Abortion: Ethical Theories and Principles Essay

There are a variety of perceptions, views, and controversies about abortion. The topic of abortion is a very complex one. The choice to abort a fetus depends on an individual's principles and beliefs. People hold diverse principles and ideas based on their backgrounds and experiences. Abortion refers to a process of terminating or ending a pregnancy by eliminating the fetus from the uterus before it is ready for birth. Scientists have invented technologies which allow people to abort based on their needs and preferences. Abortion can be done through induction, surgery, or medicine. The issue of abortion has been the source of controversy throughout human history (Jones, Jerman & Ingerick, 2018). Although abortion is illegal in many societies, there are many emerging issues regarding its legal and ethical viability. There are questions on whether it is ethical to abort a fetus or not. It is also essential to determine whether a fetus is human or not and whether a fetus has self-consciousness, rights, and self-awareness. There are no solid answers to this inquiry since there are people who believe that a fetus can only experience pain between twenty-one to twenty-six weeks of the pregnancy period. Therefore, it is essential to look at the issue of abortion from philosophical perspectives while considering multiple situations. Despite the diversity of the moral sphere, morality, and justice are always relative; hence, moral values and ethics on abortion should be applied selectively depending on the situation.

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The purpose of this paper is to explore the pros and cons of eliminating pregnancy in line with the primary fundamentals of bioethics. The aspects of bioethics are the opposite views of utilitarianism which Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham formulated. It is a better way to understand, resolve and justify abortion as an ethical matter. In his theory of Utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham believed that abortion could be permitted under specific circumstances. For instance, if the mother of the unborn child lacks finances to take care of the child or is aware that the unborn child will be born with a disability, then the mother can procure an abortion (Cartwright, Karunaratne, Barr-Walker, Johns & Upadhyay, 2018). The argument gives priority to pleasure over pain. He argued that there is no need of giving birth to a physically disabled child when one is aware that the child conceived will be disabled. Since such a child is likely to live a miserable life, it is better to save him or her from it before birth. He also argued that there is no absolute distinction between right and wrong and that it is imperative to go for the consequences that favor one's happiness. The theory also highlights the role of the community in helping a person have an abortion. People cannot do things arbitrarily depending on their own will. Hence, he says that it is essential to take into consideration the mutual pleasure of the majority. Decisions that affect abortions are given careful accounts to ensure they result in the utmost overall happiness.

According to Sandel (2011), Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher, held the opinion that every individual has the right to dignity to respect. Kant further believed that human behavior is influenced by situations or moral expectations. Kant also held the opinion that it is not right to murder; so, that abortion is morally wrong. He considers abortion as murder in all aspects. There is never a reason good enough for a woman to abort a fetus. He also believed that all human actions should have certain levels of moral consideration. In this regard, abortions lack moral value, and Kant considers it as murder, the reasons for the pregnancy notwithstanding. Kant also believed that the ethical value of an act is neither the anticipation of it nor any standard that necessitates deriving its purpose from this anticipation. Therefore, even if the expectant woman was sexually abused through raping, and she should not have an abortion. That is the principle of teleology (Leppanen, 2016). Thus, the approach of this paper relies on the concept of realistic philosophy and applied ethics. The goal of humanity is to achieve and fulfill absolute happiness and good.

Teleological Ethical Perception of Abortion

A fertilized egg is a human being. The very moment fertilization occurs, life is considered to begin. It is, however, difficult to define the concept of being human. However, there are possibilities of the right to life of the fetus and the mother clashing. It is essential to consider three categories of existential situations which are pregnancy from rape, therapeutic abortion, and unwanted pregnancy. Pregnancy through rape occurs against the will of the mother, who is a victim in this case. Therapeutic abortions arise in situations where there is fear that the fetus has severe medical complications, and the mother is unable to carry the pregnancy till delivery. Unwanted pregnancy occurs when a responsible and educated individual conceives but does not want to retain the pregnancy. The three categories of cases would result in giving birth to a child whom the natural parents do not desire. Cartwright et al. (2018) conclude that such children grow in institutions such as foster care centers and orphanages.

Rape Pregnancy

No democratic and civilized society tolerates forms of sexual abuse such as rape. Such actions have devastating effects on victims and cause stigma. It means that rape has a disastrous impact on the victim and the community at large. A survey which Frederico, Michielsen, Arnaldo, and Decat (2018) conducted on factors influencing abortion decision-making suggests that one of the main causes of abortions is rape. In the survey, participants who had become pregnant as a result of rape narrated stories of their abortion experiences. The survey also found that women perceived stigma in relation to adopted self-blame. The self-blame manifests itself as shame, secrecy, and low self-esteem. Exterior stigma was expressed through isolation, exclusion, and prejudice.

