Abortion

Mauricio Antun 10/30/2014 Bruno Russo
Marko Lovrinovic
REL 3015 – Dr. Judy Skeen

Abortion: The Eternal Controversy

Within the context of contemporary society, where people and structures are constantly changing, we are aware that the reference values undergo a profound change that is necessary to understand and follow. The issue of abortion can never distance itself from the ethical and moral issues that surround it, given that abortion inevitably involves someone 's death. This is therefore an issue that needs to be reflected. And reflecting means to elevate our thinking to a lucid, coherent and reasoned understanding, and only then, be able to support and help. That is why we need those moments of reflection, as they will guide us through our critical thinking and guide our actions as well.
To reflect on a topic as the termination of pregnancy (abortion), is to meditate / think under such a controversial topic, but a much needed reflection. Thinking critically is much more than that and overflows the narrow circle of ordinary thinking - it means to question, judge (with a critical spirit) the various situations involved and the underlying ethical dilemmas, given the respect for human integrity and dignity of the person (woman / fetus). It is discussed today, and with surprising insistence, the legalization of abortion. Remember that legalizing means, roughly, to say that what you legalize is "good" for society, or at least, not bad at all.
There are different types of induced abortion, all with various ethical implications. However, the question that arises is whether the embryo / fetus is the property of the mother, therefore becoming subject to her will, or if she should own the rights granted to the person with limited capacity. The question then relates if the embryo / fetus has any rights as opposed to the women 's rights. The issue of abortion (voluntary or not voluntary) is often placed as if the decision to terminate the pregnancy was easy, and the woman, more or less indifferent to this act. It seems that abortion decision arises as a selfish woman who challenges a society whose legal and moral codes seek to make her keep the pregnancy in any situation or circumstances. Thus, the woman appears as a criminal, who alone decided to commit a crime.
Let 's talk about embryo (up to 12 weeks of gestation) / fetus (from 12 up to 40 weeks), which grows inside the uterus of a woman. Is he a Human Being?
There are those who are against the termination of pregnancy at any stage, because they imagine that the soul installs itself the moment the sperm penetrated the egg. According to them, from that microscopic stage, the conceptual product should be sacred. Interrupt its development after ten days of its conception would constitute in a crime as serious as taking someone 's life 30 years after his/her birth. For those who think this way, the pregnant woman is responsible for her state of health and must deal with the consequences of bringing a child into this world, no matter what the circumstances.
They also agree that the one who is in the womb and who later is developed into a person is not more than the person himself in a first phase of its existence. It is a person before and after ... exactly the same person - highlighting the continuum of life. It seems that there is no difference between a human being not yet born and a child once born, regarding the respect we must have for everyone. What characterizes any human being, and at any stage of its existence, is their unrepeatable identity and the intrinsic autonomy of its development process. And so, each of us has its own development process, as well as each embryo / fetus has their own. The images show that the baby in the womb is not part of the mother 's body, but a distinct and individual human being. He is a person in itself and not part of another being, besides his dependence for food.
There are many other arguments for those who are considered Pro-Life (the ones who are against abortion). To name a few of them:
- There are other ways to save the mother 's life. Medical advances may allow the guarantee of a next pregnancy of normal and saving both of their lives. Taking the life of the fetus fruit of sexual violence perpetrated against the mother does not repair the harm caused. Abortion would be a mistake to correct another. Thus, it falls to the government to provide psychosocial assistance to women who may refer the child to giving, as desired.
- “For women who demand complete control of their body, control should include preventing the risk of unwanted pregnancy through the responsible use of contraception or, if that is not possible, through abstinence.”(Women’s Issues)
- “Those who choose abortions are often minors or young women with insufficient life experience to understand fully what they are doing. Many have lifelong regrets afterwards.” (Women’s Issues)
- “Abortion is never a mere personal choice but a grave offense against God and His creation. The anti-abortion struggle has always been a religious battle and foremost in its ranks have been Catholics across the country. This is because Church teaching on abortion is clear and unequivocal: Abortion is murder. There are no exceptions allowed, no compromises possible”. (TFP Student)
- A person cannot be prevented from being born only because of their social status, ethnicity, origin, etc. Poor people are born in poor condition, but the great majority of people who are born in poor conditions are good and righteous people, just look at the people passing by or orphanages in the slums grow. Are all of them bad guys, robbers, or mostly workers who face life 's obstacles? Poor have a right to live as much as the rich!
Those who are Pro-Choice (are in favor of abortion) think in a completely different way. One of their arguments is that a human being is a complex organism with different systems, with an appearance similar to ours. In the eyes of absolute reason, the human being must have a head, torso and limbs and autonomy. It seems that this issue calls into question the identity of the species and their autonomy, since human’s ranges beyond the normal standards.
Other arguments that agree with the abortion are:
- “Nearly all abortions take place in the first trimester, when a fetus cannot exist independent of the mother. As it is attached by the placenta and umbilical cord, its health is dependent on her health, and cannot be regarded as a separate entity as it cannot exist outside her womb.” (Women’s Issues)
- “Teenagers who become mothers have grim prospects for the future. They are much more likely to leave of school; receive inadequate prenatal care; rely on public assistance to raise a child; develop health problems; or end up divorced.” (Women’s Issues)
- A woman should not generate a pregnancy that she did not desire, if a woman took every care and used contraceptive methods, to find herself a victim of fate, having an unwanted pregnancy, should be able to terminate the pregnancy. If there is no deceit, there should be no consequence.
With certain women, the physician should create favorable conditions for pregnancy and allow it to come to an end, To many, this relationship with the pregnant is the source of unsolvable conflict, particularly among physicians themselves, which can be divided into three groups: those who always opposed the termination of pregnancy and will continue to do so if the law allows, those who are ready to practice before the interruption indications written, and those who previously practiced abortions and want to continue to practice them. The first ones are is censored by their social obligations in the name of a superior concept; the second ones are accused of wanting to pass women judges; the last ones complain because they are the ones that have the duty and responsibility to implement the provisions of the law, because they are not the subject of consciousness.
The abortion issue is often misplaced. It is not true that some are in favor and others opposed to it. All are against this type of solution but sometimes the Pro-Choice people only see one way out, and making that decision of having an abortion is needed, especially the millions of women who undergo it annually for they can not see an alternative. Of course, the ideal would be to instruct them never to get pregnant without wanting it, but human nature is more complex: sometimes even medical gynecologists become pregnant unintentionally.
Since always, the abortion issue has become particularly relevant as a key issue by recognizing the dignity and respect for the human person (mother / fetus). Thus, it requires respect for their rights, determined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in perspective in its indivisibility. After making this research on abortion, as final general conclusions we can infer that:
- The issue of the morality of abortion is historically and contextually situated and any attempts to fix it have to take into consideration the moral and cultural diversity of the populations - We hear repeatedly that abortion is a matter of inner consciousness of each one of us, but that is only half true. In the matter of abortion there is a relationship in which are involved the rights of another human being, so the issue of abortion is primarily a matter of human rights or natural law that should have a legal term;
- When someone is faced with a question of personal or private morals, which are not applied to the rights of others, the ornamental solution should be to refer it to the responsibility of the individual faces. On the contrary, when you are in the presence of a question that clashes with a person 's rights, as in the case of abortion, the recommendations are not enough, but it is necessary to use the same prescriptions and prohibitions;
After such a delicate reflection on abortion the possible positions to take, we must point out that between these two groups is a huge crowd of people_ protected by a hideous superficiality- unable to take a position- but given the need to decide on such difficult issue.

