The Topic of Abortion

Talon Roberts
12/11/20
PHIL-1120
The topic of abortion is likely to bring up very personal and sensitive thoughts, and it is

usually not a topic all groups of people can talk about casually in a conversation because

it is one that does not have an exact right or wrong answer; it always depends on the

person and situation, and with every person being different, the situation can vary

dramatically. The argument of whether someone should have a choice in getting an

abortion or not is one that can very well cause a divide in people and personal

relationships, even with people within your immediate family. It is a topic that has

caused mass protests and even violence amongst one another because it is hard to find

an exact right or wrong answer, especially as a whole. To understand why this is such a

sensitive topic and why it is so hard for people to universally agree on the topic, we

must look at the pros and cons of getting an abortion and take a deep dive into all the

directions this topic can lead us and weigh how you might answer this for yourself.

First, one must know what an abortion even is before you can decide whether an

abortion right or wrong. As stated in the book “Doing Ethics, Fifth Addition” by Lewis

Vaughn, the definition of an abortion is, “Abortion (also called induced abortion) is the

deliberate termination of a pregnancy by surgical or medical (with drugs) means. The

unintentional termination of a pregnancy (due to a medical disorder or injury) is known

as a spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage. An abortion performed to protect the life or

health of the mother is referred to as a therapeutic abortion.”1 These definitions can

hold a lot of meaning for someone trying to decide on their position on abortion.

With these definitions in mind, we now must look at these assorted reasons as to

why a woman would get an abortion. Let us look at some scenarios: A woman just found

out that the mysterious man who just raped her and dumped her on the street got her

pregnant, and she cannot fathom the idea of raising the product of a rape or raising the

child without a father; another just started her college career but just found out she is

pregnant. If she decides to keep the baby, all her future possibilities may be thrown out

the window; a woman who just found out her baby is to be born severely disabled and

will likely die days after the baby is born, and going through her pregnancy will only

cause her more mental and physical damage than getting an abortion; the woman who

just found out that going on with the pregnancy may end her life, and the only way she

could survive is by getting an abortion; the woman who already has 3 kids, lives on her

own and she can already barely afford to take care of the children she has, having

another baby would throw all their lives in jeopardy; a woman has been trying for years

to have a baby just found out for some reason that she had/or is going to have a

miscarriage. All of these are reasoning an abortion may happen, has happened, or may

be necessary for a woman to survive. Looking at these situations, you should now see

the difficulty some women face in pregnancy and getting an abortion.

Now, what must be considered before deciding what is right or wrong or before

you judge others for their decision is that everyone has their own beliefs and

1
The definition of abortion by Lewis Vaughn, “Doing Ethics, Fifth Edition” (Page 222)
philosophies, and this is usually conflict between others arises. Some may believe that

one should have the right to an abortion under any circumstance and the key factor to

this is the right to autonomy and privacy. Some may believe that an abortion is right

only under specific circumstances, and the reasons some believe an abortion is right

only under specific circumstances can vary. Some may even believe that an abortion is

always wrong, no matter the circumstance. This quote explains, “When we grapple with

the issue of abortion, we must consider whose rights (the mother’s or the unborn’s)

carry the most moral weight, what the meaning of a human being or person is, when, if

ever, the unborn achieves personhood, how having an abortion affect the health and

mind of the mother, how much importance to assign to our most fundamental

principles, and much more.”2 One of the trickiest factors that goes into consideration for

many people is when an abortion is moral, or if it is even is moral. There are multiple

stages in the development of a pregnancy. Conception is when a sperm is implanted

into a woman's egg, and afterward an embryo is formed, and that’s where key organs

being to form. “Most organs begin to form about 3 weeks after fertilization, which

equals 5 weeks of pregnancy (because doctors date pregnancy from the first day of the

woman's last menstrual period, which is typically 2 weeks before fertilization). At this

time, the embryo elongates, first suggesting a human shape. Shortly thereafter, the area

that will become the brain and spinal cord (neural tube) begins to develop. The heart

and major blood vessels begin to develop earlier—by about day 16. The heart begins to

pump fluid through blood vessels by day 20, and the first red blood cells appear the next

