And even then a rape or incest victims
family members or close friends may reinforce these negative feelings. Or they drop the
problem because they don't know how to talk about it. We even see the same thing in the
abortion experience. When a person becomes pregnant because of rape or incest there is a
permanent symbol of the rape, at least until it is aborted. Women who have had abortions
fear being rejected by God and loved ones. It is a very traumatic experience which takes
time. The fact is that you are really telling your loved ones of a death in the family.
Opinion polls have shown for years that women are more against abortion than men are. The
women led the opposition of abortion. In 1983 a Los Angelos Times poll found that only
47% of women (compared with 51% of men) favored the general availability of abortion.
(Pro Life Feminism: Pro-Woman, Pro-Life 6) So what is this telling us? The facts are very
clear men prefer abortion over women by a large percent. And most women do not agree with
abortion. So why does it still exist today? What pro-life feels is really happening is
that in our society today abortion is becoming the solution to carelessness. Abortion
does nothing to help the victims rape, and that is the problem they are trying to address
in the first place. Instead abortion encourages the victim to vent their anger out on
others. Pro-life also believes that child birth on the other hand can be a victory. For
those victims who chose childbirth over abortion it can be a triumph. It can state that
the victim is not going to let rape destroy her life. When the needs of pregnant victims
is closely examined it can be shown that abortion is not the answer and is in fact only
worsening the problem. (Reardon 21-22) But the worst strain abortion has on the victim is
mental strain. Many victims become confused and overwhelmed by feelings they thought they
would never have, and don't know what to do. After having an abortion victims thought
they had solved the problem but in fact they had really just started a whole new one.
Many victims began thinking there was something wrong with them and began to doubt
themselves in situations that they would normally be sure of themselves. Others plunge
into deep depressions which they don't come out of for weeks at end. This is one of the
worst side effects of having an abortion and most women don't realize it will happen to
them because they are too busy trying to correct the immediate problem. . Pro-life
persons don't have any reason to be ashamed to defend pro-life view in the case of rape
and incest. They feel the ones who should be ashamed are the pro-abortionists who have
been exploiting the problems of the victims. Pro-choice has a different view to this
whole abortion controversy. Pro-choice believes that it is the persons right to have an
abortion if they want to and that no one should interfere with that right. Pro-choice has
many reasons for feeling this way. First lets talk about who has abortions and why they
have abortions. There are 1.6 million abortions in the United States every year, there is
no real special class of people who have abortions. Why does pro-choice feel that
abortion is all right? Well pro-choice believes that the answer is what the woman
believes. The most common reason for abortions is when contraception fails. What is a
person suppose to do when the birth control method fails? The fact is that contraceptive
failure led to 1.6 to 2 million of the 3.3 million unwanted pregnancies in the United
States in 1987. These pregnancies account for about half of the 1.5 million abortions
performed every year. Besides these reasons for abortion women also give researchers
other reasons for getting an abortion. In 1987 a survey of 1,900 women at 30 abortion
facilities were asked, why do women have abortions? The women could give as many reasons
as they wanted, and most of the women responded with one or more of these top six
reasons: 1. Concerned about how having a baby could change her life, 92 percent. 2. Not
mature enough or too young to have a child, 81 percent. 3. Can't afford baby now, 73
percent. 4. Doesn't want others to know she had sex or is pregnant, 42 percent. 5. Has
relationship problems and doesn't want to be a single parent, 37 percent. 6. Unready for
responsibility, 33 percent. There have been many studies done on smaller groups that
expressed the exact same reasons for having an abortion. Older women were more likely to
say that their families were complete while younger women said that a baby would
interfere with education, career, and personal freedom. At any age women say they have
too many responsibilities and not enough money to take care of a baby. The reasons for
which the public is approving of abortions is not always the reason of the person who
wants to have an abortion. Women do not have abortions because of rape, incest, deformed
fetuses, or because their physical life is in danger. But these are the best reasons
accepted by the public. Being poor, too young, unmarried, and not wanting a baby are the
most unpopular reasons for having an abortion and are looked down upon by the public.