Bibliography:

Family Research Council. (n.d.)., 2014.http://frc.org/arguments
10 Common Arguments For and Against Abortion. (n.d.). 2014.http://womensissues.about.com/od/reproductiverights/a/AbortionArgumen.htm
Arguments against abortion. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/mother/against_1.shtml
My Abortion. (n.d.). http://nymag.com/news/features/abortion-stories-2013-11/ http://www.uclalawreview.org/?p=4186 10 Reasons Why Abortion is Evil & Not a 'Pro-Choice ' (n.d.). http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/politically-incorrect/abortion/10-reasons-why-abortion-is-evil.html
Bazelon, E. (2014, August 30). The Dawn of the Post-Clinic Abortion. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/magazine/the-dawn-of-the-post-clinic-abortion.html?_r=0
Introduction to Abortion. (n.d.).http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/legal/introduction_1.shtml
Abortion. (n.d.).http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Abortion/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Quotes About Abortion. (n.d.). http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/abortion

Bibliography: Family Research Council. (n.d.)., 2014.http://frc.org/arguments 10 Common Arguments For and Against Abortion. (n.d.). 2014.http://womensissues.about.com/od/reproductiverights/a/AbortionArgumen.htm Arguments against abortion. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/mother/against_1.shtml My Abortion. (n.d.). http://nymag.com/news/features/abortion-stories-2013-11/ http://www.uclalawreview.org/?p=4186 10 Reasons Why Abortion is Evil & Not a 'Pro-Choice ' (n.d.). http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/politically-incorrect/abortion/10-reasons-why-abortion-is-evil.html Bazelon, E. (2014, August 30). The Dawn of the Post-Clinic Abortion. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/magazine/the-dawn-of-the-post-clinic-abortion.html?_r=0 Introduction to Abortion. (n.d.).http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/legal/introduction_1.shtml Abortion. (n.d.).http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Abortion/Pages/Introduction.aspx Quotes About Abortion. (n.d.). http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/abortion