Pro-life Ethical Considerations Of Abortion
It all begins – and by 'it,' I mean life – when sperm meets, and penetrates, the wall of an egg. This penetration is known as conception. Roughly three days later, this fertilized egg travels through the fallopian tube, into the uterus, and attaches to the wall creating the development of the placenta. 4 weeks later and the continuation of the heart and blood vessel development leads to that of the lungs, stomach, and liver. At 8 weeks, the fetus has arms and legs with fingers and toes, as well as the formation of eyelids, ears, and the tip of a nose. 16 weeks later and those eyes are blinking, the heart and blood vessels are pumping, and the fingers and toes have distinguishable fingerprints. At 20 weeks, you will finally be able to personally feel that baby move. At this time, you'd be able to know for sure whether it's a baby girl or a baby boy. At 28 weeks, premature birth is possible with a high chance of survival for that baby (Brennan, 2019). It is also at 28 weeks, that abortion is still considered to be possible. Abortion is defined as the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy (Fromer, 2012). Controversies around this issue include whether a fetus is considered a person, the impact that unwanted pregnancy has on the mother, whether or not the unborn child has rights, and so many more. Given the morality of the situation, I am pro-life. Abortions are morally unacceptable because it is wrong to intentionally kill an innocent person, regardless of what stage of life they are in.
There are absolute moral rules that every human should abide by. This means that there are some things that, no matter what, should never be done. One rule that comes to mind that corresponds heavily with this topic is the deliberate killing of innocent human beings. There are so many arguments that revolve around this idea of what constitutes the start of life, whether or 1 Pro-Life Ethical Considerations of Abortion not a fetus is a human being, and whether or not abortion is considered the killing of an innocent human being.
Human life begins at conception. A sperm meets an egg and that creates a fetus which is the first step of the life of a human being. That fetus has it's very own genetic code that is distinct from both the mothers and the fathers. Regardless of whether that person is at the stage of conception, or at the age of 85, everyone has a unique genetic code that makes them the person that they are. There is not one specific point where one can say that they are now human. It's not at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 28 weeks, etc. You cannot say that the fetus was not human yesterday at 8 weeks gestation but they are today at the beginning of week 9 because what makes yesterday any different than today in that aspect? That fetus will grow throughout all stages of its life following conception so to make an attempt to place an onset of humanity at a particular date or time is bound for arbitration. As mentioned before, abortion is still allowed up until 28 weeks in some states. Along with that, there have been premature births that have occurred at 28 weeks where the baby survived (Fromer, 2012). To say that abortion is not killing an innocent human being is wrong if you look at it this way. One baby may still be in the womb at 28 weeks whereas another baby of the same age may be born early. Would you deliberately kill that baby that was born at 28 weeks? Or since that baby was born and no longer in the womb, would it be considered wrong at this point in time? The difference between these two cases is that one baby is hiding behind the walls of a stomach and womb, whereas the other is not anymore. It is morally unacceptable to kill both of these babies, whether it's by abortion or another way. The fact that the baby is still in the womb does not change the fact that they are human beings, too.
All basic human rights have an underlying common denominator, and that is a right to life. This right to life should not be divided up and abortion does just that. It takes away that right to life from that fetus. Abortion destroys the potential life that they could have in this world. It destroys that chance for them to have a future. Philosopher Don Marquis touches on this idea that abortion deprives a fetus of what he called a 'future like ours,' or FLO for short. 'The future of a standard fetus includes a set of experiences, projects, activities, and such which are identical with the futures of adult human beings and are identical with the futures of young children' (Marquis, 2012). Murder, and killing of the innocent, deprive a victim of the value of their future. That is exactly what abortion does as well. It deprives that fetus of developing and growing to get to this stage that, to say, you and I are in. Taking away that opportunity from the fetus strips them of that right to life.
