Kant's Arguments On Abortion

Kant believes that moral law comes from humans’ ability to reason and all immoral behavior is unreasonable or irrational. Kant defines categorical imperative as a law of morality that all humans have a duty to obey and must be able to apply universally. Meaning, to determine if an act is morally good, then you should be able to will that everyone else would act in the same way thus making it a universal law. So in the case of abortion, one would have to ask “Can you will that every woman would have an abortion when she is pregnant?” If you answer “yes,” then abortion is moral. If you say “no,” then it isn’t moral. Kant would also say “that treating persons as mere means, applied to human embryos and fetuses and would to be wrong to either abort them or destroy them” (Manninan,

The abortion debate in America has far surpassed the 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion. The controversy continues to encompass ethical questions such as when human life begins, what constitutes the value of human life, whether restricting or outlawing abortion infringes upon women’s rights, and more. Politics, religious beliefs, and moral philosophy are often factors that contribute to the arguments of many vehement pro-life and pro-choice advocates. Though the medical community strives to respect the beliefs of patients, such subjective principles cannot be utilized to formulate and impose a nation-wide standard regarding abortion. The popular notion that the ethicality of abortion is an issue with no plausible universal answer

Each year, 46 million women worldwide experience an abortion, a fact that would make anyone sick to their stomach. In actuality the current statistic proves that there are 1.3 million abortions performed each year in the United States alone; that is almost 1000 times our schools population aborted in ONE year. The controversy surrounding the ethicality of abortions has been an emotionally debated topic during the past several decades. It is an argument where the human interactions of morals, emotions and law come together into one. Pro-life is morally sound, and depicts abortion as wrong and as murder, where in fact, it is. Abortion not only withholds a scientific basis for why it is wrong, but abortion is immoral in all

“When given a choice between two acts, utilitarianism states that the act that should be chosen is the one that creates the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people.” (Mosser,2013). One of the reasons given for abortion is financial stability. The biggest difference between Deontology and Utilitarianism is that Deontology focus on the act being committed, whereas in utilitarianism if the action produces overall happiness it is right. In a scenario where a family cannot afford to have a baby, it is okay to do so because the family wouldn’t suffer financial problems and they would be happier this way. This shows a weakness in deontology because obviously people will always prefer the happier route. Deontology would have this family have this baby even though it would bring them pain through a financial burden only because imposing the will of abortion would be wrong. The categorical imperative has it set in stone that the act of abortion is wrong. Therefore, the best objection would be another ethical

These ideas are not without the support of the normative ethical theories. Firstly, according to John Stuart Mill’s ethical theory, an act is right if promotes pleasure and wrong if it promotes harm and pain. In my view, forcing a woman to carry an unwanted fetus into term is greatly harmful. Unwanted pregnancies can harm the lives of women who do not desire children at the moment or have determined that they cannot adequately care for children in their current situation. A way that this harm can be prevented is by giving women the option of aborting the fetus. In addition, an unwanted pregnancy can become an obstacle for a woman looking to pursue a career, which can constitute as a higher pleasure. Abortions allow for women to be in more control of their lives and to let them decide what pleasures to pursue.

5. What do you think Kant’s ethical theory tells us about the morality or immorality of abortion? Is it clear what utilitarianism tells us about abortion or euthanasia?

Abortion, defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary as, “the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus” is a highly discussed and debated topic. The subject has been particularly prevalent in the news recently due to the election of our 45th president and the debates leading up to it. The topic of full term abortions has been a particularly hot issue. However, for the sake of discussion in this paper, the focus is going to be on first trimester abortions. The majority opposed to the procedure, argue that abortion is ethically wrong and should not be legally allowed regardless of the stage of the pregnancy. I, however, believe it is a woman’s right to choose, and abortion should continue to be legal. Abortion is an ethical topic today’s society faces quiet frequently, with issues pertaining to ethics we find it is best to revisit the great minds and theories of the early philosophers who opened the door to the idea of ethics and how they defined actions to be ethical or otherwise. Aristotle’s theory is a good place to start.

