Abortion Ethics
The subject of abortion continues to draw many reactions worldwide because there are different perceptions that people have regarding abortion. Some opponents believe that abortion is a crime and should not be permitted. On the contrary, there are those who think that it is not a crime. Therefore, every woman should have the right to carry out abortion as she wills. The film “Abortion War” from the Berkeley Library further stirs up thoughts about the acceptable treatment of an unborn child. Despite the different views, the abortion is unacceptable and should not be legalized because it can have negative impact on the person’s life and well-being.
Generally, life begins after the conception. When a man and woman copulate, once there is the interaction between the sperm and the ovum, fertilization takes place. In essence, the conceived element is, a life that is waiting for time to mature and become a regular begin. Science shows that fetus that has not attained nine months yet can be saved and given viable conditions to grow (Malbon 34). Therefore, it is important to consider a conceived fetus as a human being. However, the termination of pregnancy can take place, when it puts the life of the mother at risk. In this case, it is done out of the need to protect another life.
Consequently, the moral status and personhood should be established at conception as the life begins then. The people consider the potentiality rather than the actuality. While the fetuses may not have an understanding of the world and what it entails, they have essential features that make them worth considering. For example, physicians argue that a stressed mother is likely to affect a fetus as it grows. Stress is a functionality of the mind. It, therefore, emanates that the fetus in their immature form can detect stress levels. As a result, they must not be ignored as an inanimate object of conception. On the other hand, they must be accorded to moral status and personhood as individuals who are yet to spring up.
The decision regarding abortion currently varies from state to state (Malbon 67). There are those who legalized it. On the other hand, in others states, it is illegal. Generally, the central government should make one-time decision to make abortion an illegal activity. When each state has its law, it creates a mixed message to the public. Primarily, it shows that there is no defined moral stand for the entire society. Consequently, a young person has the right to argue his or her behavior because there are two sides to the law. The long-term impact is that a nation does not have rooted moral values.
In general, abortion is a couple’s point. In other words, it is neither a man’s nor a woman’s issue because both parties are involved in the process of conception. Thus, they should participate in the decision-making. Nevertheless, one party can decide to retreat in case the other person chooses a wrong direction. For example, if the man pressurizes a woman to make an abortion against her will, then the woman should decide to bring up the child as a single mother. While abortion hurts the body of the woman, the man is also involved emotionally. It is needless to say that he becomes the father of the unborn child. The potential victim violence act is a fundamental law that helps to protect the citizens as it recognizes the fetus in the womb as a legal victim. The law should be applied to any time the life of the fetus is threatened. The fetus must be considered a legitimate victim even during an abortion.
Therefore, abortion is unacceptable as it terminates one’s precious life. It is so in the view that life begins at fertilization. The only point it is justifiable is when saving the life of the mother. Consequently, one’s moral status begins at conception because of his or her potentiality rather than actuality. Abortion should not be legalized in the states because of its adverse impact on the well-being of a person.
Works Cited
Malbon, Craig. Abortion in the 21st Century. Pearson Education, 2012.