Essay Example on Abortion Debate: Escalating Arguments & Controversies

Introduction

Many people are meant to think that abortion debates will end soon with increasing technology. The truth is arguments are on the rise and will continue escalating on when and when not to justify abortion as acceptable. There is also an increase in the controversial nature of the moral obligation around abortion from different opinions as to some ground laying and universal human rights: A woman's right of privacy to determine what is done to or with her body, and a fetus' right to life. One theorist Alan Donagan addresses the morality of abortion. The paper will, therefore, look at the moral obligation on abortion.

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Moral Case of Abortion

Abortion is controversial, disgraceful, and associated with demonic, although it has been there throughout human history (Bernstein, & Manata, 2019). Places where it is allowed and cautious, it remains a religious, moral, political, and social battleground. The majority oppose abortion on moral ground.

The current society is in the chaotic era as about sexual changes, and this has increased abortion rates. Therefore, abortion has become central in legal, religious, and medical discussions. Not long ago, society viewed debates on abortion on abortion as a taboo. Society shunned those aborting and the doctors who assisted in abortions as a shame. However, with all these around abortions, they came on the rise, and the sentences served in prison when one conducted such an erroneous act shortened. Technology advanced, sexual patterns changed, and then abortion slowly made headings to debate its acceptability.

Many marvels at the technological advances are on the rise. They think that these technologies will put an end to the abortion arguments that are on the rise (Simkulet, W. 2019). One technique that goes by the name ectogenesis is almost a pointer that can make the choices about the growth of the fetus in another whole womb that is not inside the mother (Rasanen,2017). The technology has created an innovative way of a fetus surviving outside the womb without it dying. Jeremy Davis and Erick Mathison are real champions for this technology. But then this leaves other vital rights of the fetus aside. Gestation by ectogenesis leaves the rights of biologic behind, genetic privacy, and entitlement rights of parents aside.

Abortion on the rise has become an area of interest to give their input to many. The philosophers are not on the blindspot. What do different philosophers have to say about the moral obligation of abortion? One theorist Alan Donagan also speaks boldly about the morality of abortion.

Alan Donagan Moral Absolutism and Abortion

Increased numbers of abortions have shed some salt and added tension in the religious teaching traditions on morals about abortion. Doganan accounts that fetus are rational humans that have every right to live. Within the culture, our "common morality." The legend maintains that taking of life is permitted when there is a direct life threat.

Alan Donagan brings a moral theory without consequences which, he bears in mind, remains internally compatible, excusing on the theological shortcomings and norms. Based on his most important rule and his theory of action, Donagan rejects the traditional Catholic notion of double effect and argues on behalf of his absolute norms. He looks with a keen caution at two cases, which have proven bothersome to double-effect theorists, including those in which removal of a cancerous uterus is mandatory to save the life of the pregnant mother. He argues that the consistent application of his absolute rules when creating the standards on moral obligation on abortion.

However, Doganan's moral absolutism and abortion argued by Reynolds and didn't give a solution to cases in which the removal of a cancerous uterus becomes a necessity to protect the life of a pregnant woman. Donagan's absolute forbidding against the killing of the innocent and his refusal of the principle of double effect have led him to assert the theory of proleptic agreement--that in risk-taking ventures the parties may agree that killing one person to save the lives of the others will be accepted (Garcia-Gibson, 2018). Reynolds holds these arguments to be inapplicable in therapeutic abortions involving craniotomy or hysterectomy and concludes that Donagan's absolutist theory must have a countercheck.

Donagan' s theory makes the following presumption

Noninstitutional duties to others

He makes an assumption it is impermissible to use force against another to adult and child alike. The fetus considered a rational being as it constitutes the genetic makeup. The use of violence is only allowed when the fetus is the attacker. The fetus could attack the mother if it were formed unwillingly by the mother. Instances where the mother undergoes rape or used contraceptives but conceived. It also applies if the mother is not aware of the consequences of sexual activities applying to areas where sex education is meager. The fetus can be an attacker if it poses a danger to the mother, and the option left is to terminate the pregnancy. These are circumstances that Donagan argues that the use of violence is permissible.

Is Abortion Morally Justifiable?

The primary issue to understand first is the definition of human. Most argue that humans are those that have the genetic component of humans (Greasley, 2017). If so, then a fetus befits the group of humans. And therefore, it should be entitled to human rights; each of us is entitled to (Ferri,2018). And the right to live is a fundamental human right, and therefore we are left to debate whether or not abortion can be morally justifiable? There are three views on abortion: the extreme conservative perspective, the radical liberal, and moderate views.

Extreme Conservative View

The catholic church holds this view. It bases on a religious stance. They believe life starts from the zygote, and therefore, a fetus has the same moral obligation as a man. Any form of abortion is considered an assassination. Thus there is no moral justification whatsoever for conducting an abortion.

Extreme Liberal View

Singer holds it. They see that life begins immediately after birth or a few moments later. This view has a lot of philosophical backups. However, it does not clarify the moments than can be how long.

Moderate Views

They argue there is a morally relevant break of the cycle of birth, which can guide whether it is ethically justifiable or not.

Human life is important. And to a more considerable extent from the above illustrations, abortion is unacceptable morally, and it allowed if the mother's life endangered, and there is no other option.

References

Bernstein, C. Z., & Manata, P. (2019, March). Moral responsibility and the wrongness of abortion. The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy: A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine (Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 243-262). US: Oxford University Press.

Ferri, C. (2018). The Ethics of Pregnancy, Abortion, and Childbirth: Exploring Moral Choices in Childbearing. Philosophical Inquiries, 6(2), 4-7.

Garcia-Gibson, F. (2018). Critique of consequentialist moral absolutism. Estudios de Filosofia, (57), 161-174.

Greasley, K. (2017). Arguments about abortion: personhood, morality, and law. Oxford University Press.

Rasanen, J. (2017). Ectogenesis, abortion, and a right to the death of the fetus. Bioethics, 31(9), 697-702.

Simkulet, W. (2019). Abortion and Ectogenesis: Moral Compromise. Journal of medical ethics.