Premium Essay

Why Is Abortion Ethically Wrong

Submitted By
Words 769
Pages 4
Twenty-one percent of all U.S. pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion. There are many people who are for abortion and many who are against it. Although some may believe that abortion is the solution for them, it shouldn’t even be considered a solution because it is essentially murder. There are only special cases in which abortion should be considered and that is if there is a health risk for the mother or the child. Just because technology made it accessible doesn’t mean it’s ethical. In fact it’s extremely unethical and should only be allowed in special cases. In my opinion, when anyone has sex they are consenting to all the risks that come with it, one of them being pregnancy. When a woman gets pregnant, whether it’s intentionally …show more content…
The Supreme Court in 1973, Roe vs. Wade, legalized abortion in the first trimester. Since then, over 35 million women have had legal abortions. Also, the right to privacy and reproductive rights is an “enumerated right.” But just because it may be legal and okay by the law doesn’t make it right or ethically correct. Slavery was legal for over 150 years but it was beyond wrong; it was the epitome of arrogance and racism yet by law you were completely in your rights to own another human being just because they had a different skin color than …show more content…
During the first trimester they believe the fetus is a mass of tissue and isn’t considered human because it wouldn’t be able to survive on its own or even artificially through an incubator. However they forget that they are still ending a life or the potential of life and that according to facts, the heart beats after 16-25 days and the brain works after 40 days. So if it is murder to kill a human at any stage of their life, it should be made illegal to have an abortion because how can a government that prosecutes murderers condone it at the same time? In “Abortion Debates”, an article discussing whether states should enact new restrictions, tells us that many people are coming to realize that abortion is unethical.
“Anti-abortion groups say the legislated restrictions reflect a gradual shift in public opinion in favor of what has come to be called “pro-life” views. “Recent polling shows that more Americans characterize themselves as pro-life than pro-choice,” says Mary Harned, staff counsel with Americans United for Life

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Why Is Abortion Ethically Wrong

...No matter the person, no matter the cause, they matter. Between the two articles “Abortion” and “The Rights of a Woman Do Not Outweigh the Rights of a Child”, they each give their opinion on abortion, also revealing their side of the matter. Even though much is not given on which side is chosen, the article “Abortion” goes more into explaining the situation and controversy of abortion. Controversy like some people believe that it is alright for women to have abortions because they think that an embryo or fetus is not a human life because it is unborn, which is completely false. The article “The Rights of a Woman Do Not Outweigh the Rights of a Child” is on the side of being against abortion. They talk about how the rights of an unborn baby...

Words: 834 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Ethical Relativism

...Cuetara Philosophy October 15, 2011 Right or Wrong Ethical Relativism is the belief that nothing is objectively right or wrong and that the definition of right or wrong depends on the prevailing view of a particular individual, culture, or historical period. Different cultures have different ethical and moral standards that might seem odd or wrong but if they are justifiable and or not completely forced upon a group then there should be nothing wrong with said act. I agree with ethical relativism, to a certain extent, the fact that people in our modern culture criticize or judge people in others for what they do and why they do it is morally wrong. We have never had an absolute ethical standard in history so just because we think something is right or wrong doesn’t mean it is, different people respond differently to certain ideas and actions. Ethical Relativism shows us that some practices are ethically right in their respective cultures and that we should respect other people’s ethical decisions if they are made out of necessity or choice by the group of people involved. What one culture might think is absolutely horrible and wrong, might be completely acceptable and necessary in another. In other cultures some decisions are made for the survival of the civilization. The Eskimos sometimes leave there new born female children behind in the frigid climate to die. At first glance that seems incredibly wrong and inhumane, but looking further into the reasoning it...

Words: 1259 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Bioecological Model of Human Development

...discuss the effects of abortion on the women who have this procedure. For many cultures abortion is a horrible act. It is considered murder of an unborn human being. In today`s society many people still consider abortion to be an unethical practice and dangerous procedure. It is a typical conflict theory argument of social problems in today’s society. It is a conflict in society because it comes down to peoples ethical and religious stand point that is what makes up the conflict. Ethical is either it right because the fetus is in the women’s body and its her choice to choose if she wants to be a mom or not. The other side of the ethics argument czn stem from religious as well it is a life and murdering an unborn baby is wrong. There are two groups of people who fight to sway the law makers to their side the pro abortionist group and the antiabortion group (Henslin, J. M. 2011). These are commonly known as the prolife and prochoice groups. Many people though when you use these terms don’t take the group seriously they considered these people radicals. There are protesters who believe they are standing up for the unborn by murdering abortion doctors and burning down abortion clinics. The vigil-anti`s think this is justifiable due to the fact that abortion doctors are taking innocent lives and without the clinic there would be no place to have an abortion. The pro-choice group believes that abortion is ethical and...