During the past quarter century, abortion has joined race and war as one of the most popular subjects of controversy in the United States. Abortion poses a moral, social and medical dilemma that challenges the way many of us think and feel. There are many points of view toward abortion but the only two fine distinctions are "pro-choice" and "pro-life". A pro-choicer would feel that the decision to abort a pregnancy is that of the mothers and the state has no right to interfere. A pro-lifer would hold that from the moment of conception, the embryo or fetus is person. This life imposes on us a moral obligation to preserve it and that abortion is tantamount to murder. As with all arguments, there are strengths

Abortion is the induced expulsion of a human embryo/fetus from the womb before it is capable of surviving independently. There are 2 main classifications of abortion, Surgical and medical . Surgical abortion - involve invasive procedures like Suction aspiration, a procedure most used in the first trimester of pregnancy. The abortionist inserts a suction tube (similar to a vacuum hose with an extremely sharp end) into the mother’s womb. The suction and cutting edge dismember the baby while the hose sucks the body parts into a collection bottle”. Medical abortion- These are abortions that involve the administration of drug specifically intended to abort the child. Common drugs used for medical abortions include Methotrexate, this highly toxic chemical directly attacks and breaks down the baby’s fast-growing cells. It also attacks the life-support systems the baby needs to survive. When the systems fail, the baby dies. Misoprostol is then used to cause contractions and push the dead baby out of the womb. The mere mention of the word stirs great tension and controversy. Some hold the position that abortions are unjust and should be illegal under any circumstance, while others believe the potential parents have the right to decide .Throughout this essay we will examine the themes essential to these arguments while maintaining the view

Abortion – the deliberate termination of a pregnancy, most often performed within the first 28 weeks of pregnancy – has become a widespread and controversial subject, especially within the United States recently. This particular scenario most commonly takes place due to social, religious and economic factors. Abortion also carriages a moral, social, and medical dilemma that face many, which goes on to create an emotional and violent atmosphere for all involved in any given situation. The term abortion is most commonly tied to the act of induced abortion, although there are multiple instances in which a miscarriage is involved. Alongside these arguments regarding the views on abortion as an ongoing problem, certain guidelines and limitations should be introduced to limit the amount of annual abortions that have taken place.

Abortion is a highly controversial issue in the United States. Many people have been asking themselves the same question, “Is a mother’s right more important to her unborn child’s?” Late-term abortion is the main topic that has caused most of the issues. Consequently, antiabortion activists continue to pressure politicians to outlaw abortion. Women have the right to make their own decisions, which is stated in the constitution, but they should at least make an informed one. The main argument on abortion is really a debate on human life, and whether it has value from the moment of conception. To kill unborn using medical procedures can cause psychological pain for a woman, can lead to severe medical complications, and can put the unborn

Abortion in the United States has been controversial for decades. Abortion has created a public, political, and moral divide. Some feel that abortion should be illegal, others feel it should be restricted. Still some feel it should be legal and freely accessed. Society associates the issue of abortion with determining when life truly begins, and at what point in a woman’s pregnancy does the fetus have the legal rights of a human being? Which begs the question of a fetus’s rights versus the woman’s right to choose and determine issues that deal with her body.

While abortion is legal in the United States, the law is diverse among many Americans who assert a great level of opinion regarding the topic. Issues regarding the legalization and procedures that govern the law makes it controversial in nature. Since the Supreme Court’s decision in making abortion legal, there has been a great divide between those who support the advancement of the law, while there is a deep moral reserve for opponents who ethically challenge these regulations. Since the inception of the law, advancements in science, technology and healthcare have been made to support the safety of women’s health. However, advocates still argue that the procedures are dangerous physically and emotionally. Lately, political propaganda on

Abortion, one of the most heated and debated issues in the American society must not divide our nursing profession. Many have drawn their conclusion or their stand on the issue based on many factors, their religious belief, moral conviction, political party affiliation and there are some in the political arena who have chosen their stand on the issue solely base on political calculation whether or not their chosen position can get them more vote, thus elected. The purpose of this post is to discuss issues of abortion in this country, in this post I will share my moral stand on abortion, how it was developed and what influenced my position on the issue. After reading this post you should have a clear understanding of why the issue is so divisive

The intentions of this paper are to present the arguments and positions of Judith Jarvis Thompson with the essay A Defense of Abortion and R. M. Hare with the essay A Kantian Approach to Abortion. Hare would argue that we should follow a general doctrine in which we should reject abortion but considering some exceptions. Also, Hare argues that we cannot rely on the question that if a fetus is a person to decide whether to abort or not. Therefore, Hare suggest a Kantian approach that we should be consistent in avoiding abortion. However, Thomson’s argument is that abortion in some cases should be permissible but also, she believes that in some cases abortion is immoral. Also, she argues that if we could know that the fetus is a person, then abortion must be impermissible excluding specific cases.