Why Is Abortion Morally Wrong

Agreeing to a time-based restriction could protect older fetuses and still safeguard the rights of most of the women seeking abortions, who are usually within 12 weeks of pregnancy. Coming to an agreement as to when the fetus is truly alive, is the next step to coming to a time-based restriction agreement. Medical science has advanced the ability of the fetus to survive outside the womb from about 28 weeks to about 23 to 24 weeks. Since the progression of medical technology is always changing, suggestions for compromise propose a cutoff date for elective abortions at eight to sixteen weeks, which is well before viability (Flanders 25). One of the strictest proposals includes prohibiting abortions after approximately the eighth week when fetal brain waves can be detected. Some say that this is appropriate because this is the same way that doctors determine the end of a person’s life. Some supporters go so far as to say that there should be a sixteen week allowed time period, opposed to the eight week. Pro-choice people argue that this restriction would be less objectionable than the eight-week restriction since ninety percent of all abortions are performed within the twelfth week of pregnancy (Driefus 101). Millions of pro-choicers and pro-lifers believe that any such compromise would be impossible. From different ends of the argument, they criticize any proposal of time limits that would violate the rights of women or violate the rights of fetuses. They all agree

The topic of abortion is heavily debated. One of the major controversies surrounding abortion is whether or not the embryo is a human life and able to receive the same rights as any other human. Is the embryo mentally developed enough to be considered as a human life? It is medically proven that after conception, the human brain takes many months to develop, so the “personhood” of a fetus cannot begin until about the seventh month.

One of the first moral issues addressed by both sides of the abortion debate concerns a pregnant woman’s so-called natural “right” to make “reproductive choices.” (“The Rights of Pregnant Women”) Anti-abortion advocacy groups claim that “the only way to actually protect the mother’s rights will be by enforcing laws that secure her child’s right to life,” (“Argument 2”) whereas pro-abortion groups contend that these laws “create a dangerous precedent for wide-ranging government intrusion into the lives of all women.” (“The Rights”) With two fundamentally contrasting viewpoints at odds with each other, it is apparent that one of the core issues concurrent with abortion is a woman’s rights versus the rights of her unborn fetus.

Debate and policy about when life begins has circulated the Unites States since at least the 1700s, and still the question remains the same; when does life begin. Anti-abortionists assert that science proves life begins at conception. Similarly, pro-choice advocates believe there is not enough evidence to say exactly when life begins. There is tension between the two groups, which leads to poor communication. Both sides refuse to give up any ground because the stakes are high, but it’s important to find a solution to an escalating problem. This literature review considers whether abortion should be outlawed by responding to the following questions:

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.

Science tells us that from the moment of fertilization, a fetus is a human. Despite this, however, there is a swarm of controversy surrounding question, when does a fetus become a human? Many people believe that once a baby is conceived, it is considered a living human being. Many of these people believe that whether or not a fetus is a human is chiefly a scientific question. “The question as to when a human being begins is strictly a scientific question, and should be answered by human embryologists - not by philosophers, bioethicists, theologians, politicians, x-ray technicians, movie stars or obstetricians and gynecologists” (Irving). While Irving has a valid point in saying that whether or not a fetus is a human is a question mainly for

One of the most debated arguments in discussing abortion is the question of when life begins. It is an argument that is not entirely clear even through science as some people believe life begins at conception, fertilization of the egg, development of the fetus, or birth of a child. Determined separately by each state, the gestational limits set the number of weeks at which an abortion is no longer legal as the fetus would be viable outside of the womb. For most states in the US this is an average between twenty to twenty four weeks. Determined by the famous 1973 case of Roe vs. Wade, Justice Harry Blackmun concluded that the word “person” as used in the Fourteenth Amendment did not include the unborn, thus making abortion legal. This case is still relevant as abortion is still legal today within certain gestational limits which attempt to determine when life begins and when a fetus can begin to feel. Some argue that the states “held unborn children to be persons under the property, tort, and criminal law of the several states at the time Roe was decided,” and because of this, “the text of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment compels federal protection of unborn persons” (RODEN). Those who are in opposition to abortion have a goal to set gestational limits sooner than those in place now and to one day eliminate the option of abortion entirely. Organizations such as Planned Parenthood which offer access to abortion in addition to birth control and other

Ever since the case of Roe v. Wade in 1973, abortion has been one of the most contentious issues in our society. In some cases people think abortion is murder, in others, it’s reasonable for some cases. Then there are people who use it just to take advantage of it. The legal stance of abortion is a hot topic in today’s society.

Likewise, what criteria dictate whether the fetus’ right to life prevails over any rights the mother has to bodily autonomy?

Fetal viability is known as the point at which a fetus can survive outside of the mother’s womb (Nursing Times, 2014). The Human Fertilization and Embryology Act of 1990 states that the upper gestation limit for legal termination is defined as the end of the 24th week of pregnancy (Magil-Cuerden, 2011, p. 753). There have always been two arguments for the 24th week limit that; that it presents a social/political compromise taking into account public opinion and that it presents the lower limit of fetal viability (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1999). Those that want the abortion time limit to be lowered argue that the survival rate of premature babies has improved since the 1990’s, the last time the law was changed. In the last 60 years or so advances in technology have enabled women to give birth to premature babies (Magil-Cuerden, 2011, p. 641). Those that want the abortion limit to be lowered argue that the survival rate of premature has improved since 1990. According to them medical science and technology have made it easier for premature babies born between 21-22 weeks and six days to be saved and viability is now set at 19weeks (Acred, 2012, p. 21)

Even if a fetus is defined as a human being because it has a potential life, if the fetus does not yet aspire to live. It is impossible to argue that the fetus values its future yet, so why should it have a right to it?

exact moment of when the baby is considered alive. Some of the answers include: the moment the umbilical cord is cut and the baby is breathing on its own, after the first trimester, and from the moment of conception. “Since the nineteenth century, the official doctrine of the Church has been that ensoulment (life) occurs at the moment of conception” (Ayd 49). It was Pope Paul VI who insisted “that from the moment of conception life must be guarded with the greatest care and that direct abortion is morally wrong” (Ayd 49). However, no one really knows when the actually time of life begins and people will continue to argue against each other with

A long on-going subject that has been greatly debated in our society is abortion. Many people argue that because the baby in the mother’s womb is not alive, aborting him or her is not considered a murder. However, others say that as the baby’s heart and brain are the first things to develop, the baby is technically alive and killing it would be a murder. As soon as the baby has a heartbeat, it has life. Abortion has many characteristics of a murder, including the killing of one human being by another, it’s unethical, and it is done without the consent of the person.

In any respectable medical or pregnancy textbook across the globe, it will explain that all kinds of life begins at conception which is when an egg becomes fertilized within the expectant mother’s uterus. On the other hand, pro-choice men and women may determine a lifeform from a certain weight or size; therefore, this is a reason that justifies why abortions continue to happen up to a certain week in the pregnancy. Many people do not take into consideration that the fetus growing inside of the mother’s body is alive and has rights. According to the

Due to the fact that they changed their minds, it causes the main debated in the battle over whether abortion is morally acceptable. At times in church history, the point at which life was thought to begin varied. Some thought human personhood began at conception, while others believed in the Aristotelian concept that life began 40 to 80 days after conception when the soul enters the body (Childress and Macquarrie 2). Today, science shows that although the human ovum, or egg, is alive when it enters a woman’s fallopian tubes, it is not considered a human being until it meets with a sperm causing conception and the beginning of life as a diploid.