Taking Sides: Is Abortion Immoral?
Is Abortion Immoral? In Carol Levine’s book, Taking Sides, the debate discussing whether abortion is considered immoral or not raises questions about the relationship between law, society, and ethics. When discussing abortion, there are typically two polar opposite views in which to categorize the argument: the pro-life view and the pro-choice view. From a conservative point of view, the “pro-life” stance is one that sees abortion as the taking of an innocent life of a child. The pro-lifers would also argue that life begins at conception and are in favor of supporting the life of the child in the womb. However, abortion has been legal since 1973. “The 1973 Supreme court decision of Roe v. Wade declared that a woman has a constitutional right
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Some pro-choicers argue that it is not so much intentionally killing the child, but rather not choosing to provide the child with assistance or a home during the gestation period, all while knowing that evicting the child will almost certainly cause death. The “bodily rights argument” states that “a woman is not morally required to allow the fetus the use of her body.” (p 124) By describing abortion as choosing not to provide bodily life support is a misconception, when the ultimate side effect is death, however unintentional it may be. “There is a significant moral difference between not doing something that would assist someone, and doing something that causes someone harm, even if that harm is an unintended (but foreseen) side effect.” (p 125) Most women that chose abortion do not want their child to die or to commit feticide, they simply want to terminate pregnancy. Death of their child is merely a horrible side effect. However, does it morally justify their choice? “Abortion is the act of extracting the unborn human being from the womb- an extraction that usually rips him or her to pieces or does him or her violence in some other way.” (p
Some pro-choicers argue that it is not so much intentionally killing the child, but rather not choosing to provide the child with assistance or a home during the gestation period, all while knowing that evicting the child will almost certainly cause death. The “bodily rights argument” states that “a woman is not morally required to allow the fetus the use of her body.” (p 124) By describing abortion as choosing not to provide bodily life support is a misconception, when the ultimate side effect is death, however unintentional it may be. “There is a significant moral difference between not doing something that would assist someone, and doing something that causes someone harm, even if that harm is an unintended (but foreseen) side effect.” (p 125) Most women that chose abortion do not want their child to die or to commit feticide, they simply want to terminate pregnancy. Death of their child is merely a horrible side effect. However, does it morally justify their choice? “Abortion is the act of extracting the unborn human being from the womb- an extraction that usually rips him or her to pieces or does him or her violence in some other way.” (p