Women’s Rights In Abortion Studen
Women’s Rights in Abortionstuden
ABORTION 6 Women’s Rights in Abortion Students’ Name: Course Title: Instructor: Date: Ethical Question Should a woman have the right to an abortion if we recognize the fetus as a person? Introduction In this contemporary world, women’s’ sexual and reproductive rights that also include the right to procure a safe, legal and affordable abortion are finding resistance by the policy makers and any other stakeholders in the position of power (Sanger, 2016). In most areas across the world, abortion is viewed negatively and it is associated with archaic beliefs concerning the female gender and sexuality which are further characterized by the discrimination, shame and overall stigmatization of these women.
The belief that abortion is part of the elaborate reproductive health care that women are supposed to receive has further fueled the debate on whether women have the right to terminate their pregnancy if they do not want to have a child at that particular time due to reasons such as their financial status. Other factors such as pregnancies out of unhealthy relationships, the need to participate fully in ones employment and civil life coupled with other important aspects within society continue to lead the debate that women should be given the opportunity to chose what will happen to the pregnancy they are carrying. Although abortion can be accessed in some states within the United States jurisdiction, the lawmakers at the state and federal levels have done everything they can to ensure the process is done within medical service providers and is done for the right reasons.
Therefore, it is evident that the need to not only protect but also expand the rights around the abortion debate is more important at this moment than ever. The belief that if the fetus cannot survive by itself, the individual, the family and doctor should be allowed to make any decision concerning it and the government relegated to the role of providing safe and sound services to those that opt for the process (McIntyre, Anderson, & McDonald, 2016). Explanation of Ethical Theory The ethical consideration of abortion provides a framework through which moral decisions can be reached. The general debate on abortion is basically trying to answer the question as to whether it is morally right to bring a pregnancy to an unexpected end before normal childbirth.
Some people believe that abortion is always wrong no matter the circumstances. Others assume that abortion is only right when the life of the mother is in danger, while there is a final group of thinkers that feel and believe there are a number of circumstances that make abortion morally legal (Kitcher, 2017). According to the Deontology Theory by Immanuel Kant, the morality of any given action should be anchored on whether the action itself is right or wrong under a series of established rules rather than the expected consequences of the said action (Tenenbaum, 2017). With that said deontology represents an ethical framework that is guided by predetermined sets of rules and policies that are additionally meant to guarantee the proper functioning of a system within the elaborate human environment.
It is like a checklist which must be adhered to when doing certain things. A number of perspectives highlight the scope of the deontological approach. For instance, Kant argues that in order for scope to act in a morally right way, they must act from duty, and that it is not the general consequences of the action that make them right or wrong, but the specific motives of any individual that carries out a certain action. These notions are grounded on the fact that nothing can be good without qualification. There must be clear parameters that are used to determine the moral uprightness of any give action in order for it to be considered right.
Because consequence is unreliable in determining an individual good will simply because people are inclined to move towards positive consequences even if the actions they take are meant to cause harm to another innocent person while others might cause harm if they have nothing to gain, therefore, Kant argues a person is believed to have good will when they act only out of the respect they have for the moral law. Application of the Ethical Theory When it comes to the rights of women in abortion, the deontological theory explains that any form of human behavior is considered moral when the main objectives of that given action are scrutinized and checked against a well-stipulated structure or procedure.
We cannot rely on the mere achievement of set goals such as an abortion to qualify the moral actions of the people (Hutter, 2016). Factors such as the true essence of being human being depends on the decisions we make, actions we take, our general behaviors and deeds are a true reflection of the underlying ethical principles that we are meant to follow. In states that allow abortion, the consequences are positive given the fact that the government and other concerned stakeholders have the responsibility of not only ensuring the availability of the service, but also ensuring that it is safe and sound for the willing participants. In jurisdictions that abortion is prohibited on the other hand, abortion can attract severe sanctions that ultimately lead to imprisonment and suspension of medical licenses of the individuals and institutions that take part in the process.
Therefore, it is apparent that since the parent has the duty to care for the child and the fact that they should treat everybody as an end in themselves and not a means of achieving some personal goals, abortion is morally wrong (Everett, Pizarro, & Crockett, 2016). We are to fulfill our duty no matter the circumstances. Hence when a woman gets pregnant, it becomes the duty of the family to take care and protect that child. Since duties are responsibilities and not the choices we make, by procuring an abortion a woman is not fulfilling her mandate. References Everett, J. A., Pizarro, D. A., & Crockett, M. J. (2016). Inference of trustworthiness from intuitive moral judgments. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General , 145 (6), 772. Hutter, M., Friesdorf, R., Armstrong, J. B., Conway, P., & Gawronski, B. (2016). Understanding responses to moral dilemmas: Deontological inclinations, utilitarian inclinations, and general action tendencies. In The social psychology of morality (pp. 91-110). Routledge. Kitcher, P. (2017). Immanuel Kant. The Blackwell Guide to the Modern Philosophers: From Descartes to Nietzsche , . McIntyre, M., Anderson, B., & McDonald, C. (2016). The intersection of relational and cultural narratives: women's abortion experiences. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research Archive , 33 (3). Sanger, C. (2016). Talking About Abortion. Social & Legal Studies , 25 (6), . Tenenbaum, S. (2017). Action, deontology, and risk: against the multiplicative model. Ethics , 127 (3), .