Words: 4926 - Pages: 20

Free Essay

Ethics of Abortion

...Ethics of Abortion Destiny Vazquez SOC 120 Instructor Slack Monday, April 16, 2012 Abortion, one of the most ethical issues debated today. It has been a widely controversial debate for many years dated back to even before it was made legal in the United States. Like most ethical issues, there are two sides as to what is the right thing to do. Some people think that abortion is completely and utterly wrong. Some people think that abortion is right when and only when the mother’s life is at risk. And others think that there is a range of different circumstances that make abortion morally acceptable. In this paper I will present the issue of abortion, explain the three classical theories of utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics on how to solve the issue and contrast this response with the perspective brought to the issue of abortion by ethical egoism. I will also present you with my personal opinion as to why I believe abortion should be in fact morally accepted by society. The issues that arise when debating about whether abortion is ethically wrong or right are many. There are two sides to this debate and they call themselves, “pro-life” or “pro-choice”. Pro-lifers say that it is morally wrong to end pregnancy because you are in fact killing an innocent human being, and the pro-choicer believes that the choice should be made by and for the impregnated woman and that under certain circumstances, abortion is in fact acceptable. Many questions are being asked to...

Words: 1945 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Abortion and Disability

...With reference to abortion, examine and comment upon the issues that emerge from keeping up with developments in medical ethics, whilst maintaining religious principles and/or ethical values. (Total for Question 1 = 50 marks) There are several issues that arise when it comes to the development in medical ethics whilst also maintaining religious principles and ethical values. The development of medical knowledge has allowed for humans to practice different ways in helping society. But these new discoveries have found to clash with religious principles and ethical values. This can be related to the topic of abortion as it goes against monotheistic religious teachings. In the 21st Century it is allowed for a mother to abort a healthy child up to only 24 weeks in the UK. However, still within the UK it is permissible to abort a foetus with a disability up until the stage of birth. Many thoughts have been voiced as to what message is trying to be implied by this piece of legislation. Does this suggest that it is wrong to carry a disabled child? Or maybe it wouldn’t be wrong or classed as murder to abort a disabled child past the stage of viability even though it’s ready to be born. Or simply that the quality of the life of a disabled person is lesser than that of a healthy person. If this was the case then it could be a possibility that disabled people may not be classed as persons in society as they are not fully functioning humans. If disabled people are not human, this could...

Words: 937 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Abortion Could It Be Ethical?

...Abortion Could it be Ethical Kelanah Hubbard SOC120 Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility Prof. Jennifer Murphy September 3, 2012 Could you imagine witnessing a child have surgery at 21 weeks gestation for spina bifida, outside of the womb and then be placed back inside? Would you agree with the mother aborting the child if there were no chance of adverse side effects from surgery and the child was going to have a normal birth in 3-4 months? “As the surgeon was closing the womb, the miracle happened. Baby Samuel pushed his hand out of the womb and grabbed the surgeon’s finger. Photographer Michael Clancy caught this astonishing act on film. And in that instant, Clancy went from being prochoice to being prolife. As he put it, “I was totally in shock for two hours after the surgery…. I know abortion is wrong now---it’s absolutely wrong.” (Alcorn, 2000, pg.33) Abortion and whether it is right or wrong ethically and what might be some of the opinions and ethical solutions, has always been a big debate and will be covered more. Utilitarianism argues that given a set of choices, the act we should choose is that which produces the best results for the greatest number affected by that choice. I believe that is the best solution for the crisis of abortion because it would make more people have to weigh their options and truly think about the choice they are about to make. People in society these days make decisions very selfishly and do not think about what is...

Words: 2969 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Debate Paper

...Abortion has been a topic of great controversy for nearly forty one years now. In 1971 a single, pregnant female sued the state of Texas because the law stated that an abortion could not be performed unless it was medically necessary to save the mother’s life. Her doctor was also a plaintiff in the case because he was facing two counts of murder for performing an abortion on a mother that was not medically necessary. A couple who could not have children and believed taking an unborn child’s life was unethical and wrong counter sued with the defense attorney by the name of Wade. This brought about a court decision almost two years later upholding legalized abortion and stating the laws in Texas were vague and unjustifiable. Stating that it was a woman’s right to choose abortion. Allowing women the option to have an abortion up until twenty four weeks gestation. Leading the way for other states to change their laws governing abortions. This brought about a whole new issue as to whether abortion should be legal or not. Prior to Roe vs. Wade an abortion could not be performed unless the mother’s health was at great risk. After the case, many states reevaluated their laws so that mothers could have an abortion for various reasons including “just because they weren’t ready to settle down.” This decision divided the American people as to whether it was ethically and morally right for a woman to choose abortion. In 2013, there were over one million abortions performed in the United...

