Is abortion morally justified?
By: Dr. Satyavan Saurabh
Termination of pregnancy or feticide is morally and ethically challenging and is probably considered illegal in countries with restrictive abortion laws. Ethical dilemmas such as women’s rights to autonomy, rights to the individuality of the fetus, and the doctor’s ethical obligations to society may conflict. In liberal jurisdictions, preterm fetuses may not have legal rights of personality; Therefore, appropriate action will be taken to respect the decisions of pregnant women regarding feticide.
If the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother, we must consider the value of the fetus compared to the value of the life of the mother. An unwanted child does not have a good life. If a mother has a child she does not want, both she and the child may suffer a great deal; Forcing the mother to continue the pregnancy may reduce the child’s chances of a happy life for herself and cause great suffering to the mother: the mother should have the right to control her life, at least to the extent That in doing so she causes the least harm to herself.
The right to abortion is important for gender equality. The right to abortion is important for individual women to achieve their full potential. Banning abortion forces women to use illegal methods that can be harmful. But on the other hand, the right to life should always be more important than an individual’s right to equality or the right to control himself. It can be misused.
The fetus has a right to live because it is a ‘potential human’. The ‘potentially human’ argument entitles the unborn to live from an early stage of development – the moment the egg is fertilized. This argument makes irrelevant any concern as to what type the embryo is at a particular stage of its development. One of the strongest arguments for giving the fetus the absolute right of the individual as it is a potential individual that flows from the position of the newborn.
A newborn at birth has so few characteristics necessary for a ‘moral personality that his right to life cannot be based on his being a ‘moral person. However, everyone accepts that he has a right to live – even those who follow the ideology of the ‘moral man.
The right to life is the basis of all other human rights – if we protect those rights, we must also protect the right to life. Abortion is a civil rights issue in which some of those who support abortion do so as a way of controlling the growth of certain population groups. Sometimes women are forced to have abortions by exploiting partners or families. Sometimes women are subjected to abortion because society fails to meet their needs. Parents have an obligation to their unborn children – it is wrong for them to avoid it. Abortion is cruel to those who perform it, or who are involved in the process.
All religions have taken a strong stand on abortion; They believe that the issue involves deeper issues of life and death, right and wrong, human relationships, and the nature of society, making it a major religious concern. Those involved in abortion are usually deeply affected not only emotionally, but often spiritually as well. They often turn to their faith for advice and comfort, for an explanation of their feelings, and to seek atonement and how to deal with their feelings of guilt.
According to Stanley Hower “No amount of moral reflection will ever change the basic fact that tragedy is the reality of our lives. A point has been reached where we must have the wisdom to stop moral reflection and confirm that some The issues point to a more profound reality than morality.” These are supporters who support the choice of the one who gives birth to the child and therefore voluntarily supports the cause of abortion.
In some circumstances, they can take away the right to life of the fetus; These moral rights include: the right to own one’s own body, the right to decide one’s future, the right to make decisions without moral or legal interference by others, the pregnant woman has the right to life – where not to abort the fetus. If the life or health of the mother is in danger, she has the moral right to abort.
To allow abortion is to legalize murder. Legalizing murder lowers people’s respect for life. Undermining society’s respect for life is a bad thing – it can lead to increased rates of euthanasia, genocide, and murder. That’s why abortion is always wrong. Philosopher Ted Lockhart has come up with a practical solution to tackle ethical problems. Which can be used to decide whether to abort the fetus. Lockhart suggests that we should “act such actions which we have the utmost confidence that are morally acceptable”. When we have to make a moral choice, we must take the step we believe is most morally correct.
The writer is Research Scholar, Poet, Independent Journalist and Columnist, All India Radio and TV Panellist.
