Essay Sample on Ethics and Morality: Crucial Aspects of Individuals in Society

Introduction

Ethics and morality is a crucial aspect of individuals in a social setting. It is expected that people and entities should act ethically and moral control in all situations. Ethics is a crucial aspect, especially in the workplace and in leadership positions. People interact with various others and engage in different functions that impact individuals on a different basis. It is, therefore, expected that one needs to hold ethics at the highest level as possible. Abortion is among the debates across the world that reveal the concept of ethics and moral values. Two sides emerge from the debate, including pro-life and pro-choice. There are a few individuals who have remained undecided regarding the issue. Abortion debate cuts across politics and religious views on what should be the best decision on pregnancy.

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Natural Law Theory

According to natural law theory, human behavior is governed by moral standards derived from the nature of the world and the nature of human beings (Michael, 2017). From the perspective of the natural law theory, when faced with genuine moral dilemmas, human reason alone can be used to distinguish morally right human actions from those that are considered ethically wrong (Houlgate, 2017). An example of a moral dilemma is the issue of abortion. The heated debates between proponents and opponents of abortion are a never-ending issue that continues to confuse and embattle the "pro-life," "conservatives," and the "liberals" alike. Thus, this paper aims to discuss how the theory can be applied to address this highly politicized and tragic moral dilemma.

To help solve moral dilemmas, the principle of double effect, which is part of the natural law ethical theory, can be applied. According to this principle, evil should never be carried out directly or voluntarily for its sake, and it must never be carried out either as an end or as a means to an end (Houlgate, 2017). The principle of double effect has four necessary conditions that can help to solve this moral dilemma. The first condition is that an action must be right in itself, at least indifferent (Houlgate, 2017). The act of abortion involves terminating the life of an unborn child. It is, therefore, an evil act by its very nature. Abortion cannot be morally permitted since it is fundamentally illicit.

The second condition is that evil must only be permitted to happen if it is an accidental by-product of an act. The evil effect resulting from an act must not be intended directly for itself (Houlgate, 2017). In carrying out an abortion procedure, terminating the life of the unborn child is directly intended. Therefore, the act is morally proscribed. However, in the case of a hysterectomy where a cancerous uterus has to be removed, the loss of life of the unborn child may not be the intention. In that case, carrying out the abortion is allowed since the child's death will occur as a possible by-product of the hysterectomy procedure. The third condition is that the good intended must never be achieved through evil effects (Houlgate, 2017). In the case of abortion, killing an unborn child must not be used as a means of preventing congenital disabilities, limiting the family size, or enhancing career. However, curing cancer through chemotherapy or hysterectomy is morally acceptable.

Lastly, the fourth condition is that there must be a reasonably grave reason for permitting the evil effect of action (Houlgate, 2017). In the case of abortion, evading social embarrassment or preventing a child's birth with a defect is not reasonably grave to permit the termination of life. On the other hand, preserving the life of the mother, who is also an innocent human being through a hysterectomy to remove a cancerous uterus, is a reasonably grave reason to permit the unintended and unavoidable termination of the life of the unborn child. However, if another reasonable medical treatment is available to save the mother's life without harming the child, then that option must be chosen instead. All the four conditions of the principle of double effect must be fulfilled for any action, in this case, abortion, to be carried out.

Opponents of abortion would argue that regardless of any medical reason, abortion is illicit since it involves termination of life, which is murder. However, the proponents fail to acknowledge that letting a mother die so that her unborn child could live, is itself murder. This paper concludes that abortion should only be permitted if the health and life of a woman are at risk as a result of the pregnancy.

Abortion and Ethics

The debate on abortion revolves around the wrongs and rights that are identified in the deliberate termination of pregnancy prior to the typical birth of a child—the process results in the killing of the fetus. Abortion has been identified as a very painful point of discussion for both genders. It makes men and women experience the moral dilemma of whether or not to end a given pregnancy. The topic is among the significantly polarizing moral concerns. The majority of individuals incline to one side while others take the other. It is only a few people who remain undecided regarding the moral issue.

The debate on morality regarding abortion involves various concerns. It includes the question of whether abortion is considered morally wrong or not. It also leads to the question of whether abortions need to regarded as legal or not. The above concerns are perceived as the primary questions to the abortion debate. They have, over the years, appeared not to conclude the debate on abortion.

