Pro-life
Abortion is a crime. While, it is a common saying, willful abortion of a healthy fetus by a healthy mother is a crime. Life starts at conception. Taking the life of a fetus, thus is a crime against humanity. Nobody has the right to take the life of a human being. When the mother or the child is not a risk, abortion should be termed as illegal because it results in termination of a life (Kaczor, 2014) Abortion thus can be termed as a murder. A homicide which has been conceptualized and planned before being executed.
According to Kaczor (2014), abortion puts a mother’s health and life at risk. During an abortion, a woman can suffer from internal bleeding or an infection. During abortion, doctors use anaesthesia to ensure minimal pain on the client. However, most women still report severe pain which can result from using powerful drugs which can result in harmful side effects. Infections or pain can result in serious health challenges. In extreme cases, abortion can result in loss of life by the woman. Unicef reports indicate that every year 250,000 women dies because of lawful and unlawful abortion. Of these seventy-five thousand women die because of self-inflicted abortion, a similar number dies of convulsions, and a hundred thousand of the women die as a result of blood poisoning of the uterus (Jones, 2007).
There is no single approach carried out abortion is completely safe. Thus, there is always a risk involved in the process of abortion. Botch abortions are common, which can result in infertility or death. A woman’s reproductive system can be permanently damaged during an abortion, which can result in infertility issues (Jones, 2007).
The pro-life side is based on moral objectivism. As mentioned above, abortion is a crime because it obstructs a way of life and terminates life. Thus, there should be s single set of moral standards that should be followed (Kaczor, 2014). However, because of modern knowledge, the objectivism should be subjected to relativism. Thus, abortion can be considered by society in places where it is likely to cause more harm than good at the end. For example, in situations where the pregnancy poses a death threat to a mother or the child, it would be wise for parties involved to consider an abortion.
The natural law theory would apply more to a pro-life view. Natural law in ethics holds that people have intrinsic values that govern reasoning and behaviour (Kaczor, 2014). Natural law thus holds that the moral compass is inherent in individuals, and it is not decided by society, judges or court. Therefore, the morality of practising abortion should be similar in all people. Both the life of a mother and that of an unborn baby are important and thus should be preserved. The pro-life view supports the life of the mother and the unborn child. However, therefore the issue of abortion should consider the life of both the mother and the child.
Abortion should be guided by moral objectivism. The process of life begins at conception. Thus, it is morally wrong to conduct abortion. However, it remains a contentious issue, as indicated above. For those who support abortion, they base the argument on moral relativism. Those who are against abortion base their argument on objectivism, maintaining that there should be only one set of ethical standards that should be followed. An individual moral compass should guide abortion.
References
Jones, K. (2007). Ethics of abortion: the arguments for and against. Nursing standard, 21(37).
Kaczor, C. (2014). The ethics of abortion: Women’s rights, human life, and the question of justice. Routledge.