Ethics of Abortion: A Controversial Debate - Essay Sample

Introduction

The global discussion on the ethical position of abortion has always been conducted and supported by a majority on the doctrine that says that a fetus is human because it has DNA and that it will develop into a human being later in life (Shafer-Landau 170). It is a contentious matter on whether the fetus can be considered as human between the period of conception and birth. Others argue that fetus should be regarded as a living human at fertilization, implantation, segmentation, after the first heartbeat, at neuron maturation, when the fetus starts movements, when the fetus can actually feel the pain or has cognition ability, can survive outside the womb or when it is born (Rochelle 1). There is a heated debate on whether which of each of these stages is the right one to recognize the fetus as a living human. The discourse is usually in the assumption that the fetus is a living human. The big question is exactly when life begins. The question, though, is not just on when life starts but whether the fetus should be considered as human or not. It, therefore, has to satisfy the two outlined criteria to acquire protection as a human being. Based on the fact that the fetus has similar DNA as postnatal human beings are usually the basis of the assumption and discussion. However, the reason why DNA should be used as criteria to establish whether something is human or not human is normally posed (Rochelle 2)

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Most of the opposers of abortion often believe that there is always an essence to being human, something that is in us, and if it is removed from us, we stop being human. They think that the essence of being human is because of the presence of the DNA sequence, which is unique to every individual. But DNA can be found in the majority of other species, and only the human DNA sequence is the one that distinguishes it from the rest of other species. Many known characteristics are considered unique to human beings, and each one of them should form the basis of the essence of being human. A certain level of rationality, language, and culture could be termed as the essence of humanity. If each of these was to be used to determine the nature of being human, then there is no way a fetus would be considered a human because it does not have language, culture. It is not rational as living human beings (Rochelle, p.2).

The reason why we are focusing on DNA and not the other ways that can differentiate humans from other species is because DNA as a molecule is what leads to specific physical changes though it does not make us human. DNA contains the instructions that make us grow, but that can not be used to determine whether we are human or not.

The only noticeable thing a fetus has in common with humans is the DNA, and although this is the case, a cat shows a good number of other features that a fetus does not possess. Yet even with all these different characteristics that cat has with humans, we do not term them as humans. A cat lives with us in the same world; we can see it, touch it, and observe its movements. It has brains similar to the one humans have, and even with all these features, we still refer to it like a cat, not human. Cats brain is divided into parts like that of human that have so many connections to process information, thereby creating a complex view of the world, thus making them able to manipulate the environment they are in. Cats have a relatively good memory that enables them to adapt to new environments by using past environment memories. Their memory and ability to learn new things reduces as they age as it happens to humans. Cats dream just as humans do while asleep. Their body is wired to function as a human body; they eat, breathe and drink in almost a similar manner; they have all the vital organs as found in humans, such as kidneys, hearts, and liver. Blood is pumped in their body by the heart, and it carries nutrients just like humans. They suffer from several diseases that human beings suffer from, which include cancer, diabetes, rabies, respiratory infections caused by bacteria and viruses (Rochelle, p. 3).

Despite all these similarities outlined between humans and cats, we do not refer to cats as humans. A fetus, on the other hand, even though it has DNA that resembles that of living human beings, we have little we share with it. We actually do not live in the same world, and in its few weeks after conception the fetus has no nervous system neither does it have brain and if it were to be aborted the fetus will have no experience nor will it be aware of anything happening in the world and although the changes come later in development stages the early fetus is seen to have more common features with a plant than humans. Even though the organs develop as the pregnancy progresses they do not operate as the organs in humans and in cats (Rochelle, p. 4)

It is, therefore, not logical to assume that DNA should form the basis of referring to the fetus as human. A cat is not human, and yet it has intelligence closer to that of humans. It got DNA and has emotions closer to humans, and the fetus has no such qualities in any time of its growth and development.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is observed that DNA is not the essence of humanity, and the family resemblance is the best scenario involving a wide range of attributes that should be used to describe human essence, and in this case, a fetus does not meet the criteria for it to be termed as human. The fetus has no resemblance to family, has no intelligence, nor does it have movements, and therefore, it should not be referred to as human. The fetus, for that reason, does not deserve human protection, and laws prohibiting abortion should have the basis of limiting human freedom to abortion. We should not make DNA the basis of defining humans simply because it does not make us human, and this makes me be convinced that a fetus is not human, and abortion should not be seen as immoral instead, it should be permitted. There is absolutely no justifiable reason to coerce someone to keep a pregnancy, and those who opt to do abortion should be allowed to do it freely because there are no human rights that are being violated in getting rid of a fetus.

Works Cited

Forrester, Rochelle. "Abortion: is the fetus human?." Available at SSRN 3095203 (2018).

Shafer-Landau, Russ. Living Ethics: An Introduction with Readings. Oxford University Press, 2019.