Is Abortion Morally Right?

Abortions became increasingly more common throughout the end of the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century, even though, by 1900, abortion was prohibited by law throughout the U.S. unless two or more doctors agreed that an abortion was necessary to preserve the life of the pregnant woman (Sauer).

In Judith Jarvis Thomson’s philosophy paper, A Defense of Abortion, she argues that abortion is permissible because an individual’s right over their own body outweighs a fetus’s right to life. In this paper I will focus on whether or not abortion is always permissible. First, I will present Thomson’s argument which says that abortion is sometimes permissible. I will do so by describing her “famous violinist” thought experiment. Next, I will object to Thomson’s claim and expand the scope of her argument by arguing that abortion is in fact, always permissible. I will do so by presenting a new thought experiment. Finally, I will conclude in saying that Thomson is correct and abortion is in fact only sometimes permissible.

Abortion is defined as an early termination of a pregnancy, willingly. It is one of the most controversial issues that is brought up because there are so many different views. This ethical issue today is usually split in two groups, one of these views being pro-choice, giving the option to have an abortion to the family of the fetus. The other main view today is pro-life, which states under no circumstance may a life be taken away. There are many concerns with abortion, the biggest being is the fetus an actual person yet? Many of us will never know the answer to that question. Two views I will go deeper into is the view of Immanuel Kant and the view of a Utilitarian.

Abortion is defined as “The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.” (Oxford Dictionary). Nearly three out of ten women in the U.S. have an abortion by the time they are 45-years-old (Planned Parenthood). Abortion is morally permissible because an abortion prevents a woman and the potential child’s suffering. Abortion is moral because it is a fundamental right of competent adults to make their own decisions on the course of their medical treatment, can alleviate further suffering in immoral cases, such as rape and is protected by rule of law.

When the beginning of life actually occurs is clearly not a topic to be taken lightly in today’s modern world. Majority of the population’s answers to this question are based on each individuals opinion and is supported by what they believe. In general, there are two sides of the argument. One is that life begins at the time of conception. The other belief is that life doesn’t begin until the drawing of the first breath. The true dilemma here is not the accurate pinpointing of life’s beginning, but the questions that accompany this topic and each individuals desire to do the right thing, the moral thing. While one point of view allows for abortion the other does not. The issue raises many questions of morality. Is abortion moral? When does it become murder? When is it permissible? (Life of the mother at stake / A product of rape). Should it be the mother’s choice? Many arguments for both sides pull from scripture and scientific articulations.

Abortion is the deliberate termination of a woman’s pregnancy before they deliver birth, in which it results the death of the fetus. Abortion has been one of the most heated debates in America for years. There are two sides of abortion, those who believe that it is a woman's constitutional right to decide, and others such as myself, who believe that abortion is unethical, and it is murder when destroying a child’s life.

Abortion is a highly debated topic over pro-life or pro-choice being right or wrong. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. It is a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy and cause the death of a fetus.

Abortion rights are one of the issues that has been around since 1800’s and it was declared illegal after many deaths among women occurred, which was a result of complicated and illegal abortion. Decline in birth rates in late 1800’s was another reason to ban abortion. By the end of the 19th century in 1967 abortion was illegal in the United States. Abortion was and still is considered a crime according to some percent of people. Many people are still against abortion because

The question of whether or not abortion is morally permissible is widely disputed amongst those who are pro-life or pro-choice. While in some societies abortion has been outlawed, others either entirely allow for it or consider abortion permissible on a case-by-case basis. Many pro-lifers classify abortion as immoral, some even considering it murder. Abortion is typically defined as terminating a pregnancy before the fetus is able to survive outside of the womb. A crucial factor in determining whether or not an instance of abortion can be considered morally permissible is the demarcation of the age of the fetus. Various hard cases in certain societies that have been considered permissible cases for abortion such as: threat of health to the mother, pregnancy in result of a crime (i.e. rape), reduced quality of life of the child (i.e. genetic problems and physical or mental defects), disadvantaged social factors (i.e. poverty), etc.

