Mens Rights in Abortion
Running Head: ABORTION
Abortion is one of the most common controversial topics facing our society today. Many people have different opinions on the topic, and I think it is important to take into account people’s perspective when discussing this topic. From a religious perspective, obviously they believe abortion in general no matter what is wrong. People from a more liberal background, or feminist perspective believe it is a woman’s right to choose. One could spend hours trying to pick a side, which at the end of the day is probably pointless since we live a in a culturally diverse society with many different views. Another controversial issue that stems from abortion is men’s rights. Do men have the right to know if their partner chooses to have an abortion, and further more do they legally have rights concerning the unborn child? Currently, women have the moral right to get abortions on demand at their discretion, they can make unilateral decisions whether or not to abort, and are not morally obligated to consult with their father or any other person before making a decision to abort (Hales, 1996). Does the mother posses all the power since it is her body, or does the man deserve to know? I believe there are many different things to take into consideration, when making a decision on this topic. There are extraneous circumstances in my opinion when determining if the mother should tell the man she is choosing to have an abortion. Abortion has two conflicting principals, the value life principal, and the principal of individual freedom (Thiroux, 2006). Both these principals support basic human rights, but they also create conflict because they somewhat contradict each other. I do not think abortion is a black or white type of issue. Also, I would also like to point out the distinct difference between what I “think” the woman should do, versus what her “moral” responsibility is. For example, if a man and a woman are in or were in a significant relationship I
Abortion is one of the most common controversial topics facing our society today. Many people have different opinions on the topic, and I think it is important to take into account people’s perspective when discussing this topic. From a religious perspective, obviously they believe abortion in general no matter what is wrong. People from a more liberal background, or feminist perspective believe it is a woman’s right to choose. One could spend hours trying to pick a side, which at the end of the day is probably pointless since we live a in a culturally diverse society with many different views. Another controversial issue that stems from abortion is men’s rights. Do men have the right to know if their partner chooses to have an abortion, and further more do they legally have rights concerning the unborn child? Currently, women have the moral right to get abortions on demand at their discretion, they can make unilateral decisions whether or not to abort, and are not morally obligated to consult with their father or any other person before making a decision to abort (Hales, 1996). Does the mother posses all the power since it is her body, or does the man deserve to know? I believe there are many different things to take into consideration, when making a decision on this topic. There are extraneous circumstances in my opinion when determining if the mother should tell the man she is choosing to have an abortion. Abortion has two conflicting principals, the value life principal, and the principal of individual freedom (Thiroux, 2006). Both these principals support basic human rights, but they also create conflict because they somewhat contradict each other. I do not think abortion is a black or white type of issue. Also, I would also like to point out the distinct difference between what I “think” the woman should do, versus what her “moral” responsibility is. For example, if a man and a woman are in or were in a significant relationship I
References: Bunch, C. (1990). Women’s Rights as Human Rights: Toward a Re Vision of Human Rights. Human Rights Quarterly, (12), 486-498. Hales, D. (1996). Abortion and Fathers’ Rights. Biomedical Ethics Review, 1-22. Thiroux, J. P. & Krasemann, K.W. (2009). Ethics Theory and Practice. (10th Ed.) Pearson Prentice Hall.