2
An excerpt from the book Doing Ethics Fifth Edition by Lewis Vaughn, page 221
day. Blood vessels continue to develop in the embryo and placenta.” 3 Starting at about

week 8 during pregnancy, that embryo becomes known as a fetus, and it stays a fetus

until birth. “Usually at about sixteen to twenty weeks, the mother can feel the fetus

moving, an event known as quickening. At about twenty-three or twenty-four weeks,

the fetus may be able to live outside the uterus, also known as viability.” 4 Depending on

your beliefs or religion, each stage may play a crucial role. Some think that an embryo is

a person as soon as there is a heartbeat, some think that a fetus cannot be aborted if it

can live out the body, and some may even think that abortion is wrong no matter what,

even if it is a therapeutic abortion.

With all of that said, there are reasons not to get an abortion as well. If you

believe that after a certain stage or at any stage the embryo or fetus is deemed to be a

person, then getting an abortion can be considered murder, and therefore getting an

abortion is wrong. An option for a mother after birth if they cannot care for the baby or

if they do not want it, instead of getting an abortion, you could give the baby up for

adoption after you give birth. This way both the mother and the unborn can have

chance at their own life, and little to no harm goes to either one. Abortions, though rare,

can cause significant harm or even death, and the later in pregnancy one decides to get

an abortion, the greater chances of harm or death. There is also the thought of the

3
By Raul Artal-Mittelmark , MD, Saint Louis University School of Medicine

https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/women-s-health-issues/normal-pregnancy/stages-of-
development-of-the-fetus#:~:text=Most%20organs%20begin%20to%20form,first%20suggesting%20a
%20human%20shape.

4
An excerpt from the book “Doing Ethics, Fifth Edition” by Lewis Vaughn, page 222
potential a fetus may have in life, and getting an abortion robs the fetus the opportunity

to live and live up to its’ potential, and this can be viewed as wrong as well.

Once you look at all the options and all the scenarios, the most crucial part in

deciding where you stand on the topic of abortion is your philosophy on life or your

religion. If you had a strong belief in act-utilitarianism 5, then you may decide that

whatever action produces the most happiness for all people involved is what matters in

deciding whether abortion is right or wrong. If you have a strong belief in Kantian’s

deontology6, then no matter the circumstance, abortion is either right or wrong and that

the consequences do not matter. With deontology, your decision on when you consider

the embryo or fetus to be a human being would be the factor that decides whether an

abortion is right or wrong. If you are a Christian Catholic, getting an abortion through a

procedure of any kind would be wrong under any circumstance. Whatever the case is,

your moral belief system is what will play the biggest factor on deciding whether getting

an abortion is right or wrong.

The last thing that decides whether you get an abortion or not now is the law.

Because of the Roe v. Wade court decision in 1973, the law prohibited the total ban of

abortion to protect the constitutional right for a woman’s privacy. The law does,

however, allow states to have a say under what circumstances abortions are allowed,
5
“It affirms the principle that the right action is the one that directly produces the
best balance of happiness over unhappiness for all concerned.” An excerpt from the
book “Doing Ethics Fifth Edition by Lewis Vaughn”, page 92
6
“Kant held that nothing is good without qualification except a good will, and a
good will is one that wills to act in accord with the moral law and out of respect
for that law rather than out of natural inclinations.”
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/deontological-ethics
and each state can vary dramatically on when a medical/surgical abortion can be

performed. “[This] decision leaves the State free to place increasing restrictions on

abortion as the period of pregnancy lengthens, so long as those restrictions are tailored

to the recognized state interests.”7 Even if you think you should have the right to an

abortion, your state may not allow you to be able to get an abortion if your

circumstances do not meet the criteria needed for the state to allow you to get an

abortion, and this bring up a lot of debate as well.

Should women have a choice or a say in whether they can get an abortion or

not? Under what circumstances is getting an abortion right or wrong, and how much

should the beliefs and religions of other people impact whether it should be legal or not

to get an abortion? How will the law affect whether you can get an abortion or not?

There are many pros and cons to getting an abortion, and how you view all the pros and

cons along with how you view the laws around abortion all depend on your beliefs. It is

up to you to decide.

7
(Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, 153–54, 165–66 (1973))