Is abortion ethical ?

Question

I am undecided on this issue but id like to hear your arguement of why it should/shouldn't be banned?

By arguement i also mean it should be backed by reason and please don't refer to your religion as a viable reason it should be or not be banned.

Answer 1

Yes, I feel it is perfectly ethical. You are desposing of a parasite that can't survive outside the womb. Without an abortion, it is adding another unwanted child to this already overpopulated world.

Answer 2

Some will say it’s a woman’s right to do what she wants with her body I agree, until it interferes with another life. Now comes the issue when does life begin? If I were to go with a religious answer I’d say whenever the developing person first has blood which I think happens about 20 days into the pregnancy, but science says at the moment of conception so I’ll let you decide which one you prefer. The thought that a fetus is a human at the moment it first breaths air is stupid considering with medical assistance infants can survive being born 15 weeks early(25 weeks out of 40weeks the average full term length) half the time . The next issue is what if the child is the result of a rape, or incest? We could kill it for the mothers convenience but it still won’t remove any of the emotional damaged caused by being violated, and if that child had been put up for adoption they might live a long life and discover a cure for cancer, become a great artist, or just become a nice person to know. Also Abortion itself leaves emotional scars on the mother. Many regret the abortion after the fact. Also consider the father of the child, if he wants to raise the child (or abortion is against his beliefs), and the mother wants an abortion? He can’t make her take it to term. What about his rights? But back to the fist issue in most cases the woman made a choice; in all likelihood it was the choice to have sex outside of mirage, regardless of whether or not she was practicing “safer sex”. Whatever comes out of that is an expression of what she chose to do with her body, so there should be no issue because in all likelihood she knew there was a chance that something could go wrong and she could find herself pregnant. The only valid cause for abortion is if the mother's life is in danger.

Answer 3

Abortion should not be banned. A woman should have the right to do as she sees fit with her body. There are times when we know we are just not ready to bring another innocent life into this world. There are also health reasons, reasons of incest and rape. Abortion should not be used in the place of birth control but as a choice of last resort. I had an abortion. It was not an easy choice. I would rather a woman have an abortion than give birth and throw the baby in a trash can, weigh it down with rocks and put the baby in a lake. Just watched a show last night based here in Ohio where a girl and her boyfriend had a baby. She never told anyone but him. When the baby was born she stabbed it to death. The baby was then placed in a duffel bag and thrown into a quarry. I am no scientist and don't know what a fetus may or may not feel. I do know these babies that were full term and lived felt it all. This is a debate that will always be hard. Only you can make up your mind but try and look at it from all sides. I don't try and shove my beliefs down others throats. As far as ethical, I feel it's more a question of concious choice. Yes, I do feel the man who helped make the baby should have a say if it is pregnancy from consensual sex. In my case the guy enjoyed the process upon finding the consequence he wanted nothing to do with me or his progeny. I was on birth control at the time it just didn't work. I was alone and made the decision I felt right for me. No I have never said it was an easy decision, it was one of the hardest I ever made.

Answer 4

It should be there choice, I would not let my girlfriend do it. I believe in it because there are people less fortunate than you or I or my Girlfriend. The kids who have poor parenting or parents that beat them or would beat them. Parents, relatives or friends of family that abuse them. I don't think it is anyone else's business but there's. It is there life. I'm sure there would and are people that abuse this right. I think they are morally and ethically wrong people. It's just like I heard a comedian say once, "If men were the ones that had kids you would be able to get abortions at the local vending machine." I truly believe that the conservative right wing leaders would have it legal in a heart beat if roles were reversed. Women do not have the equal rights they think they do and need to fight back. If you force someone to have a baby that they don't want because they don't have the fathers support, there parents support or any other support, don't you think there will be some resentment and unfair treatment towards that child. This is when neglect takes place, more kids in trouble with gangs, drugs or somewhere else where they can feel like they belong.

Answer 5

Well, I guess your opinion will be closely paralleled to where you think life actually begins. I believe it begins at conception, therefore to me, any abortion after this time is taking a life. I have read about partial birth abortions which are far worse, and are actually painful to the fetus. I don't think you will find anyone who believes it is okay to end the life of a baby once it has been born. To me there is no difference, for a life is a life, and to end that life would be wrong. I understand that many people believe it is the woman's right to choose and that there are circumstances where it should be allowed. In myopinion there are entirely too many families out there awaiting a baby, who cannot have their own. They would LOVE to have a baby and these babies who are being aborted would be much better off with these loving familes if they were given the chance to be adopted.

