Abortion and the value of human life

Write a 3-4 page research paper on abortion and the value of human life.

To achieve maximum points for content and analysis, the following elements need thoroughly addressed:
� Explain the issues involved in the ethical topic you have selected.
� Provide a case study for that ethical topic to illustrate the issues involved and how ethical decisions should be made in the face of those challenges.
� Provide at least 1 source besides the textbook (any citations to the dictionary should be provided on top of the required sources, Wikipedia as a reference should not be used).

Ethical Issues of Abortion

Introduction

In life, the need to preserve human life has been given much importance. Consequently, any attempt to terminate life has been viewed orthodox and hence viewed as murder. Termination of life is done via numerous ways with abortion being a significant method. Abortion can be referred to as removal of a fetus from the womb of the human female either at the request of any agency or when the fetus dies (Hinman, 2014). The reference of abortion as a form of murder has elicited a heated ethical debate from two opposing school of thoughts.

Pro-life

The major concern is the absolute right to life and this is the point where the principle of value for life arises. In this case, it is argued that life begins at conception and therefore it is illegal to terminate the life of the fetus since it is already living. Many activists argue that if the fetus is a person, then abortion is murder and hence it is illegal. In the pro-life argument, the right to life is absolute and much more the life of the unborn and its innocence (Hinman, 2014). Therefore, every unborn “child” should be considered to be human and it be accorded all the rights it deserve.

Pro-Choice

The next issue is the “pro-choice” which states that a woman has the absolute rights of abortion upon her request. The origin of this argument due to the fact that the fetus is part of her body until birth and hence she has full control over her body. In this case, the principle of individual freedom comes is where people are supped to choose what is best for them in their own situations. This argument associates the life of the mother and the life of the unborn child. If the mother’s life is threaten with the development of the fetus then abortion should be considered (Hinman, 2014). Additionally, other considerations such as she will not in a position to raise the child and the norms of the society are essential according to the pro-choice argument. Hinman (2014) states that rights of the pregnant mother such as right to privacy, right to ownership of her owns body etc. should be considered.

Case study

The case is based on a a lady called Doris Kalasky who was forced to have sex with her father and unfortunately she became pregnant. In this case, the argument is whether abortion should be performed or not. By considering the first ethical issue where fetus has the right to life; Doris must not perform abortion. This is because; the unborn child should receive all the rights that a person deserves. On the other hand, Doris has the freedom of choice in the sense that she can choose whatever she wants in that circumstance. The fact that the father of her unborn child is her biological father means that they do not have a future in terms of relationship; that is they cannot marry and raise the child as a mother and a father. Secondly, on religious point of view, this is regarded as incest and it is taboo in the society and Doris risks being disowned by her community. With regard to these issues, Doris has the option of performing the abortion. However, the issue of abortion has been prevalent in the current world since the some laws are vague on this issue. Nevertheless, abortion should be illegal and discouraged in all nations. Life starts at conception and the life of the unborn child should be protected by the law from ruthless mothers. Only a medical officer should suggest abortion after careful examination and found that the life of the mother would be in danger.

Reference

Hinman, L. M (2014). Abortion: An Overview of the Ethical Abortion Issues. Cambridge University Press.