Ethical Issues in Health and Social Sciences

CW1 Written Assignment

Introduction

Ethics, often known as moral philosophy, is the study of right and wrong in the
context of human interactions. Since both ethics and aesthetics are concerned with
concerns of value, axiology is the branch of philosophy that encompasses both.
When a person has to choose between two or more moral commitments, none of
which can be deemed more essential than the other, they are faced with an ethical
dilemma. When there isn't a morally sound solution available, we say that we're
facing an ethical dilemma. The term is often used to allude to ethical disagreements
that may be settled, tough moral choices, and other complex ethical problems.
Confronting a woman's right to physical autonomy with a fetus's right to be regarded
as a person and a doctor's obligation to support society's norms may lead to a moral
dilemma. In liberal states, provable foetuses may not have legal rights of
personhood, hence it is acceptable to respect pregnant women's decisions regarding
top.

The rights of individual on abortion

When weighing a woman's right to have an abortion, it's important to think

about many different factors, such as the law, custom, societal mores, religious
standards, personal circumstances, emotions, and relationships. I have three major
things to make. The liberal "choice freedom" paradigm is insufficient because it is
based on individualism.

The second problem that must be resolved is the unequal distribution of

reproductive rights. Understanding the intricate dialectic between rights and
responsibilities and social, cultural, and individual contexts is essential for a full
grasp of abortion ethics, which is best understood through the lens of moral practise.
Many religious leaders have commented on the morality of induced abortion, but
there is no universal agreement. Religious societies' views on abortion span the
range from extreme conservatism to moderate tolerance (Maguire, 2016). There
might be different opinions even among adherents of the same faith. In this perfect
world, I'm assuming that everyone has the right to an abortion if they want one and
that nobody is judged or shamed for having one. While I agree that abortion is
morally repugnant, I can't help but wonder what it would take to create a society
where nobody ever chooses to terminate a pregnancy (under any circumstances).

Abortion According to the Human Rights:

Human rights protections have developed in reaction to official efforts to limit

people' freedom of speech and thinking. Abortion restrictions have evolved over time
to protect not unborn children but state interests, particularly during the foetal stage.
More and more cases are being filed before national and international courts that
include disputes between government enforcement of pregnancy continuation and
women's reproductive choices. Despite the legal recognition of human life beginning
at conception, support for women's reproductive choice and concern for foetal life
are not always incompatible. Doctors have the right to a conscientious objection
under human rights law, but that freedom cannot be used at the price of women's
lives or health.

Difficulties that Women Experience:

By shedding light on the many motivations that drive women to seek abortion,
we can humanise the discussion of this contentious topic, dispel harmful
stereotypes, and pave the way for more understanding on all sides. There are not
many safe spaces where women may open out about their abortion experiences.
There might be several factors at play when deciding to get an abortion. For their
decision to have an abortion, most women provide more than one reason.
Researchers have shown that the majority of abortions are performed for the same
reasons.
 Conflict in Ethical and Moral Values:

Whether or not they have heard anything about abortion before, the survey
findings suggest that many young people are unsure about how they should feel
about the issue. The subject was presented in three ways throughout the research,
each of which was expected to elicit a different reaction from the adolescents. The
first question posed to the participants was, "Is it right or wrong to undergo an
abortion for reasons other than to preserve the life of the mother?" 67% responded
they didn't, 5% said yes, and 27% weren't sure. The next question was, "Is it morally
acceptable to have an abortion in order to save the mother's life?" Of those asked,
38% felt it was appropriate, 20% felt it was inappropriate, and 41% felt they didn't
know. The only time the Church approves of a couple's choice to undergo an
abortion is if the pregnancy is in danger. The next question asked of the adolescent
participants was whether or not they believed abortion to be ethically acceptable
under any conditions. Three percent of respondents expressed agreement; sixty-
three percent disagreed; and thirty-three percent were unsure. The survey found that
although the vast majority of children and adolescents held that abortion was wrong,
at least a third of them were unsure how they felt about any of the three scenarios.
Teens hear a lot of conflicting information about abortion.

