Ethical Issues Of Abortion Essay
The Ethical Questioning of Abortion In 1973, the Roe vs. Wade trial held in the Supreme Court deemed it unconstitutional to legally ban abortions in the United States (McBride, 2006). Immediately following that decision, there has been a continuous ethical and legal debate regarding the topic of intentional abortion. This debate focuses mostly on when life begins. Within the debate, there are individuals called anti-abortionists that believe human life begins at a zygote and aborting this unicellular mass is both legally homicidal and morally unethical. The opposite, an abortionist’s argument, is that life does not begin until birth of the baby and therefore abortion is both ethical and legal (Gordon, n.d.). This paper will attempt to analyze
…show more content…
Beneficence is the idea that the benefits of an intervention must outweigh the risks and costs of the same intervention (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). This would mean that the benefit of the abortion would have to outweigh the cost of a fetus’ death. Abortionists often argue that abortion can be a better option for the baby, because of financial, physical, or emotional strains that will not provide a healthy and prosperous environment for the child to grow. By this logic, the benefits of preventing a fetus from entering into these situations might outweigh the costs, therefore making this decision ethical. However, anti-abortionists argue that killing a fetus would never outweigh the cost of a human’s life, due to the fact that killing a human is known to be unethical in society. Mother Teresa once said, “It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish” (Goodreads.com, n.d.). Justice is the final key principle and is the consideration of benefits, risks, and costs equally. Similar to beneficence, the benefits must not be less than the costs to be considered ethical (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). Each situation is different and must be considered
Beneficence is the idea that the benefits of an intervention must outweigh the risks and costs of the same intervention (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). This would mean that the benefit of the abortion would have to outweigh the cost of a fetus’ death. Abortionists often argue that abortion can be a better option for the baby, because of financial, physical, or emotional strains that will not provide a healthy and prosperous environment for the child to grow. By this logic, the benefits of preventing a fetus from entering into these situations might outweigh the costs, therefore making this decision ethical. However, anti-abortionists argue that killing a fetus would never outweigh the cost of a human’s life, due to the fact that killing a human is known to be unethical in society. Mother Teresa once said, “It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish” (Goodreads.com, n.d.). Justice is the final key principle and is the consideration of benefits, risks, and costs equally. Similar to beneficence, the benefits must not be less than the costs to be considered ethical (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). Each situation is different and must be considered