The Pros And Cons Of Abortion

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The abortion is defined as the intentional termination of human pregnancy by getting surgery or taking medicine (WebMd, 2016). Abortion is the most controversial issue not only in the U.S, but all over the world. There are several moral and ethical concerns regarding the termination of pregnancy or abortion. There are individual who will support abortion, while some may view it as an act of killing a living being and totally unethical. I am certainly not sure about my stand on this ethical issue. It is really difficult to justify the act of terminating pregnancy. Is it morally right or wrong to terminate a pregnancy? At what circumstances, abortion can be justified as a morally right? The viewpoint of supporters and opponents is presented below: …show more content…

The unborn entity surviving inside the mother’s womb is a complete human being and 14 days after the fertilization gastrulation begins which is the initial stage of appearance of spinal column in an embryo (Powell, 2016). Powell (2016) argued that the fertilization is the milestone of personhood, thus the unborn entity should be treated as a person and abortion cannot be morally justifiable. Similarly, some may claim that the appearance of a blood in the embryo begins the personhood. These biological views regarding the personhood does not support the termination of pregnancy because an unborn human entity is a person and has a right to life. Therefore, abortion is an example of killing and ending a human life and it is never morally or ethically …show more content…

On the principle of autonomy, the patient has right to make choices regarding the treatments. However in case of terminating pregnancy, do autonomy (parent’s decision to terminate the pregnancy) take preference over beneficence and non-maleficence? Can we terminate a pregnancy when it is unwanted? About 98% of abortions in the U.S are performed within the first 15 weeks of pregnancy, and most of them occur when the mother’s life or health is at risk or in cases of severe fetal abnormality (Perry, 2001). In my opinion, in such circumstances when mothers’ and baby’s health are at risk the choice of abortion should not be unethical. I am not sure about terminating fetuses with abnormalities such as anencephaly, Down’s syndrome, and congenital heart defects as presented in case scenarios. I am really not sure if proceeding with abortion would be a right choice or should we proceed with pregnancy depending upon the viability and chances of survival post the

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