Words: 1827 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Should Abortion Be Legal

...Should Abortion be Legal? Julianne Jackson PHI 103 Fabio Escobar June 11, 2012 Should Abortion be Legal? Abortion is something that I am for, not against. I was raised as a Christian and I believe that, “thou shalt not kill” however, there are circumstances in our lives that cause us to believe differently. Life is about making choices and our maker and society gives us the freedom to choose. It is because of these choices that we will make a decision as to if we are ethically right or wrong. This is because regardless of what people may believe abortion is neither right nor wrong.   It is the matter of a personal opinion where each side can say with conviction that the other side is wrong. Abortion is the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy. Abortion is one of the most controversial issues around and it will remain an issue that will never be agreed upon. The issue of morals has been put into the question of whether it should be legal to have an abortion thus elevating the subject to a higher level. Some people no longer look at abortion as a question of choice but as a question of morality, and these perceptions have led to a full-blown debate over something that should not be questioned. A single pregnant woman brought a class action suit that challenged the Texas law that prohibited abortions except when medically advised with the purpose of saving the mother’s life. Roe was the single mother in this case and Henry Wade was one...

Words: 2349 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Abortion

...Abortion is a very controversial subject that has been continually argued over for the past few years and probably many years to come. The main controversy is should abortion be legalized? First before we get into the many sides of abortion we must first define abortion. Abortion is the destruction of the fetus or unborn child while the child is still in the mothers womb. This can be done by almost anyone from the mother herself to back alley abortions and even to abortions by clinics set up especially for this purpose. There are two sides to this abortion topic the PRO-LIFE which is those who are against abortion altogether and the PRO- CHOICE or those who believe it is the womans right to choose if she wants to have an abortion. These two groups offer different solutions to problem. The pro-life solution is to have the child and basically live with it. They believe abortion is not an answer. The pro-choice solution is abortion because of reasons they feel are appropriate. Although abortion is morally and ethically wrong should it be legal for victims of rape or incest who have no other alternative? There is no real answer to this controversy, there are two sides to it though which have been arguing for many years over the subject. The first is the pro-life group. This group does not believe in the abortion factor. To understand where the pro-life stands we must first understand its beliefs and reasons for its beliefs. Then we can discuss what their solution to the abortion...

Words: 406 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Ethics

...Ethics- Peter Vardy pg 31). Socrates took a practical view on ethics, he was concerned with ‘’how an individual would live in order to achieve happiness’’. Socrates can be seem as saying; ‘’Think hard enough and you will always find that doing the right thing is best for you ‘’ ( quoted in Peter singers A companion to Ethics, Blackwell p. 125 ). Plato's view was much more in depth and most famously contradicts Socrates work. Plato believes ethics is ‘’ knowledge is the virtue of happiness ‘’ . Plato can be seen as saying ‘’ If you believe something is right than its right, but if you believe something is wrong but still go ahead , this is unethical’’ . ‘’An individual human being is the measure of all things’’ (quoted from The puzzle of ethics-pg 9 Peter Vardy). There is many different types of ‘ethics’ for example: utilitarianism ethics, where as a person believes the wrong or right thing to do will depend on the outcome for instance; if a man was to choose...

Words: 3690 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Experiences

...being able to experience the world we know of today? Many bypass this thought process when considering abortion. Women instead think of themselves and their situation when debating the option of abortion. Life is valuable period. Regardless of whether there are good outcomes of abortion, or negative outcomes of abortion, I am against abortion. Regardless of what is going on in life, women know that the only way to not get pregnant is through the choice of abstinence, but they still choose to have sex. With this being a problem it makes abortion look really evil due to careless and selfish choices that women are making today. Abortion has been overthrown and battled in many courts with different cases and the procedure of abortion has granted because the right of the constitution protects the choices that women make with the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment. The constitution protects the rights of women in many different ways including the choice of what women want to do with their bodies. These three amendments make abortion legal and create a bigger problem of diminishing this evil operation for the fact that abortion has been approved by judges all across America. In prior cases, such as Roe vs. Wade, argue that in the case of abortion, it is unconstitutional to take the rights of women away as a citizen and force women to birth a child. In the case of Roe vs. Wade, abortion was granted and deemed constitutional and this decision was based on the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment...