Lack of Awareness among Women:

Higher abortion rates are seen in countries where fewer women have access
to contraceptives and less opportunities exist for women to receive information on
sexual health. Women who have access to both abortions that are legal and
medically safe and highly effective forms of contraception will utilise both in order to
limit the number of children they have. Abortions are a method of birth control. After
the population has been brought under control, however, the vast majority of women
won't need anything more than contraception. There is no doubt that significant
ethical problems are at play here. Due to the irreversible nature of abortion, it should
be treated with the same level of gravity that is accorded to other behaviours that
result in the loss of life, such as killing someone or going to war. In a same vein,
everyone who appreciates liberty should favour legislative protections for
reproductive rights. However, if abortion were seen not as a moral issue that should
be blamed on others but rather as a problem that needed to be solved, then
perhaps more progress could be made.
 can be made available for every human existence. Even while experiencing
anger is gratifying, it accomplishes nothing to move the moral arc closer to justice.

Opposition to Abortion:

If abortion is considered murder, then the traditional exceptions that

opponents of abortion rights have maintained, such as rape, incest, and the
imminent threat to the pregnant woman's life, may not make sense. If killing a foetus
is the same as killing an adult, then there is no possible justification for it. As a
society, we would never condone the execution of a newborn for the same or similar
reasons. Many people who say they are against abortion yet nonetheless have one
likely do not see abortion as murder because they do not consider a foetus or
embryo to be a human being. It could also be taken to imply that political
agreements are rarely sincere and are instead a ploy to keep moderates from
defecting from the larger conflict. If this were the case, it would hardly be shocking if
the long-standing concessions progressively crumbled as opponents of abortion
became more confident in their arguments as they presented them more regularly.

Ethical Theories on Abortion:

Utilitarianism has a distinct advantage over competing ethical theories when it

comes to abortion since it assigns no absolute worth to human life. Therefore, it
doesn't call into doubt the morality of asking when life begins. With Act
Utilitarianism's emphasis on case-by-case analysis, a woman considering an
abortion would be responsible for weighing the benefits and drawbacks of the
procedure for herself.
Utilitarianism can be applied to a broad variety of contexts, including those
involving foetal deformities, rape, and extreme poverty. However, judging abortion
based on welfare may be difficult because it is difficult to know what the long-term
implications of an action will be.
 Abortion's Morality and Legality:

The topic of abortion law is covered in this chapter. Topics covered include the
development of constitutional law protecting the right to abortion, adult and child
rights, conscience clauses, as well as abortion and malpractice difficulties. A woman
and her physician ought to be permitted to make the decision regarding a first-
trimester abortion without interference from the federal or state governments. In
order to protect the health of the mother, the state has the authority to place
restrictions on abortions performed during the second trimester, provided that these
restrictions do not go too far. As a result, the state might demand a licence in
addition to specific reporting and documentation requirements for the operating
facility. In the event that the foetus is viable in the mother's third trimester of
pregnancy, the state has the authority to override the mother's right to privacy in
order to protect the foetus. If the mother's life or health is in danger at any point
throughout the pregnancy, the state may prohibit abortions after the first trimester.

Inequities in Health Care Access:

(4) There are four such principles: (1) autonomy, (2) compassion, (3) justice, and (4)
accountability. I argue that these principles do not provide a sufficient response to
the ethical issues raised by abortion. They offer nothing new to the debate over the
morality of abortion. This is why I return to the ethical questions surrounding abortion
in Part V, discussing the topic of informed consent in the framework of virtue ethics.
According to my findings, an ethics based on virtue rather than principles can shed
light on the moral questions raised by the informed consent regulation of abortion.
Additionally, virtue ethics might provide a useful lens through which to examine the
ethical and legal questions that arise as a result of informed consent legislation.
Principle-based and virtue-based ethical theories share a commitment to justice as a
core component. I'd like to argue that a fuller understanding of how virtue ethics
could heighten our awareness of the greater good can be gained through the pursuit
of justice, both in theory and practise. Therefore, it's best to decrease the impact by

(5)

(6) split between those who support abortion and those who do not. At this juncture in
the national debate of a difficult issue, I believe that a virtue-based ethics theory
applied to informed consent abortion regulation can provide hope not only for
minimising conflict but also for maximising the opportunity of achieving the good for
all parties concerned with the question of abortion.