Pro-choice feels the main reason for abortions is because contraception failed and they
didn't want to have a baby at the time. What are some of the benefits to having an
abortion. Well the most obvious one is the abortion itself. First of all pro-choice wants
to make it clear where they stand. They believe in first time abortions. This is usually
because of contraceptive reasons or maturity, but where they draw the line is at third or
fourth time abortions. This is because although they think abortion should be legal they
believe that is a little extreme and may be a solution to a bad habit. But the big
benefits of having an abortion can be seen right away is relief. The feeling most women
have after having an abortion is relief. A 44-year-old psychologist with three children
had an illegal abortion at 18 and a legal abortion at 28. Both times she primarily felt
relieved for herself and all the family members for whom she was responsible. Another
example is a newly married 27-year-old elementary school teacher had two abortions at age
18 and 21. She felt the same relief as the psychologist. There have been many studies
that researched what the primary reaction to having an abortion was. One study done by
Kaiser Permanent in northern California asked women subscribers how they felt about their
abortions. The most common answer was relief. Abortion also leads to safer contraception.
After a person has to go through an abortion because of a failure in contraception it is
found that from then on the couple is much more cautious about safe-sex. It is found that
almost all of the 742 low-income women who received abortions in 1970-1971 at the State
University Hospital in Syracuse, New York, intended to use contraception in the future,
an attitude that was even stronger after their abortions. Perhaps the abortion is
actually a lesson in life. Another positive impact is maturity. How might a person mature
because of their abortion experience. Well the most obvious example of maturity is after
an abortion the aborted person usually changes their bad habits. This could be anything
from safe-sex to everyday things like listening to others. This may not have been the
case before the abortion. When people were asked how they felt about themselves after the
abortion many of them responded by saying they felt more mature. It caused them to
reevaluate their behavior, their lives and their future. Others felt they were freer and
stronger. Two benefactors to having an abortion is increased self-image, self-esteem, and
increased psychological health. It is said that an abortion usually changes a womans
uncertain self-image into a good self-image. The average woman gets back the self before
she got pregnant and sometimes a little more. It is also said that it can increase your
psychological health. Can this really be? Pro-choice states that a woman is damaged by
abortion, but pro- choice women state that is not so and it actually benefited them.
Pro-Choice also believes that it is the moral right for a person to be able to control
their own body whether it is having a baby or destroying it. They feel it is the womans
right to be able to do what she wants with herself and what she has created. Pro-Choice
also argues that at the stage where abortion is done the fetus is not really a human
being therefore it is like you are not destroying anything. It is merely biological and
really does not exist until further stages. This is the reasons why pro-choice is arguing
for the legalization of abortion. They feel that the increase in more mature women after
abortion, safer-sex, increased mental health, and increased self-esteem and self-image
are good enough reasons for legalizing abortion. After researching about abortion the
solution that I find best fit to the abortion controversy is that although abortion is
morally and ethically wrong there is no real alternatives for those who are victims of
rape or incest. That is why the best solution to this controversy is to legalize abortion
for those who are victims of these awful crimes. Although pro-life and victims of rape
and incest state that abortion adds to the pain of these crimes there is no other real
solution. Most victims would agree that it would be better to suffer through the pain of
abortion than to have to live with a deformed child or even worse a child that is not
really your own as a product of rape or incest. Victims of these crimes also report
feeling dirty, guilty, sexually violated, etc... But is that as bad as having to be
constantly reminded of the traumatic experience you went through everyday you see your
child? Your child is a victim too! But the most obvious reason is the fact that a victim
of rape or incest was violated against her will. She did not ask for it, and does not
deserve it. She should not then have to deal with the child if she does not want to
because it may lead to further complications for the victim and child. By further
complications I mean mentally, physically, and emotionally. Many victims often go through
long periods of depression when they are forced to keep the child because it often stirs
unwanted memories. This is why abortion should be allowed or legal for those unfortunate
few who have no other choice but to have an abortion or live with this great burden.
Abortion on the other hand should not be legal for all. When a person chooses to have sex
she is taking a chance. This she does of her own free will, and she has control over what
she is doing. This is the total opposite of the rape victim. If a person decides to have
sex whether it is safe or not, what happens after that is her responsibility as well as
his. And if you are going to chose to participate in this risky and unsafe practice then
you must be ready to pay the consequences. I also believe that a fetus is still a child
contradictory to the beliefs of the Pro-Choice. I think that when two people create
something like a child, even if it is as small as a fetus it should still be considered a
child because it is a living breathing organism made by the two people. I think that even
a fetus has rights to a good life, love and happiness no matter how small it is and no
one should be able to take that away from him. Therefore my solution to the abortion
problem is it should be legal for only those who are victims of rape or incest if they so
chose to have an abortion. But should be illegal for those who are not victims because
they chose to do what they did and they must deal with what they have created. --