Moderate Position on Abortion - Essay Example

Moderate position on abortion Introduction Abortion is a practice that has elevated a lot of issues in many countries across the world. This is because it lays controversies and questions on whether it should be legalized or not. Some people view it as right and thus support its legalization. On the other hand, others consider it to be wrong and thus advocate for its illegalization. Scientifically, abortion is any form of pregnancy termination before its maturity time. There are always controversies in various countries depending on why abortion should be encouraged and why it should not be allowed. Some humanitarian associations have always supported abortion in situations in which mother’s life has been threatened by complications. On the contrary, various groups such as churches totally advocate for abortion illegalization. In addition, they also consider legal and stern measures to be taken to those who practice abortion. As much as many countries across the world advocate for illegalization of abortion, some health matters among women will call for its validation. Women should, therefore, be entitled to abortion in case their pregnancies hold moderate position of mother’s health risk and as a result of incest and rape. Some moderate position of abortion Moderate position is multitude of reasons that force women to carry out abortion. Even though ethics for abortion are very complicated, there are some valid motives that need abortions. This logically follows that abortion is at times morally permissible when the pregnancy count more harm than good. Although it is biblically and morally unacceptable to terminate a pregnancy before its maturity time, health risks among women can, therefore, force us to accept the practice in the society (Potts 157). In my opinion, I support a moderate position of terminating pregnancy through abortion if mother’s health is at risk and in case the pregnancy was as a result of incest and rape. This is because in some situations, mother’s lives are endangered by their pregnancies. Abortion therefore, ends up being the effective way of saving women’s life. It is thus important to legalize abortion by allowing women access healthy abortions from legal practitioners whenever health risks arise among pregnant woman. About two out of ten women develop complications that are associated with pregnancies. These complications end up costing life of many women in the world (Tamney, Johnson and Burton 32). According to data from the world health organization, approximately ten thousand women die each day worldwide due to pregnancy complications associated with pregnancies. In United States, the rate of women dying out of pregnancy complications has reduced to 2 percent over the years. This is because legalization of abortion has allowed women to seek abortion whenever their lives are at risk due to their pregnancies. This clearly indicates that abortions should be carried out whenever women face complications to save their lives (de Roubaix and van Niekerk 206). When the mother’s life is in danger, then abortion should be the next course of action. Each and every woman has the right to choose whether to carry out abortion or not. The unborn baby and the mother are connected but then under difficult circumstances. If the growth of the fetus in the womb for example, leads to health risks in the mothers’ life then the pregnancy should be terminated lest the mother also loses her life (Tamney, Johnson and Burton 32). Availability of legal abortion will help in watering down medical complications that can be related to an existing pregnancy like severe diabetes, sickle-cell anemia, severe hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease and other medical complications that would arise if childbirth occurs. On the other hand, abortion should be endorsed to address the issues of rape and incest pregnancies. This is because it is estimated that over 20 percent of the overall pregnancies across the world are associated with rape. Rape cases have increased at an alarming rate reading to unwanted pregnancies (Potts 158). Researchers indicate that, around 60 thousand women get pregnant every year out of rape. In countries where abortion is illegal, rape cases always results to birth of unwanted children who are neglected by both the parent and the society. In addition to this, other pregnancies are as a result of incest behaviors. In most cases, young girls are sexually insulted by their fathers or family members resulting to pregnancies. Cases of fathers insulting their daughters sexually have increased across the world. This leads to birth of children who are not accepted in the society. In several instances, when such babies are given birth, most of them are either dumped or mistreated and even neglected (de Roubaix and van Niekerk 208). It is clear that many unwanted babies born from rape or incest end up suffering from dissatisfaction and dysfunction in their later adult lives, abuse or neglect by parents, troubled home and family life, patterns of anti- social behavior, crippling emotional handicaps and even stunted educational and intellectual development (Tamney, Johnson and Burton 32). The state, therefore, has to allow women to make their decisions on abortion. Asking a woman to carry on with pregnancies that occurred through rape is equal to invading one’s privacy. This moderate position comes mainly from Deontological approach. The approach stresses reasons why some actions such as abortion are performed despite being considered as immoral and unethical. It, therefore, explains why women have the right to carry out abortion whenever they have a valid justification (de Roubaix and van Niekerk 213). In addition, this approach points out that women should be at liberty to make a decision what to do with their bodies in case of risk. Nobody should thus dictate how women should handle their pregnancies. If a woman does not want the baby, it is her role to make decisions of taking an abortion. No parents, husbands or government should have the mandate to hamper with their resolutions. I have, therefore, taken this position based on the concern that women have feasible rights of getting rid of anything that does not suit them. Some pregnancies can interfere with the well-being of women and thus should be terminated (Potts 158). On the other hand, it is crucial to realize that when women get pregnant they will do anything to get rid of the baby whether the law agrees to it or not. Desperate times often call for desperate measures and women go to any extent to perform the abortion on their own. Abortion requires one to clear all emotional feelings in order for one to pull through it (de Roubaix and van Niekerk 218). Right to abortion should often be about women value in the societies. The question should be whether it is the governments’ decision for women to keep unwanted pregnancies or whether it is the woman’s decision to keep the same. When moral choices are made in the finest manner possible force women to give up or sacrifice important ethics and morals in order to uphold other major values. All things are considered as the proper explanation for such options. The modest view is that this expression is sometimes suitably used to illustrate abortion choices. The choice of taking an abortion can be right, or not morally wrong if woman’s life is threatened by the pregnancy (Potts 159). On the contrary, those opposing the moderate position on abortion when woman’s life is at risk use rights ethical approach for their justifications. Their arguments are based on the position that human life is sacred, and it begins at conception. They, therefore, view abortion as nothing less than murder. According to this approach, abortion is fundamentally wrong because a fetus like other human beings has rights to live and thus should have rights to life. In addition, this approach holds that early stages of a human being are inevitably equal to matured stage. This, therefore, gives no right to women to carry out abortion due to unwanted pregnancies. Through this approach, women are only entitled to abortion if their lives are seriously threatened (de Roubaix and van Niekerk 220). Abortion has, therefore, been the matter of much ethical notion from both pro-life and pro-choice standpoints. Its central philosophical questions concern the ethical status of the fetus and embryo. If the fetus are human being, with the similar right to life as any other person, they should be given right to life. Abortions should therefore not be justified, since it is not morally acceptable to execute children because they are illegitimate, unwanted or disabled (Potts 159). Conclusion It is important to allow women to practice abortion since it plays great roles in improving their health standard. It is clear that abortion contributes in reducing health risks that are associates with pregnancies. Maternal mortality has been greatly reduced in various countries due to legalization of abortion. In addition, legalization of abortion can be used to address the issue of unwanted pregnancies that result from incest and rape. This is because women who undergo through rape and incest become traumatized, and do not prefer getting such babies. In addition, children resulting from the two acts are not accepted in the societies and thus experience mistreatment and are neglected. On the contrary, abortion is viewed as unethical and illegal. This is because fetus are regarded as living organisms, thus, abortion is termed as murder. This indicates that women should not carry out abortion unless they are in extreme risks. Works cited de Roubaix, J and Anton A van Niekerk. "Separation-survivability as moral cut-off point for abortion." South African Journal of Philosophy 25.3 (2006): 206-223. Potts, Malcolm. "Abortion perspectives." European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care 15.3 (2010): 157-159. Tamney, Joseph B, Stephen D Johnson and Ronald Burton. "The Abortion Controversy: Conflicting Beliefs and Values in American Society." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 31.1 (2000): 32. Read More