The Ethical Dilemma Of Abortion In The United States

Perinatal issues mostly cause concerns when a mother acts in a way that could be seen as causing harm to her fetus and is then looked down upon by members of society; as commonly seen in abortion. The health care team may be influenced by their own beliefs and respond with judgment rather than support their patient. Differences of opinion are a major factor when discussing abortion, but nonetheless the rights of the mother and the fetus need to be further examined.

Abortion has always been a legal, social, and political issue. In the United States abortion is legal because it affects a woman’s right to privacy. Conversely others believe that protecting a woman’s privacy clashes with the life of a fetus. This ethical dilemma is a situation
where what is considered right and wrong is not black and white. The correct decision for some individuals may be wrong for others and what is wrong for some is correct for others.

Issues involved in this dilemma mainly focus on the conflicting beliefs about abortion.
First is the belief that the mother has right to her own reproductive system and second is the fetus’s right to life. Belief one is centered on abortion being something that a mother should be allowed to choose based on her own ethical and moral beliefs and the belief that the law should not have a say in the decision that is made. Although there are some women that don’t practice abortion themselves they still believe that it’s each individual’s decision to make. On the contrary, some individuals believe that giving mothers the option of abortion is equal to giving a mother the right to take a life legally and some individuals believe that they have an ethical duty to protect the fetus because the fetus is unable to protect him or herself. Persons differ in opinion on both spectrums of this situation but more problems arise because the decision is not black and white but a gray area. An example of this gray area is a woman who gets pregnant by rape. Does she have the right to choose if she should keep the baby or not? Or in the case of pregnancy that is posing a risk to the woman’s life. Should the woman be told she is allowed to save her life instead of the fetus that is causing the risk? Issues arise because people have differences of opinion from family members to the health care
team.

As health care professionals we are required to practice ethical principles throughout our interactions with our patients from day to day.
Some of these practices include autonomy, justice and non- maleficence. Autonomy is commonly seen in abortion, and giving a mother autonomy occurs when a mother has the right to control her body in addition to her life, instead of giving the right to the unborn fetus. But should we as healthcare professionals, knowingly cause harm to a fetus in order to project the autonomy of a mother? Are we practicing justice to not give woman autonomy but then at the same time negating justice and autonomy to an unborn fetus? From an ethical principle prospective, in regards to abortion, the answer to these questions cannot be decided by a health care professional but instead the individual themselves. We, as nurses must apply veracity, the practice of telling the truth. If we encounter a woman in distress and wanting advice regarding abortion we need to provide information to her and be there to discuss her thoughts, excluding our own
biases.

No one likes to believe that every decision they make affects other people but for this dilemma it widely impacts a number of individuals starting with the family. People usually fall on opposite sides of abortion. Some individuals agree and others don’t. A mother who comes into the hospital with thoughts of abortion could be in distress because of family members that don’t agree with her decision. This is because some family members can see the women’s action as taking away a grandchild or even a cousin. On the other hand a mother of a pregnant 16-year-old girl could be pushing for an abortion causing the daughter feelings of guilt and depression. Not only is the patient in distress but also so can the family. This then plays on the health care team because we are the advocates for our patient; our job is to provide the patient with the most amount of information and then have the patient decide. It would be difficult in a hospital setting to weed out family members opinions and ensure that our patient is making her own right decision.

There also is the personal impact of abortion on health care professionals like nurses and physicians. Some health care professionals don’t object to being a part of the abortion processes. Others may only agree with care for mothers after the practice. Some individuals may completely disagree with the thought of abortion and want no part of it. Regardless, professionals are obligated to respect the decisions of women who look for care but if they are obligated to be a part of something they disagree with it could cause feelings of guilt and distress. For health care professionals figuring out their biases and expressing them to their employer before employment will prevent further anguish for the individual and the patient.