Is Abortion Ethical? Essay - 2,576 words

Is Abortion Ethical? In the modern world, abortion is one of the most controversial issues that our society ever faced. With a number of abortions made increasing every year, this matter generates a great concern among the public. Almost every mature person has an opinion on this subject and most of these opinions fall into two general groups pro-choice and pro-life (Ward). Individuals that oppose abortions argue that abortion is an unethical thing and that governments should either establish a greater control over the matter and pass on the laws that would limit the conditions at which abortions can be made or banish abortions completely. The pro-choice groups believe that such laws limit the freedom of choice that is currently enjoyed by our society and thus are also unethical. In order for us to understand whether abortions can be considered an ethical thing to do, we have to have a good understanding of what the abortion actually is, in what cases and how it is done, what medical, psychological and philosophical issues may arise when the person is facing the abortion.


What is abortion and how is it done Scientists define abortion as termination of a pregnancy before birth, resulting in the death of the fetus (McGee, Merz). Sometimes abortions can be natural, caused either by some fetal defect or some trauma experienced by the mother. The result of such trauma would be a spontaneous abortion, commonly known as a miscarriage (McGee, Merz). Abortion can also be induced artificially, if the mother chooses to do so. Reasons for induced abortions vary from physiological, when the fetus has some abnormality that is not fatal, but may affect its quality of life, to social, when the future mother may not be able to support the child or wont be able to give it enough attention due to various causes. Modern medical techniques for inducing such abortions include a range of surgical and pharmacological methods that are used depending on the stage at which the abortion is made.


Risks associated with making an abortion increase with time as the pregnancy proceeds. Early pregnancies are usually terminated through pharmacological methods, either by introducing the chemical orally or by injecting it (BBC website, Kerr). The drug most commonly used is RU486 or mifepristone. Mifepristone was first discovered by Professor Etienne-Emile Baulieu (Kerr) in 1980 in France. It is an analogue of the hormone progesterone, which regulates the reproductive function in women and the discovery of this drug was considered a major breakthrough in the field of pharmacology and medicine. Mifepristone could have been used for a large number of purposes, for example as a contraceptive or as a treatment for various progesterone-dependent cancers (Kerr). Unfortunately, this drug acquired its fame for the abortion-inducing properties.


The procedure of using mifepristone to cause an abortion is well developed and it is considered to be the safest type of abortion. It is usually performed during the first seven weeks of the pregnancy. The patient is given mifepristone, which is followed by the administration of another drug, prostaglandin, within forty-eight hours (BBC website, Kerr). Together, these drugs cause the disruption of the normal pregnancy process and stimulate uterus to expel the fetus. Another popular pharmacological way to induce an abortion is a morning-after pill. It is a pill that contains a high dosage of female hormones that are found in contraceptive pills and it has to be administered within 72 hours of the sex act (BBC website).


It is relatively safe and has little consequence to females health, but causes copious arguments as some people are concerned that availability of such pills may provoke individuals to lead careless sexual lives. Abortions at later stages of pregnancy usually require some form of surgical interference, such as vacuum aspiration, dilation and evacuation or partial birth abortion. All surgical methods of abortion involve the mechanical removal of the fetus from uterus. During the dilation and evacuation procedure cervix is dilated, then a suction tube and a grasping tool called a forceps are used to remove the fetus (McGee, Merz). The operation is complicated and is performed under general anesthesia. Possible complications and consequences of abortions Surgical methods are much more dangerous than pharmacological abortions and may result in health problems of various severity, for example bleeding during the short post-abortion period or infertility (Encarta Encyclopedia). Other possible damages to the womans reproductive system include various infections of the fallopian tubes and the uterus (Ward). Theres also a theory that abortions may increase the chance of breast cancer later in life (Ward).


It is thought to happen due to changes that occur in breast tissue during pregnancy, such as growth and differentiation of breast cells (Ward, Widemark). The interruption of pregnancy increases the number of cancer prone cells and so increases the chance of having breast cancer. These late surgical abortions are heavily opposed by pro-lifers and are claimed to be a form of infanticide, because the abortion is made when fetus is already well developed (BBC website) and has all of the organs that are possessed by mature organisms. Apart from the medical problems, abortions also cause a large number of psychological traumas. Patient that choose to make an abortion or are forced to do so often experience subconscious guilt that affects their quality of life. Sometimes patient have to undergo serious psychological therapy to get rid of the abortion consequences. A study showed that women who undergone abortion are more likely to be admitted to a hospital with psychiatric problems than women who decided to keep the baby (Ward). Other factors, such as religious beliefs, can contribute to psychological stress.


Religious aspects Religion is an important part of life for many people and it has a profound influence on their life perception. When a person is put in front of the choice, whether to make an abortion or not, religion is often one of the most important factors that are considered in the decision-making. As there are many different religions, the adepts of those have diverse attitudes toward this matter, although most of the religions dont support the abortion. Sometimes religion can even cause dilemmas, which are quite hard to solve. Christianity is one of the most common religions and so we shall discuss it in the first place. Generally, Christians oppose the idea of abortion because the value of human life is one of the most important assets for them.


Most Christians support the idea that fetus can be considered alive immediately after the process of fertilization and so abortion is seen as a form of homicide. On the other hand, the bible states that procreation should occur only within married heterosexual couples and around 82% of abortions made are results of sexual activity outside a marriage relationship (Ward). So when an unmarried Christian female gets pregnant and considers abortion, she is facing a moral dilemma. She either has to give birth to the baby and break the rule that does not allow any sexual relationships outside the marriage or submit herself for an abortion and be condemned as a baby murderer. This means that apart from the physical stress experienced due to abortion, the patient is also subjected to psychological stress, as discussed above, and sometimes the consequences may be as horrific as a suicide. Other religions, such as Islam and Hindu and Buddhism, also preach the value of human life and rejection of abortions, although exceptions are often made.


For examples, most Muslim schools permit abortions if theres danger to mothers life and Hindu adepts can consider abortion for cultural reasons, when sons are preferred to daughters and the abortion is made to prevent the birth of a girl (BBC website). This is called female feticide and ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: abortion, human life, breast cancer, website, fetus

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