MOTIVATION OF PROPONENTS

OF ABORTION
 THE MOTIVATIONS FOR ABORTION ARE AS VARIED AS ITS PROPONENT.
SOME OF THESE MOTIVATIONS ARE:
1. TO SAFEGUARD THE LIFE OF THE MOTHER. THIS IS THE THERAPEUTIC
MOTIVATION. IT INVOLVES THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABORTION IF AND
WHEN THE PHYSICAL HEALTHOF THE MOTHER IS IN DANGER.

2. ABORTION AS A WOMAN’S RIGHT. THIS INVOLVES THE JUSTIFICATION

OF ABORTION ON THE GROUND THAT THE FETUS IS BUT PART AND
PARCEL OF THE BODY OF A WOMAN WHICH SHE OWNS AND CONTROLS.
3. ABORTION AS AN EXPRESSION OF A WOMAN’S SEXUAL
FREEDOM. THIS IMPLIES THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABORTION
ON THE GROUND THAT WOMEN ARE NOW LIBERATED
FROM THEIR STATUS OF BEING SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS
AS COMPARED TO MEN.

4. THE FETUS IS NOT HUMAN. THIS REFERS TO THE

JUSTIFICATION OF ABORTION ON THE GROUND THAT THE
FETUS DOES NOT HAVE HUMAN NATURE AND, THEREFORE,
IT IS NOT A PERSON; THAT IT IS JUST AN OBJECT AND,
THUS, IT HAS NO RIGHTS.
5. THE UNWANTED CHILD SYNDROME. THIS INVOLVES THE
JUSTIFICATION OF ABORTION BY PEOPLE WHO CATEGORIZE
THEIR OFFSPRING WHO COME AFTER THE FIRST AND SECOND
CHILDREN AS UNWANTED.

6. TO STAVE OFF THE BIRTH OF A POTENTIALLY DEFORMED

CHILD. THIS IS THE EUGENIC MOTIVATION. THIS CONNOTES
THE ABORTION OF A CHILD BECAUSE HE/SHE IS BELIEVED TO
BE SO DEFECTIVE THAT HIS/HER LIFE IS PRESUMED TO BE
WHOLLY WITHOUT ANY VALUE TO HIS/HER PARENTS AND
SOCIETY TO BE ALLOWED TO LIVE.
7. ABORTION AS THE MEANS OF IMPROVING THE
QUALITY OF LIFE. THIS REFERS TO THE
JUSTIFICATION OF ABORTION ON THE GROUND THAT
IT HELPS TO STABILIZE AND UPLIFT THE
SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF THEN FAMILY IN
PARTICULAR, AND OF THE COUNTRY IN GENERAL.

8. ABORTION AS A MEANS OF CONTROLLING THE

POPULATION. THIS INDICATES THE JUSTIFICATION
OF ABORTION ON THE GROUND THAT THE HUMAN
SPECIES MULTIPLY BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS.
REFERENCES:

• Catechism of the Catholic Church

• Christian Morality in Contemporary Society by
Esteban T. Salibay,Jr.
• Church Dogmatic by Karl Barth Vol. III
• New American Bible