Arguments for/Against Morality of Abortion
Morality of Abortion
For Abortion (utilitarian):
Anything having a net output of benefits with consideration of everyone is morally permissible [1, 7]. An abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy and the procedure is performed by a licensed health care professional [2]. Medical or surgical abortions performed in the first trimester do not significantly affect later infertility, ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, or preterm or low-birth-weight deliveries, according to The Kaiser Family Foundation 's statistics on abortion [3], and shows no greater risk of breast cancer, according to research from the National Cancer Institute [8]. There is about 1 death per 100,000 legal abortions and the risk of complications from the abortions are rare, about less than 0.3% [3]. In the question of whether fetuses can feel pain during an abortion, evidence from research concludes that “fetuses from 20-23 weeks do not feel pain” [6] - whereas abortions mostly occur before that time period [3]. In conclusion, since the legal abortions are performed by a professional and the benefits outweigh the costs, abortion is morally permissible.
Against Abortion (kantian):
Killing an innocent human life form is wrong. The fetus is an innocent human life form, therefore it is wrong to abort the fetus [1]. According to the Women 's Center statistics, teenagers are more likely to delay having an abortion until 15 weeks of pregnancy, when the medical risks are greater [4]. The federal law dictates that states cover abortions under Medicaid under cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment [3], but having wider access to contraception would be a better solution to the problem of abortion and enable private companies to take on the burden of the costs[5]. A fetus “possesses a property, the possession of which in adult human beings is sufficient to make killing an adult human being wrong” [9]. The arguments for abortion are apt to “ 'speciesism '” [9] because the arguments center
For Abortion (utilitarian):
Anything having a net output of benefits with consideration of everyone is morally permissible [1, 7]. An abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy and the procedure is performed by a licensed health care professional [2]. Medical or surgical abortions performed in the first trimester do not significantly affect later infertility, ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, or preterm or low-birth-weight deliveries, according to The Kaiser Family Foundation 's statistics on abortion [3], and shows no greater risk of breast cancer, according to research from the National Cancer Institute [8]. There is about 1 death per 100,000 legal abortions and the risk of complications from the abortions are rare, about less than 0.3% [3]. In the question of whether fetuses can feel pain during an abortion, evidence from research concludes that “fetuses from 20-23 weeks do not feel pain” [6] - whereas abortions mostly occur before that time period [3]. In conclusion, since the legal abortions are performed by a professional and the benefits outweigh the costs, abortion is morally permissible.
Against Abortion (kantian):
Killing an innocent human life form is wrong. The fetus is an innocent human life form, therefore it is wrong to abort the fetus [1]. According to the Women 's Center statistics, teenagers are more likely to delay having an abortion until 15 weeks of pregnancy, when the medical risks are greater [4]. The federal law dictates that states cover abortions under Medicaid under cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment [3], but having wider access to contraception would be a better solution to the problem of abortion and enable private companies to take on the burden of the costs[5]. A fetus “possesses a property, the possession of which in adult human beings is sufficient to make killing an adult human being wrong” [9]. The arguments for abortion are apt to “ 'speciesism '” [9] because the arguments center
Cited: Gensler, Harry J. "A Kantian Argument against Abortion." Philosophical Studies: An International Journal for Philosophy in the Analytic Tradition 49.1 (1986): 83-96. JSTOR. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/4319811>. “Abortion”. MedlinePlus. National Library of Medicine (US). Web. 2013 Jan 28. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/abortion.html#cat22> "Abortion in the U.S.: Utilization, Financing, and Access." The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. The Kaiser Family Foundation, June 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.kff.org/womenshealth/upload/3269-02.pdf>. "Abortion Statistics, Facts About Abortion In The US." Orlando Women’s Centers. The Women’s Centers, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.womenscenter.com/abortion_stats.html>. "Second-Trimester Abortion Overview." The Pro-Choice Public Education Project. Reproductive Health Technologies Project, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.rhtp.org/abortion/documents/Second-TrimesterAbortionFactSheetExternal.pdf>. Christian, Brugger E. "The Problem of Fetal Pain and Abortion: Toward an Ethical Consensus for Appropriate Behavior." Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 22.3 (2012): 263-87. U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23285794?tool=MedlinePlus>. Vaughn, Lewis. Doing Ethics: Moral Reasoning and Contemporary Issues. 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2013. Print. "Abortion, Miscarriage, and Breast Cancer Risk." National Cancer Institute Factsheet. National Cancer Institute (NCI), n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/abortion-miscarriage>. Marquis, Don. "Why Abortion Is Immoral." Journal of Philosophy 86 (1989): 183-202. Polytechnic School. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://faculty.polytechnic.org/gfeldmeth/45.marquis.pdf>.