The Ethics of Abortion
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Ethics of Abortion
Abortion is described as the process of removing the fetus from the uterus that results in termination of pregnancy. This process is among the known medical procedures carried out in America and other nations every year. Several research studies done indicate that more than 30 percent of the women end their pregnancy through abortion. Currently, abortion has become a crucial ethical issue in the field of politics, law and also religion as each sector has its interpretation and opinion toward this topic. Abortion is often depicted as a two-sided debate that includes those who identify themselves as pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life followers do not support it as they believe that it’s murder. On the other hand, pro-choice followers support abortion. However, the issue of abortion is quite multifaceted, and it also includes speculations on biology, ethics, and constitutional rights. The paper outlines the different views and understanding to this controversial topic (Baird & Stuart, 2001).
Ethics deals with what is right and wrong conduct. It explains what should be done and what should not be done. Medical ethics concerns how healthcare professionals should handle moral problems arising out of the care of patients. Most of the clinical decisions consider more than just the patient’s condition. The ethical principles that guide medical workers in making clinical decisions include autonomy, veracity, beneficence, nonmaleficence, confidentiality, role fidelity and justice (Morse, 2007). Ethical issues arise when all values cannot be respected. It, for this reason, requires prioritizing the values in conflict and justifying bleaching the values that are not respected. Research have proved that ethics is not the only discipline that deals with these issues: the law and religion also plays a significant role.
Nurses as the clinicians must understand the ethical principle concepts so that they can make sound clinical decision whenever they are faced with various ethical issues such as abortion. Ethical principles form a significant reference guideline of the health ethics. The principle of beneficence concerns itself with the well-being of the person involved. It means that people should strive in doing well and avoid harming others by all means (Morse, 2007). The principle of autonomy describes the importance of independence. It explains that people’s choices should be respected. Giving patient independence should be regulated so that they don’t end up making decisions that can harm others or themselves. The principle of non-maleficence describes importance of avoiding harming others. It’s stated as “above all do no harm to others.” People should not harm others intentionally or involve themselves in activities that can hurt others. The principle of justice describes that all persons should be dealt with fairly. All people should be equally treated unless there is a genuine reason as to why an individual may be treated differently from others (Bastable, 2003). Veracity is the principle that obligates a person to tell the truth. Confidentiality is the principle that ensures the protection of the privacy. The principle of role fidelity requires loyalty, fairness, truthfulness, advocacy and dedication.
There are different viewpoints on debates on whether it’s ethical or moral to terminate the fetus’ life during the pregnancy and before the normal childbirth. Currently, modern medical technology allows people to have an abortion based on their will and needs in many countries. However, people ask themselves whether it’s ethical to abort (Baird & Rosenbaum, 2001). For us to understand this ethical issue we need to understand some crucial questions that are triggered by this issue. People ask whether a fetus is a human person who has rights, self-conscious and self-aware. The fact is that there is no satisfactory answer or solid evidence for this question. Some people say that the fetus can feel pain between twenty to twenty-six weeks of pregnancy. Whatever the answer is the best way is to apply this issue with different philosophical perspectives on multiple situations.
We shall discuss this issue first in terms of two opposite views from Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarianism. Kant, a German philosopher, believes that all human have individual dignity and command of respect (Gillon, 2001). According to him, all behaviors and actions are done by the people merely because they are the right things to do. Secondly, people do things based on whether they are moral and not on other purposes. Kant would believe that an abortion is morally incorrect because it not right to kill a person, and it’s considered as a murder in any circumstances (Hewson, 2001). In simple words, no matter what circumstances a woman encounters during her pregnancy it’s not morally right to consider an abortion of the fetus. This view considers an abortion as immoral because Kant believes that it’s a murder to another person no matter what those reasons for pregnancy.
Jeremy Bentham is British philosopher who started the theory of utilitarianism that rejects the points of view of Kant. An abortion under Bentham’s opinion can be permissible under certain circumstances. For instance, when the mother does not have financial resources to bring up this future child. Also, when the mothers know that the fetus will be born with physical disability, abortion can be allowed for the purpose of achieving a balance of pleasure over pain (Baird & Rosenbaum, 2001). If the kid will be born with innate disability that cannot be cured by any medical means, his or her life might be miserable from the mother’s point of view. If it’s already known that the child is going to suffer for the rest of his life, why not choose a better way of relieving pain. Hence, turn that into happiness for both sides (Gillon, 2001). There is no absolute distinction between what is right and wrong based on Bentham’s view, only if the consequences are the most favorable for the person’s greatest happiness. As a result, an abortion is decided by careful consideration of the overall utmost and happiness as a whole.
The issue of abortion raises many ethical questions. To get the answers to these questions, we can group the issue into two different groups that include: pro-life argument and pro-choice argument. Pro-life people are against abortion. Using Science, we know that the unborn are distinct, living and whole human beings from the initial stages of development (Baird & Rosenbaum, 2001). Embryology supports this by asserting that a zygote is the beginning of new human being. Pro-life advocates believe that abortion unjustly takes the life of defenseless human beings. They believe that aborting a fetus treat a distinct human being with inherent moral worth like just a disposable object (Hewson, 2001). They also argue that abortion results in complications later in life such as ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage. Pro-life advocates do not support this issue as they equalize it to murder that is going against the human rights.
