ETHICS ESSAY 1 Explain Ethical Argument

Explain ethical arguments in favour of abortion
Although the topic of abortion is very controversial, there are many ethical arguments in favour of it. These include viability, consciousness, and the view that the mother has the choice about whether or not to terminate the life of the foetus.
Viability is the point at which the foetus is able to survive independent from the mother. This is around the 20 week mark of pregnancy and the foetus then has the status of personhood. Prior to this point, the foetus is not a person, therefore should not have the same rights as a person would. This means that it is justified if the foetus is aborted, as the rights of a person do not apply. Consequently, abortion is not murder in this circumstance. People holding this view are pro-choice, meaning they would accept the plan for abortion under most circumstances up to the point of viability (birth). Someone who supported this view was a philosopher called Mary Anne Warren. She claimed that, ‘Birth rather than some earlier point marks the beginning of the moral status’. Therefore supporting that it is not until birth that the child has moral status or a level of personhood, therefore it is acceptable to have an abortion before this point.
Secondly, another ethical argument in favour of abortion is consciousness. Many people would agree that abortion is completely acceptable under most circumstances as long as the human has no signs of consciousness or presence of rationality. Examples of this are the ability to develop complex language and make tools. Similarly to viability, this point of consciousness is later on in the foetus’ development and growth, as even though all the DNA is there, the fact that there's no higher brain activity strongly suggests that there's no consciousness. Even the later presence of a heartbeat and of primitive streak do not imply consciousness or preciousness, as there is no higher brain activity or self-awareness. Therefore, this argument supports that before this point of brain activity, it is not wrong for the child to be aborted.
Finally, the woman’s rights argument states that it is the mother’s choice of whether or not to terminate her pregnancy. They would argue that if the mother’s life was in danger it is acceptable to have an abortion. An example of this is an ectopic pregnancy, this is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes. This means the egg will not develop into a baby, which can not only be devastating emotionally to the pregnant woman, but also if not treated, can lead to death. This argument supports that the mother has a right to do what she wants with her own body, as she is the person who will experience severe changes in her body, diet and emotions. Not only this, but it is argued that in the long term, the mother will be caring for the child until it is completely independent, taking up most of her life. This is also supported with a quote from Sarah Weddington who stated that a pregnancy to a woman is possibly, ‘the most determinative aspects of her life. It disrupts her body. It disrupts her education. It disrupts her employment. And it often disrupts her entire family life.’
In conclusion, there are many strong ethical arguments that are in favour of abortion. Viability being an important argument, stating that abortion is acceptable under most circumstances before personhood is recognised, usually at the point of birth. The second argument is consciousness, arguing that abortion is allowable until there is a presence of rationality. Finally, possibly the strongest argument, the choice of the mother, stating that it is the mother who must devote the majority of her life to the child, therefore has deserves the choice to abort it.