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The Ethical Dilemma Of Abortion In The United States

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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
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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 …show more content…
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

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