Individuals who are for abortion may argue a number of things as to why abortion should be legal. One argument that I came across by pro-choice activist, Mary Ann Warren, that was agreed upon by many pro-choicers was that individuals must have the following traits to be considered a human being: Consciousness, reasoning, ability to communicate, self-motivated activity, and self-concept. According to Warren, if they do not have these traits, then you are not human (Austin, 2019). To this, I would disagree. There is an important distinction that comes with certain traits and that is the distinction between what is known as latent and actualized capacities. These traits that Warren discussed are known as actualized capacities, meaning they were learned and eventually mastered. Latent capacities that traits that we have the ability to master through growth, learning, and practice. Fetuses have these traits in their latent form due to human nature itself. With that said, as fetuses grow and develop, they will have the ability to turn these latent traits into actualized traits. Because they do not have the traits at the moment, it does not mean they do not have the potential to gain those traits. I could argue that infants do not have these specific traits yet either because they are still growing and learning, yet they are considered human beings in the eyes of these activists.
A common argument for why abortion should be supported is the idea of women's rights. A woman having a right to her body does not give her a right to end another person's life. Going through with an abortion loses a life. A loss that lasts a lifetime. That loss is much greater than the loss of a woman's control over her body that lasts for the 9 months that they are pregnant. As mentioned before, all basic human rights would not be possible without the right to life. The right to life outweighs that of individuals desiring equality or control. Considerations a person leaning towards abortion may consider is the financial aspect, the life they may or may not be able to provide for that child, the health of their current relationship, their support, etc. All of these factors could play a role in a person's decision-making process. Abortion deliberately kills the baby inside that mother's womb. An innocent life that could have been placed for adoption to make another family happy that may not be able to conceive on their own. That baby could make your life turn out for the better without you even realizing it at the moment. There are so many healthy options that could save not only that mother's life but more importantly, that innocent baby's life.
There are so many different moral theories and ideas that may relate to the subject of abortion. Immanuel Kant, a famous philosopher, states that human beings have intrinsic worth– in other words, a dignity – that holds them valuable above all price and makes them irreplaceable. He goes on to discuss further how to enhance a person's moral goodness in regard to other human beings. 'Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only' (Rachels & Rachels, 2015, pg. 139). Treating individuals 'as an end' basically means to treat them well and to treat them with respect. You ought to respect their rights, respect them holistically as a person, avoid harming them, etc. Treating a person as a means essentially means to 'use,' manipulate, or harm them to achieve your own goals and follow your own paths. Abortion goes against all these aspects of Kant's theory. That fetus, that baby, that little human being inside the human is just as valuable and just as irreplaceable as everyone else in this world. That fetus is an end in itself and deserves to be treated just as you would treat any other person.
As mentioned prior, there are moral rules that should never be broken. You may also think of them as a universal law. Killing an innocent person, regardless of that stage of life they are in, is a universal law that should never be broken. Abortion is morally unacceptable because of this. That fetus inside of the womb is a human being. I was at that stage once in life where I was conceived and I have now grown into the person that I am today. The same goes for you. Imagine if you or I weren't here because our lives were taken from us before we really got to live and enjoy them. This life that we are living, is the life the has been taken by so many different babies around the world due to abortion. It's time to stand up for those fetuses and start treating them 'as an end.' This is their life and they should be given the chance to live it. Who are you to say otherwise?
References
- Austin, M. W. (2019, June 7). Ethics and Abortion. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ethics-everyone/201906/ethics-and-abortion
- Brennan, D. (2019, February 23). Pictures of Fetal Development Month-by-Month. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/baby/ss/slideshow-fetal-development
- Ethics: Abortion. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/ Fromer, M. J. (2012, April 30). Abortion ethics. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7041095
- Marquis, D. (2012). An Argument That Abortion Is Wrong. Retrieved from http://web.csulb.edu/~cwallis/382/readings/160/marquis.html
- Rachels, S., & Rachels, J. (2015). The Elements of Moral Philosophy (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
- Steinbock, B. (2016). Abortion. Retrieved from https://www.thehastingscenter.org/briefingbook/abortion/
- http://web.csulb.edu/~cwallis/382/readings/160/marquis.html
