Is Natural Law the Best Approach to Abortion
Is Natural Law the best approach to abortion
Natural Law says that abortion is wrong because life is a valuable gift from God and therefore only he can take it away. A believer of the natural law would say that the unborn foetus should have the same status as a born human being because life starts at the moment of conception which means that no matter how long the foetus has been growing, abortion is murder. This point ties in with the right to life and other religious approaches. Under Natural Law, abortion is the stealing of innocent life - going against one of the Primary precepts. Abortion undermines the Primary precept which encourages society to reproduce and grown. All these objections come down to one point. Man's ultimate purpose is to live in a way which glorifies God. Abortion cannot further this primary aim. Natural law could be used as an approach to abortion as It protects society from an attitude in which human life can be seen as disposable, It makes a woman think of the implications before having sex because they know that a termination will not be an option for them and it affirms the continuance of human life and respect for human life. However, it simplifies abortion because it doesn’t take into account the circumstances of the mother or the child- it simply makes the decision that abortion is wrong. It also doesn’t take into consideration things like rape, Aids or a child being born into an abusive family and can therefore appear a harsh and judgemental approach to an agonising dilemma by forcing a woman into keeping an unwanted baby and also taking away her responsibility and power.
Utilitarianism is another approach to abortion; it is a teleological approach to ethics. A utilitarianist would say whether a woman should have an abortion or not depending on what is the best outcome for as many people as possible. Act Utilitarlianism would be a more appropriate system to apply to individual dilemmas of whether to have an abortion. Act
Natural Law says that abortion is wrong because life is a valuable gift from God and therefore only he can take it away. A believer of the natural law would say that the unborn foetus should have the same status as a born human being because life starts at the moment of conception which means that no matter how long the foetus has been growing, abortion is murder. This point ties in with the right to life and other religious approaches. Under Natural Law, abortion is the stealing of innocent life - going against one of the Primary precepts. Abortion undermines the Primary precept which encourages society to reproduce and grown. All these objections come down to one point. Man's ultimate purpose is to live in a way which glorifies God. Abortion cannot further this primary aim. Natural law could be used as an approach to abortion as It protects society from an attitude in which human life can be seen as disposable, It makes a woman think of the implications before having sex because they know that a termination will not be an option for them and it affirms the continuance of human life and respect for human life. However, it simplifies abortion because it doesn’t take into account the circumstances of the mother or the child- it simply makes the decision that abortion is wrong. It also doesn’t take into consideration things like rape, Aids or a child being born into an abusive family and can therefore appear a harsh and judgemental approach to an agonising dilemma by forcing a woman into keeping an unwanted baby and also taking away her responsibility and power.
Utilitarianism is another approach to abortion; it is a teleological approach to ethics. A utilitarianist would say whether a woman should have an abortion or not depending on what is the best outcome for as many people as possible. Act Utilitarlianism would be a more appropriate system to apply to individual dilemmas of whether to have an abortion. Act