Abortion
Ethical issues continue to weigh heavily in the way healthcare is delivered in the United States. Diversity makes the most sensitive issues settle in a grey area, rather than simply black or white. Many believe that abortion is ethically justified, when others believe it is morally wrong. The ethical differences in opinions will be explored in the following paragraphs, analyzing the issue from different perspectives. Yet the act of abortion appears to break the vows of non-maleficence that health professionals must remain committed to uphold.
According to John Stuart Mill, utilitarianism is a moral theory of ethics in which “an act’s of rightness or wrongness resides either in the nature of the act itself or in the results that the act brings about” (Mill, 2001). In today’s modern society, the utilitarian theory alone accounts for society’s understanding of virtue. The definition of utilitarianism according to Baillie, H.W., McGeehan, J., Garrett, T.M., and Garrett, R.M.(2013 p.4), in Health Ethics states: “Utilitarianism is social consequentialism, that holds that one should act so as to do the greatest good for the greatest number.” Based on the insight of these authors, refraining from abortion contributes to the greater good of not only the childbearing woman, but also to the greater good of society.
Many base their argument of abortion on physiological, physical, even socio-economic reasons, but the act unknowingly causes more damage to the woman than one would think. People who have actually had an abortion are emotionally and physically distorted. Unfortunately, many who choose abortion find themselves faced with worse consequences. The results of research by Mota, N. P., Burnett, M., & Sareen, J. (2010) titled Associations Between Abortion, Mental Disorders, and Suicidal Behaviour in a Nationally Representative Sample From the Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry, 55(4), (p.239-247) states: “abortion was associated with an increased likelihood of several mental disorders—mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, as well as suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.”
The dilemma caused by abortion in society is vividly experienced in hospitals. Although modern medicine is completely capable of performing abortion safely, many are still hesitant to perform the procedure due to its ethical implications. Healthcare professionals are believed to operate based on their will of doing-no-harm. However, some are obligated to participate in exerting the professional duties against their values. The nursing team is probably the most vulnerable victim of this dilemma. The medical doctor, for instance, could more freely tell the patient that he/she does not perform abortions, but nurses do not have the same privilege. A quantitative research conducted by Ben Natan, M. M., & Melitz, O. O. (2011) titled “Nurses' and nursing students' attitudes towards late abortions” in the International Nursing Review reveals that “overall the participants had a more positive attitude towards late abortions in the following cases: (1) risk of malformation or developmental disability (2) pregnancy as a result of rape, and (3) danger to the life of the mother.”
The debate on abortion attracts even more attention in the general public. Data from a recent research by Finer, L., & Fine, J. B. named Abortion Law Around the World: Progress and Pushback. American Journal Of Public Health, 103(40) shows that in 2013 abortion is illegal in 68 countries worldwide, even for the purpose of saving a woman’s life. On the other hand, 60 countries allow a woman to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy. Furthermore, 57 countries permit abortion to protect a woman’s life and health, and an additional 14 permits abortion for socioeconomic motives. Based on statistics alone, roughly 39% of the world’s population lives in countries with highly restrictive laws governing abortion.
The essence of this debate emerges from the fact that people have different opinions on when life begins. Some believe that life begins at conception when others think it begins at birth. KAPOSY, C. (2012) mentioned in his article titled “Two Stalemates in the Philosophical Debate about Abortion and why They Cannot be Resolved Using Analogical Arguments” that abortion deprives the fetus of its future that contains many things that are valuable: relationships, experiences, projects… He also added that “Human fetuses have futures like ours, and that since abortion deprives fetuses of their valuable futures, abortion is wrong.”
There may be different views on this topic, however religion offers some insightful clarifications. Regardless of relativism in religion, it is well known that all the major religions value life in every aspect. According to the Christian Bible, King David wrote in Psalm 139, 13-16:
“For You formed my inward parts:
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.”

“Yet unformed,” while he was being “made in secret,” in a place invisible to human eyes. The uses of the personal pronouns in these verses indicate that there was, indeed, a person present before birth. As conception is discussed throughout the Bible, Jeremiah 1:4–5 reads:
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Not only Jeremiah, but many other prophets, including Jesus Himself, (Luke 1: 30-34) were appointed by God from their mother’s womb. It is clear that religion has a solid support for life beginning before birth, thus at conception.
The ethical consideration about abortion is also present in the political arena. Democrats tend to be pro-choice, republicans tend to be pro-life. In fact, the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obama care, met a huge resistance due to the fact that a part of the bill will allow for coverage of elective abortion. An article published on January 28th, 2014 by FOX NEWS shows how both parties feel about the issue:

Republicans argued that it wasn't sufficient in the face of the health care law.
"Under the Affordable Care Act, massive amounts of public funds in the form of tax credits — $796 billion in direct spending over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office — will pay for insurance plans, many, perhaps most of which will include elective abortion," Smith said. "That massively violates the Hyde amendment."
Another abortion opponent, Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., said "life is a gift worthy of our protection" as he described his daughter, Jordan, born with a severe form of spina bifida, as a blessing from God.
Democrats countered that the legislation was another salvo in the GOP's "war on women," designed to chip away at reproductive rights and strip women of their access to coverage through private health insurance. The bill stands no chance in the Democratic-led Senate.

Abortion remains one of the most controversial topics in the American healthcare system. Medical professionals, especially nurses, do not favor abortion unless there are serious complications endangering life. With regard to religion, life is valued at conception, however, concerning politics, opinions remain divided. The utilitarian view, which supports the greatest good for the greatest number, does not support the act, as it is detrimental to both fetus and the woman. Therefore, according to Mill’s theory of utility, abortion is not morally justifiable.