Abortion decision making:

Medical consequences (such as sepsis, haemorrhage, and genital injuries)

and even death have been documented as a result of abortion, particularly unsafe
abortions, which should be considered when deciding to undergo one.
Physical issues are the major cause of disease and death among female
adolescents. The cost of repairing the damage caused by a botched abortion
extends well beyond the lady who underwent the surgery (e.g., including hospital
beds, blood supply, drugs). Les femmes who had been stopped from obtaining an
abortion were less likely to make ambitious goals for the upcoming year. People
who were ineligible for abortion had a more pessimistic perspective than the overall
population. It is likely that a person with ambitious ambitions has a positive attitude
on life in general. She misses out on opportunities to make great advancements in
her life due to her lack of motivation. Many women who were turned away from
abortion facilities the previous year may have reconsidered their plans for the
following year, according to the data.

After finding out they could not have an abortion, many turn ways revaluated
two of their annual objectives. First of all, they presumably wanted to have a baby
within the following year and they were able to make that happen by seeing the
pregnancy through to term. Abortion moms were more likely to have career
aspirations, maybe because they believed in their own abilities more. Second, as
women who were refused abortions had to face the prospect of having to deliver an
undesired child, they were likely to become less optimistic and more apathetic or
gloomy as a result. According to the Ethics Code, it is also unnecessary to reaffirm
patients' confidentiality prior to giving service. When a doctor respects a patient's
right to privacy, trust in the doctor-patient relationship is maintained, the doctor-
patient relationship is safeguarded, and the patient's autonomy is honoured. 8 An
individual's propensity to seek medical attention for potentially embarrassing health
conditions and to offer personal information helpful in making an accurate diagnosis
and implementing effective treatment are both positively correlated with the degree
to which they trust their doctor. When it comes to protecting people's right to privacy,
secrecy is not only expected, it's mandated by law. A patient's "right to control
information [about oneself] that others possess" is what is meant by "privacy" when
discussing medical care. Everyone who has access to a patient's medical records
without their permission must maintain their privacy. 9(p19). 9(p20) Rules ensure
that communications between patients and their physicians remain confidential for
the safety of both parties.

Conclusion

Those who are opposed to abortion in any form often say that making it illegal
is the best way to stop women from having them. They think that if abortion were
prohibited, it wouldn't be an issue. They hold this view despite the fact that women
continue to seek out and acquire abortions in countries where doing so is banned,
and that they often do so in exceedingly hazardous and awful ways. About 70,000
women a year are killed by unsafe abortions, and many more experience serious
complications like infections, haemorrhage, and infertility. The abortion rate is not
likely to decrease despite the fact that this hurts women, their families, and entire
communities.

Reducing the need for abortions is desirable. The first step is to work on
eliminating unplanned pregnancies altogether. About half of all pregnancies that
aren't wanted are terminated in the United States. In addition to developing
programmes to combat domestic violence and sexual abuse, expanding access to
emergency contraception, which prevents pregnancy but does not cause abortions,
is vital for lowering the number of unwanted pregnancies. Abortion is not a personal
choice for women who have the option to end an unwanted pregnancy.

Due to the fact that both birth control methods and humans have
shortcomings, there will still be unintended births despite all the assistance I've
discussed thus far. Therefore, if a woman discovers she is pregnant, another
effective strategy to prevent her from having an abortion is for her to have an IVF
procedure.
 If she chooses to bring to term and raise a healthy, safe kid, abortion is
intended to provide her with the means to do so.

One of the two primary reasons why mothers get abortions is financial
hardship. If they lacked access to school, careers, health care, child care,
housing, and assistance for children with special needs, many young women
from low-income families would be unable to assume the obligations of
parenthood.
 References

1. Corbett, M.R. and Turner, K.L., 2003. Essential elements of postabortion

care: origins, evolution andfuture directions. International family planning
perspectives, 29(3), pp.106-111.

2. Glover, N.M. and Glover, S.J., 1996. Ethical and legal issues regarding
selective abortion of fetuses withDown syndrome. Mental Retardation,
34(4), p.207.

3. Hursthouse, R., 1991. Virtue theory and abortion. Philosophy & Public
Affairs, pp.223-246.

4. Smyth, L., 2002, May. Feminism and abortion politics: Choice, rights, and
reproductive freedom. In Women's Studies International Forum (Vol. 25, No.
3, pp. 335-345). Pergamon.

5. Tan, J.O., Passerini, G.E. and Stewart, A., 2007. Consent and confidentiality
in clinical work with youngpeople. Clinical child psychology and psychiatry,
12(2), pp.191-210.

6. Smetana, J.G., 1981. Reasoning in the personal and moral domains:

Adolescent and young adult women's decision-making regarding abortion.
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2(3),pp.211-226.