Words: 3178 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Abortion Ethics

...Abortion is a very controversial subject that has been continually argued over for the past few years and probably many years to come. The main controversy is should abortion be legalized? First before we get into the many sides of abortion we must first define abortion. Abortion is the destruction of the fetus or unborn child while the child is still in the mothers womb. This can be done by almost anyone from the mother herself to back alley abortions and even to abortions by clinics set up especially for this purpose. There are two sides to this abortion topic the PRO-LIFE which is those who are against abortion altogether and the PRO-CHOICE or those who believe it is the womans right to choose if she wants to have an abortion. These two groups offer different solutions to problem. The pro-life solution is to have the child and basically live with it. They believe abortion is not an answer. The pro-choice solution is abortion because of reasons they feel are appropriate. Although abortion is morally and ethically wrong should it be legal for victims of rape or incest who have no other alternative? There is no real answer to this controversy, there are two sides to it though which have been arguing for many years over the subject. The first is the pro-life group. This group does not believe in the abortion factor. To understand where the pro-life stands we must first understand...

Words: 2719 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Abortion Research Paper

...Abortion is defined as the deliberate termination of a pregnancy, usually before the embryo or fetus is capable of independent life. Therefore an abortion results in the death and/or murder of an embryo or fetus. Abortion is also illegal in many countries as it is destroying helpless and innocent children just because they are not capable of life. By killing these unborn infants, in my opinion, humans are actually hurting themselves. They are not allowing themselves to meet these identities and new personalities. Abortion is simply wrong. Every person on this earth is raised knowing the difference between right and wrong. We all know that murder is wrong, so why is abortion not wrong? People argue that it is not murder if the child is unborn, but abortion is murder. The fetus being destroyed is living, breathing and moving. Why is it that if a baby is killed a month before the birth, it is ok, but if it is killed a month after birth, it is murder? It is morally and strategically foolish, because we lose the middle when we talk about reproductive rights without reference to a larger moral and spiritual dimension, and we are unwilling to use language like transgression and redemption, or right and wrong. (Wolf 54) One of the main reasons abortions are immoral, is how they are so viciously conducted. Everyday innocent and harmless fetuses that very well could soon be laughing, lovable, and beautiful children are being brutally killed. One brutal form of an abortion is to cut the...

Words: 1554 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Ethic

...Ethics Essay ETH/316 ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Ethics Essay One of your friends uses the terms ethics and morality interchangeably. You do not think this is correct. How would you explain the difference between ethics and morality? Provide an example of morality and one of ethics in your explanation. ​   ​Ethics are codes of conduct that pertain to a community, family, company or a nation. On the other hand, morality refers to personal sets of beliefs about what is right and wrong.  ​People have their own morals that may or may not be in sync with society’s ethics. Morality and ethics are two words that are closely interrelated. This is why it is common for people to make incorrect usage. It is better to understand the meanings of two words before highlighting their difference. While ethics refers to a code of behavior in reference to a group, whether it is family, community or a nation, morals are more personal in nature. Ethics in a social system refers to a philosophy morality finds application. Ethics is a very broad term and you can have family ethics, company ethics, social ethics or even national ethics. These are socially accepted codes of behavior applicable in immediate surroundings. For example, there are do’s and don’ts in a company that makes up its ethics and when you are inside the premises of a company, you behave accordingly while you are much more relaxed when you are in your family where there might be another set of ethics. Ethics are principal...

Words: 515 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Ethic

...Ethics Essay ETH/316 ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Ethics Essay One of your friends uses the terms ethics and morality interchangeably. You do not think this is correct. How would you explain the difference between ethics and morality? Provide an example of morality and one of ethics in your explanation. ​   ​Ethics are codes of conduct that pertain to a community, family, company or a nation. On the other hand, morality refers to personal sets of beliefs about what is right and wrong.  ​People have their own morals that may or may not be in sync with society’s ethics. Morality and ethics are two words that are closely interrelated. This is why it is common for people to make incorrect usage. It is better to understand the meanings of two words before highlighting their difference. While ethics refers to a code of behavior in reference to a group, whether it is family, community or a nation, morals are more personal in nature. Ethics in a social system refers to a philosophy morality finds application. Ethics is a very broad term and you can have family ethics, company ethics, social ethics or even national ethics. These are socially accepted codes of behavior applicable in immediate surroundings. For example, there are do’s and don’ts in a company that makes up its ethics and when you are inside the premises of a company, you behave accordingly while you are much more relaxed when you are in your family where there might be another set of ethics. Ethics are principal...

Words: 515 - Pages: 3