Answer 6

if you believe that it is part of a women's body then it is. if you think it is its own body no, as even the mother has no right to do what she wants to someone elses body. even pro choice folks usually recognize this and typically choose a time that they believe that it changes from essentially the mothers body to essentially its own. usually around the time that is could viably live on its own. this seems quite arbitrary to me. how can they be sure that it doesnt change a few days before or a few days after. and what about those babies (or adults for that matter) who are not viable even at birth, can they be aborted up until such a time as they are able to live without medical support. some people live happy lives without ever achieving this status. it is a curious kind of faith that the personhood or soul enters the fetus on some medical cue or upon drawing its first breath. it is not science. there was not good science for determining who is who at the time that the somewhat irrelevant roe v wade decision was made. we now have DNA and other advanced methods of legally determining such things. but since this new scientific evidence predictably opposes the beliefs of the pro choicers, reopening the case will be opposed no matter how justified and is unlikely. the new science is not really necesary for determining who is who. i have always thought that you could use a strait pin. poke a bunch of living tissue and whoever says ouch, its theirs.

Answer 7

I don't think that abortion should be banned, because of health issues or if a person is raped- but I am pro- life and I also feel that it is the woman's choice to do what is right for her. I also feel that a person that has one , should have to go through a screening process in order to have an abortion, and counseling before and after should be reacquired. I will say one thing, if my biological mother had an abortion I wouldn't be here today.

Answer 8

People can argue all they want about WHEN a fertilized human egg becomes a human being. Does that happen at the instant of fertilization, the morning after, a week or a month or three months later? Take your choice if you can honestly do so. I think it's a human baby at least by the time that there is a heartbeat and that happens VERY EARLY, and killing a human baby is clearly MURDER. I hope that we agree that murder is not ethical, or this world is in one hell of a shape.

The human heartbeat begins 3 weeks after conception. Brain waves are detected 6 weeks after conception, and the baby's arms and legs begin to move at that time. The child is "viable" (can live outside the womb) 20 weeks after conception. Check me on that. Search "when human heartbeat begins".

Answer 9

first off, let us examine the facts that are known to us.

1. prior to conception, human life cannot exist - there is insufficient genetic material for this to be true.

2. after birth, a baby is clearly a human being and is recognized universally as being such.

3. there is, to date, no scientific consensus on a testable set of criteria that, when all criteria are met - a human life "begins".

4. modern medicine has permitted fetuses that are less and less developed to be "born" and grow outside the womb, many of these individuals continue living. it is obvious that they are human beings.

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so. is abortion ethical?

i would suggest that you frame it in a "what harm might i do if i take this action?" construction. this is the framework that gives the reasoning behind not allowing base jumpers to jump from manhattan skyscrapers. the potential that you might kill a human being is real. is it a given that a bystander will die? no. but a rational person can deduce that there are circumstances where this would be the outcome. so, to protect human life against the potential to be harmed without their consent, we forbid a sport. on the other hand, we allow skydiving. why? because it is done in a controlled manner such that no "non-participants" have a significant chance of being harmed by the act.

back to the above set of *facts* - they are not in dispute - one must accept the *possibility* that human life begins soon after conception. (please note - i am not saying that it does......i am saying that in the absence of that specific knowledge - you must logically accept that the possibility exists).

based on that, i feel that abortion ethics could break down like this: if there is a *real* harm to the woman then the *potential* harm to the *potential* human must take secondary consideration; in the absence of that "real harm" then the potential that you might be killing a human being should be considered as reason against it.

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my view based on the above is that abortion should be allowed in the following cases:

1. rape and incest - here, an abortion saves the woman from emotional trauma.

2. the woman's health is in danger - here, an abortion can preserve a human life.

Answer 10

Ethics are a code of behavior accepted by a culture or profession or group. So, when asking whether any action is ethical, it matters what code of ethics you are following.

Let's take a simple example. Lying. Lying is completely ethical for police, when questioning a suspect. Lying is completely unethical for attorneys, even in the same situation, and potential grounds for disbarment. So, it matters what ethical code is being followed.

As to abortion, the issue comes down to who gets to make the choice -- the government (via law) or the individual. I believe that the individual should always have the final say over what happens within their own body. Others diagree.

For a much longer discussion of abortion in general, and the issues of what is actually the debate, see the link below.

Answer 11

It shouldn't be banned for the following reasons:

-if a woman is raped

-if a woman is a victim of incest

-in cases of ectopic pregnancies, this is fatal to both mother and fetus if not taken care of

Having said that, having an abortion as a form of birth control is personal opinion. Personally I am against it because there is an option for adoption but it is not my decision. Every woman should have the right to decide what she wants to do.