Pro-choice people support abortion. These people believe that the fetus become self-conscious and self-aware at around twenty-six weeks after conception. This group argues that a woman should never be strained to undergo pregnancy or childbirth if she is not willing to carry the pregnancy (Gillon, 2001). The group suggests that the woman should be free to ask for an abortion if it is performed at an early stage before a fetus reaches the status of a person. They also argue that the government should accept the decision of a woman who seeks an abortion. They also state that abortion is a safe medical procedure. The majority of women who have an abortion have it during their first three months (Greenwood, 2001). Medically performed abortions have less than 0.5% risk of developing complications and do not affect the woman’s health or her ability to have a child. Pro-choice believers encourage women to abort their fetus if they have a substantial reason for terminating the pregnancy.
The rights of the pregnant woman are another issue to consider when deciding whether abortion is right or wrong. Women possess certain rights that entitle them to abortion. One of them is the right to privacy. This right is outlined in the case of Roe and Wade where women were given the right to end their pregnancy in the first trimester. The other one is right to ownership of one’s body (Gillon, 2001). A person possesses the right to do what she wants with her body. The other one is right to equal treatment. Women argue that men can’t get pregnant and thus they should not be forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy as they are equal to men. The other one is the right to self-determination (Hewson, 2001). Women have the right to decide about their futures, and it’s immoral to force a bear a child against her will. Many feminist see the issue of abortion within the context of history of oppression of women and history of danger and death for women when abortion is illegal. These women rights complicate the issue of abortion.
The issue of abortion is multifaceted, and it also involves ethics, religion, and law. Ethics has to do with what is right or wrong. The principal argument advanced on the issue of abortion includes the view that a fetus is an innocent person. It also includes the view that it’s morally wrong to end the life of an innocent person. As a result, it’s morally wrong to end the life of a fetus (Baird & Rosenbaum, 2001). The religion holds that the issue of abortion is morally wrong, and nothing can justify this evil act. The law is not consistent from one country to another. Some states legalize abortions while it is illegal in others. Even in those countries that it’s legal, physicians fear to engage in this practice. The issue of abortion is controversial.
Nurse practitioners, as clinicians have the role of understanding the ethical principles so that they can apply them to solve ethical issues such as abortion. Patients cannot make a reliable decision on such a controversial issue as abortion without the help of a clinician (Morse, 2007). They are expected to make a sound judgment about ethical issues that they encounter in daily practice. For instance, the principle of autonomy grants the patient the right to make independent choices about their health but the clinician must regulate those choices to ensure that they are beneficial to the patient. The clinician should also use the principle of non-maleficence to advise a person who is seeking abortion without a medical indication that they are harming others (Morse, 2007). In this case, such a person wants to harm the innocent fetus and this advice can assist the person to make a sound decision about the issue. The nurse practitioners, as a clinician should advise the client that she should strive to do good according to this principle.
The principle of justice describes that all people should be dealt with fairly. The clinician should advise the client who wants to abort her fetus without medical indication that even the fetus deserves a fair treatment (Greenwood, 2001). The clinician should also apply the principle of veracity to tell the truth to the client concerning the issue of abortion. He or she should ensure that whatever they discuss with the client regarding this issue remain private (Bastable, 2003). The clinician should also ensure that he or she remain loyal, fair, truthful and dedicated while advising the client on the issue of abortion according to the principle of role fidelity. Thus, nurse practitioners, as a clinician plays a pivotal role in assisting the client to make substantial decisions about this controversial issue of abortion.
From the above argument and understanding, the abortion issue is controversial as there is no precise decision that brings a satisfying solution to the act. People are presented with so many philosophies and arguments that leave them confused on which is best to follow. The issue is multifaceted involving ethics, religion, politics and the law. Clear understanding of the ethical principles can help healthcare providers to make a reliable decision about this issue. Healthcare providers play a pivotal role in assisting clients address this issue. The issue of abortion remains a controversial all over the world.
References
Baird, R. M., & Rosenbaum, S. E. (2001). The ethics of abortion: pro-life vs. pro-choice.
Bastable, S. B. (Ed.). (2003). Nurse as Educator: Principles of teaching and learning for nursing practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Gillon, R. (2001). Is there a ‘new ethics of abortion’? Journal of Medical Ethics, 27(Suppl 2), ii5-ii9.
Greenwood, J. (2001). The new ethics of abortion. Journal of medical ethics, 27(Suppl 2), ii2-ii4.
Hewson, B. (2001). Reproductive autonomy and the ethics of abortion. Journal of medical ethics, 27(Suppl 2), ii10-ii14.
Morse, J. M. (2007). Ethics in Action: ethical principles for doing qualitative health research. Qualitative Health Research, 17(8), 1003-1005.