Faye Wattleton, the longest reigning president of the largest abortion provider in the world - Planned Parenthood- argued as far back as 1997 that everyone already knows that abortion kills. She proclaims the following in an interview with Ms. Magazine:

When it comes to the ongoing debate on whether abortion is a moral thing to do or not, it is often hard to come to a conclusion on which way of thinking is right or wrong or if any way of thinking is wrong to begin with. In the case of Immanuel Kant’s various arguments in the novel Ground for the metaphysics of morals, I believe that Kant would feel that it would be a morally permissible thing to do to abort a fetus, and I feel this way due to his opinions on the differences between a person and a thing and the viewpoint of while the fetus may not be a thing, it’s 1P stage where it cannot self-determine should allow mothers to consider an abortion if that is what they desire.

Abortion is defined as “The removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end the pregnancy” (dictionary.com). However, if only the debate over the abortion issue was as easy as the definition listed above. However, similar to most things in life, a statement or opinion is never right nor wrong, but simply left open for clarification. Those who are against abortion believe that abortion is the murder of innocent human beings who aren’t given a chance at life and the ability to function as a normal individual. However, those who are for abortion believe that it is a women’s right to choose what she does to not only her baby but

Abortion is a deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. There are series of legal, moral and ethical issues which may arise about abortion. Most arguments about abortion are often focused on political insinuations and the legal aspect of such actions. Some frequently asked questions’ regarding the issue is if the practice should be outlawed and regarded as murder or should women have the right to practice it. For example, prior to becoming pregnant, some women feel that they would be able to choose the abortion option without trouble. However, even with reasons why having an abortion would be the best option, some women feel that this decision would not be right for them. On the other hand, some women have a strong belief that abortion is unethical prior to becoming pregnant.

All around the world, unborn babies are being killed everyday. Abortion has become one of the most common operations in the US today. People that are “pro-choice” believe that it is acceptable for a woman to have the choice to abort her baby or not. They say that it is the legal right of a woman. They believe that a baby is not yet alive until it has been born. It is argued that a woman should be able to do what is best for her future, health, and body. On the other side of the spectrum lies people that are “pro-life”. They believe that human life begins at the time of conception and that killing what is unborn is murder. They defend this with arguments from science, as well as scripture. Pro-choice believes in abortion because it will benefit the majority of women and possibly families. They are looking out for themselves and their best interests. It is Utilitarianism as well as egoism. They believe it is morally acceptable to end the life of the unborn. It will provide the majority with an unwanted pregnancy and a way out of a tough situation. Pro-life is against abortion because of a religious authority and because it will benefit a majority (unborn babies). They believe it is morally unacceptable to end the life of the unborn.

Abortion is defined as the intentional termination of a human pregnancy. An abortion is often done so that the birth of a child doesn’t happen. Some say abortion is wrong and sinful while others say it’s a good idea since it won’t bring an unwanted child into the world. Abortion is also considered morally wrong since its killing a growing baby or fetus as it is often referred as. Abortion can also be seen as murder since the process of abortion kills the baby. Some argue that it should be the woman’s decision, but what about the baby? Doesn’t he/she get the right to live? It might not be moral, but is it legal to have an abortion procedure in the U.S? Does the government stand by this heinous act? Now, when women make these kind of decisions do they look at what it could possibly do to their health, how is it affected? Don’t they feel any remorse for this horrible deed? How can people continue living a perfectly normal life knowing that they agreed to kill a defenseless baby? Not all the reasons to get and abortion are wrong some might be life threatening cases like the child might not make it to birth or the mother is not strong enough and both lives are at risk. Possibly the woman got raped and doesn’t want the baby to be the constant reminder of that incident. But is that a good enough reason to take someone’s life? For the foreseeable future abortion will be an extremely hot topic for discussion.