Introduction
In today’s world, many things are often a point of contention and it comes as no surprise that abortion features on this list. Abortion arouses serious religious, social, political, legal and ethical debates. On one side is the pro-choice group who propose that the decision of whether to proceed with the procedure should be left on the hands of the expectant mother. On the other side, the anti-abortion proponents insist that there is not justification whatsoever for abortion.
Thesis
Abortion is the murder of the unborn and no justification can explain the unwarranted death of the unborn as it violates life’s fundamental principle; the right to life. Abortion also exposes the woman to a host of dangers, some of which are fatal. It should therefore be illegal and unacceptable in any given society.
Main findings
Abortion is debatable because there is no agreement on the status of the fetus; Is the fetus a real person with a right to legal and moral claims? What is then the real definition of a person? In my opinion, a person is a member of the human species. A person must first be a fetus before becoming a person. Call it what they may but abortion it a heinous act of murder. A person is said to have been murdered if his life was taken from him, intentionally or otherwise, and he did not will to die. It is assumed at the time of death, the victim was rational and had free will. The abortion of a fetus warrants to be classified as murder because when this life is being taken, the potential of the fetus to develop into a ration and consciousness is taken from him (Vaknin, 2008).
The decision to abort has never been easy. When abortion was legalized in the US in 1973, Pandora’s box was opened for, there have been millions of abortions since then. The situation is so severe that abortion is at times used as a form of contraception. Even when legal, it is common to hear of women who have lost their lives in the hands of uncouth and dangerous alley doctors because they are often ashamed of their actions and seek these services and procedures under wraps. If abortion is moral, why then is it a loudly kept secret? It the women who undergo these procedures were in the right, why can’t they be open about their actions? Why is a woman who has had several abortions considered to be of questionable moral standing?
Abortion should unacceptable because it encourages irresponsible sexual behavior. Once a woman knows that she has the option of ‘taking care of her problems’, she is likely to be careless in her interactions with men. She is also likely to have multiple sexual partners. The numbers of teenage pregnancies are also likely to be on the rise as the young girls become reckless. I believe that a woman loses some privileges when she engages in unprotected sexual activity as she puts herself at risk of pregnancy. Once she is pregnant, she signs a contract with the unborn child and cannot reverse the contract by aborting, even if she regrets her actions. I believe that society needs to be more accountable of its actions and must be ready to pay for the consequences of its actions. By aborting, the mother denies the unborn child the opportunity to lead a productive and meaningful life. Abortion is morally unacceptable because the decision to give and take life can never be in the hands of mere mortals (Hozien, 1999).
In the attempt to determine when a fetus actually becomes a human, pro-choice proponents, state that the justification of having human rights should be determined by the ability to have interests in life. A fetus has no conception of life, let alone the desire to have it. In a sense, a fetus is more like an ant than an actual human being. Pro-choice proponents suggest that abortion is justifiable because the fetus has no consciousness and thus cannot have any will. They further state that only one with an ability to exist independently should have any rights. A fetus cannot survive outside that womb of its mother and thus, they state, its existence cannot determine the right of the mother to choose. They argue that while a fetus has a DNA mark-up, which will be his biological map for all time, this notion is easily be countered by the fact that the environment plays a central role in determining what kind of people we are. They insist that if the DNA were the only justification of assigning human rights, then the whole existence of man would be too simplistic. I beg to disagree with these pro-choice proponents. Personally, I do not think that a fetus is a dismissible as they attempt to portray. A fetus is the epitome of potential, and is indeed life. If it were not then the fetus would not feed and show any signs of life when in the mother’s womb. It is said that the unborn child connects with its mother, and this bond cannot be severed. So, how can we even debate of the viability of a fetus? I find this appalling.
Conclusion
Abortion is a murder that should be condemned at all level in society, period. It is very ironical that while a corporation can be classified as a person and is covered by law, a fetus is not. Society must condemn abortion and it should not be up to the mother to determine the fate of the unborn child. Society must stand up and be the voice for the unborn child in the same way the society stands up for the weak, abuse and overpowered. It is untrue to say that the mother is morally significant and she therefore holds the right to interfere with the right to life of another human being. However, there have been some convincing arguments in favor of abortion, especially for cases where the mother’s life is in considerable danger if the pregnancy is not terminated or if the conception was because of rape. This further reaffirms that abortion should not be handled as a collective matter but individual assessment should be conducted so as to identify the genuine cases (Vaknin, 2008). Our mothers once gave us the chance to life; we should therefore not take it upon ourselves to decide to take away the right to life from others. It is not only ethically wrong but also, socially unacceptable.
Bibliography
- Hozien Muhammad (1999). Abortion and Personal Freedom. Web.
- Vaknin Sam (2008). “Abortion; The aborted contract and the right to Life”. Web.