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An Argument for Abortion

Introduction

Abortion is described as the deliberate action to remove a fetus from the womb of a

human female at the request of the mother. Abortion leads to the death of the fetus as it is

expelled from the womb that it needs to grow and survive. The debate between anti-abortion and

pro-choice movements usually revolves around the morality and legality of abortion. Women

who wish to or have aborted are often shamed by pro-life supporters in society. The laws that

govern abortion should be independent pf the morality of abortion because abortion should be

permissible under certain conditions such as when the mother’s health and wellbeing are at risk.

The pro-choice side of the argument insists that women have the right to control their

own bodies and exercise their rights to independence and equality under the law. The pro-choice

movement seeks legal injunctions to stop protesters from barring women wishing to access to

abortion clinics. The pro-abortion argument advances the premise that laws around abortion

should not follow moral laws. For instance, lying is inconsiderable immoral but there should be

laws that prohibit lying (Lecture Notes). There should thus be a clear distinction between the

morality of abortion and the laws that regulate it.

Utilitarian View

Utilitarianism is described as an ethical theory that distinguishes right from wrong by

focusing on the outcomes of an action. The utilitarian view holds that the most ethical choice is

the one that would produce the greatest good for the highest number of people. Under the

utilitarian view, abortion may be permissible when it creates an outcome that benefits all the
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parties involved in the pregnancy. Abortion would free the mother and father from the mental

burden of having to raise a child that they do not want and the suffering of the future child.

From the utilitarian view, it appears abortion benefits all the three entities involved

including mother, father, and unborn child. The parents to the unborn child benefit from abortion

because they are freed from the financial burden of raising the child at the expense of his or her

future happiness and contributions (Lecture Notes). While the parents are liberated financially,

the child whom they abort does not get to live his or her life and attain true potential of

contributing to society. From the utilitarian view, abortion may thus be permissible to free the

mother, father, and child from future suffering. For example, when the father of the unborn child

does not consent to abortion, then failing to abort would produce the best outcome for the highest

number that includes the unborn child who is yet to live his or her life and the father who wants

to keep his child.

The utilitarianism rule thus requires the parties involved to establish the rule and practice

that would maximize happiness for all parties involved. The first rule is that no one should have

an abortion in the first place (Lecture Notes). The second rule is that a person should not shave

an abortion unless the health and wellbeing of the mother is threatened. When the life of the

mother is at risk, corrective measures can be applied and in the event that such measures fail,

then she should be allowed to have an abortion. For example, when a woman has a hip disease or

a neurological condition like cerebral palsy when pregnant, then she should be allowed to have

an abortion.

Deontological View

Deontology is an ethical theory that posits that the morality of an action should be

predicated on whether the action is right or wrong under a set of rules rather than the
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consequences of the actions. Abortion may be viewed as either moral or immoral under the

deontological lens when the arguments that rely on the moral and ontological status of the fetus

are advanced (Lecture Notes). Some of the ontological questions that can be raised in relation to

the fetus include whether it is a distinct entity from the mother and whether it is a human being.

Additionally, the status of the fetus as a person and whether it is alive would also be evaluated

and the kind of moral value and status that the fetus has in different stages of its development

would also be factored in.

The deontological view seeks to establish the exact stage where the fetus can be thought

of as a human being worthy of moral concern. Most people who are against abortion hold that

the fetus should be accorded a moral status and attain a whole genetic makeup. When the fetus is

born, it is considered a human being or a person with feelings and emotions even though it is not

yet aware (Lecture Notes). If there are no substantial changes in composition of the newborn

child from its initial form then it is just the same being through the different stages of

development because otherwise, we would infer that different beings succeed one another during

the development stages. The anti-abortion side of the divide thus suggests that the development

of the fetus is a continuous process. As soon as the fetus’ brain exhibits activity then life has

begun and as soon as the brain stops functioning then life as ended (Lecture Notes). Through the

deontological lens, abortion may thus be considered immoral when life starts at conception.

The critics of the view that life begins at conception draw comparison to animals and

plants (Lecture Notes). While supporters claim that the self-initiated movements in the womb are

an indication of a new level of brain development, critics feel that animals and plants also move

on their own but they are not accorded moral status or right to life. The critics further hold that

animal rights activists support animal rights for their ability to feel pain rather than the ability to
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move. When using being human as a criterion for according moral status, supporters feel that

being a member of the human race and species guarantees one moral rights. Since fetuses are

members of the human species, they have a moral status like other human beings. On the other

hand, critics feel that personhood should be accorded to members of a species who have similar

attributes like human beings such as ability to communicate, reason, and plan, which the fetus

does not (Lecture Notes).

Conclusion

The laws that govern abortion should be independent of the morality of abortion because

abortion should be permissible under certain conditions such as when the mother’s health and

wellbeing are at risk. The debate about abortion is complex with both sides of the divide raising

important points about why the fetus should be given moral status or not. Abortion should be

permitted under strict conditions such as when the mother’s life is in danger to minimize abuse

of the privilege to expel babies from the womb.

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Works Cited

Ethics Abortion Class Material