There is a high chance of a woman becoming pregnant as a result of rape because the perpetrators do not use protection. They are also at high risk of getting infected with HIV/AIDS and other infections which are transmitted sexually. People wonder what could be done in such situations since there is a possibility of giving birth to such a child against the will of the mother. Such children have incomplete families, and they remind their mothers of the experiences which they went through during conception. Rape causes post-traumatic stress disorder, and the birth of the child reminds the parent of the traumatic events. Arguably, abortion is less severe action because it is the only way to stop an unwanted pregnancy resulting from a traumatic event, which would remind a victim of their bad experience. There is a high chance that both the mother and the child will suffer. The only way to solve the occurrence of such dire conditions is to abort the pregnancy.

It is not easy to cure the severe trauma that comes from rape. A birth that occurs as a result of sexual abuse gives brings the pain of raising a baby whose father is a rapist. According to AstburyWard, Parry, and Carnwell (2012), the child carries a stigma of shame which is difficult to overcome. Besides, the knowledge that one was born after his or her mother was raped increases chances of being stigmatized. In some cases, the rape victim can be a woman raised in an educated environment with high religious morality standards. Such a victim has to deal with a resilient battle between the powers of moral ideologies intensely rooted in psychoanalytic 'superego.' Conflicts of this kind generate serious mental illness that at some point, might be difficult for the victims to resolve. There is a deepening stigma against women who abort babies. This fact is evident in the work of AstburyWard, Parry, and Carnwell (2012), who say that the understanding of the female gender on matters relating to social unacceptability of abortion implicate how others view them, and how they perceive themselves. The participants described abortion as personally discrediting." AstburyWard, Parry, and Carnwell (2012) further assert that respondents in their study feared that if their communities knew that they had aborted, would condemn them and those who seemed to support them.

Therapeutic Abortion

Therapeutic abortion is conducted when the doctor recommends abortion after determining that either the mother or the child has a significant health problem. For instance, when there are high chances of the fetus suffering from severe complications that may cause physical and mental disability. As a result, it is essential to consider the consequentialist approach which requires that the doctor proves that the consequences are severe. For instance, it aims to establish whether there are possibilities of the parents becoming devastated if the child is born because every normal parent seeks to have healthy children. The society defines normality as lack of physical disability (Frederico, Michielsen, Arnaldo, & Decat, 2018). Normality means that a person is in an excellent position to learn, and acquire knowledge based on a range of skills such as eating, walking, reading, writing and the societal accepted restricting rules of conduct. It also involves completing the established educational stages as expected in one's society.

In therapeutic abortion, there are some conditions which make abortions to have less dramatic consequences. Therefore, many prefer it. The situation becomes less severe when a child is born with severe health complications. It is difficult for such victims to integrate and adapt fully to an intolerant society full of discrimination and stigma. It also involves some dramatic impacts on the individual and those close to him or her. The severe implications include murder, rape, suicide, and alcohol and drug addiction, among others. The consequentialist approach in this aspect attempts to argue in approval of abortion. Sometimes, the children suffering from mental and physical disabilities end up being abandoned in shelters where they cannot have a family. Cartwright et al. (2018) suggest that such eventualities occur when parents cannot provide health care, education, and shelters to their children with health problems. Every community should reflect on the conditions of such children and their mothers to come up with better solutions. It is essential to implement stigma prevention techniques, and abortion proves to be the best option to solve the situation. Therefore, it should be permitted.

Unwanted Pregnancy from Contraceptives

It is the most common dimension of existential situation. There are also chances that it could be the first instance which could seem to be less severe when compared to the above-explained aspects. The dimension is concerned with heterosexual couples and families where the partners are armed with information obtained through formal education. Their sexual perception is education-oriented, and as a result, they employ the use of contraceptive as a way of preventing pregnancy (Lim, & Singh, 2014). The forms of contraceptives used are advanced, and they include condoms, contraceptive pills, IUD's among various others. However, in as much as this population employs the use of contraceptives, there are possibilities of one conceiving, thereby, leading to "unwanted" pregnancy. The paper will not "convict" such individuals of the moral instance. The reason for not convicting this population is that they are seeking for a lasting sexual pleasure which perpetuates every living species. The paper takes the position of the autonomous will of human freedom since every ind...