If it is ultimately deduced that the abortion act is regarded as not morally wrong, it does not necessarily mean that it is right for an individual to conduct abortion. It is crucial to determine whether the abortion process is the best option or the least bad thing to perform in each given situation. In contrast, if we deduce that the abortion act is considered morally wrong, it does not necessarily mean that it is ever impermissible to perform an abortion. It is essential to consider whether performing an abortion reflects the less wrong process that other portions. \

Prochoice and Prolife

The debate has resulted in the emergence of two prominent groupings. They include prolife and prochoice sides. Pro-life proponents note that if abortion is intentionally done, it is regarded as wrong. In contrast, pro-choice proponents back abortion rights. They perceive intentional abortion as a process that is typically acceptable in given conditions.

The debate also identifies the impact of the silent victim. In this case, individuals feel especially strong regarding abortion since there is a lack of a way of getting the opinion of the fetus. The potential victim does not give an opinion regarding the abortion concern. It is easy to perceive the fetus as a completely defenseless and innocent being.

Arguments for Abortion

Abortion debate presents multiple issues depending on the sides of the moral concern. The non-religious argument regarding the abortion act addresses a number of concerns, including the question of what provides a being the right to life. It also covers the issues of whether a fetus should be considered a human being. The argument raises the issues of whether a fetus is viewed as a sort of being entitled to the right to life. The non-religious argument also is concerned about whether the fetus is perceived as a separate human being from the mother and whether the right to life should be prioritized over that of the mother to take control of her body.

The above issues are potentially restated based on the various decisions that pregnant women and doctors are likely to experience. In this approach, the issues may include whether the fetus is entitled to a right to be carried in the womb of a woman until its birth. It can also be considered the conditions if they exist, that the life of innocent humans should be terminated. Besides, the concern based on the experience is whether other rights should be perceived as more significant than the right to life, such as the right of a woman to decide how she should handle her body. Further, a concern would be the danger of a woman’s life due to pregnancy and whose right between the fetus, and its mother should prevail.

Arguments Against Abortion

The arguments against abortion also present various issues and reasons for banning abortion practices. The proponents consider the deliberate killing of innocent individuals as a wrong act. They also maintain that a fetus holds the status of an innocent human being. Therefore, abortion is regarded as a deliberate act of terminating the life of a fetus. In this view, abortion can be said to be an intentional killing of an innocent being and, thus, a wrong act.

If the above argument against abortion is maintained and accept that a fetus should be granted the right to live, there emerges an additional issue. Abortion is perceived as wrong until when it serves some mother’s right that is considered morally essential as the right to life of the fetus. The problem extends further to include that the right to life is found to outweigh the right of another individual to control their body. The argument against abortion also raises the problem that abortion should be perceived as wrong practice until it is found to serve some greater right, especially the mother than the right to take control of her body. The other issue with banning abortion is that abortion should be perceived as wrong until the practice is held to save the mother’s life.

Roe Versus Wade (1973)

The debate on abortion can be traced to the ruling in the case, Roe versus Wade in 1973 that shaped the American abortion law. In the ruling, the Supreme Court maintained that any pregnant woman was entitled to a constitutional right, based on the Fourteenth Amendment, to make a choice to end her pregnancy prior to its viability. The decision was regarded as part of the woman’s freedom of individual choice regarding family matters.

The concern of when abortion should be perceived as legal is varied in different societies. Some of the societies typically prohibit abortion practices nearly completely while some other societies allow the practice in given circumstances. The societies normally provide a maximum age beyond which the features ought to be aborted, without regard to the conditions. On multiple occasions, some of the below situations have been permitted in given societies.

Societies have allowed abortion entirely for the sake of the mother's health issue, such as mental health. They also permit abortion practice where pregnancy is attributed to individual acts of crime such as incest, rape, or child abuse. The societies also have allowed abortion if the child in the current pregnancy is regarded as likely to have unacceptable life quality, including cases of genetic issues, physical handicaps, or mental defects. In other circumstances, society has allowed abortion on the basis of social grounds such as mother not in a position to cope with a child, poverty issue, or mother regarded as too young to bring up a child. Besides, the issue of abortion has been allowed based on government policy. The government may permit abortion to take place with the aim to regulate the size of the population, regulate groups within a population, and an approach to enhance the population.

Conclusion

Thus, the majority of individuals opposing abortion are likely to agree that abortion for the sake of the mother's health concern is potentially morally acceptable when an actual threat of severe damage to the mother. However, opponents of abortion have the least acceptance of abortion based on social grounds.