'Abortion is an issue only concerned with rights and duties'. Discuss

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Title: Ethics

Ethics

‘Abortion is an issue only concerned with rights and duties’.  Discuss

Abortion is currently defined as “an untimely delivery voluntarily occurred with an intent to destroy the foetus”. Abortion was at first made illegal in 1803 but cultural changes led to the passing of the Abortion Act in 1967 when abortion became legal up to 28 weeks of the pregnancy.  This has since been changed to 24 weeks.  At present various studies point to an annual abortion rate of between forty and fifty million, this increases every year. The meaning of abortion is quite clear from its definition.  It is one of the most controversial ethical issues with arguments both for and against the subject from many different groups within the community.

Where rights and duties are concerned there are many different approaches from these groups as to what rights the mother has, the rights of the unborn child and the duties the mother has to herself, her partner, her religion and her unborn baby.  However in my opinion abortion is not only concerned with rights and duties.  There are other issues such as emotional factors surrounding the mother, different situations for each individual person and circumstances that must be taken into consideration when abortion is an issue.  I will discuss the rights and duties involved and also the effect of emotional elements and how different situations and circumstances may influence decisions where abortion is concerned.

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The Catholic Church has a pro-life view, “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord” (Psm 127:3).  Abortion is considered to be the murder of a defenceless child who has the same rights as the mother thus the mother has a duty to the child to continue the pregnancy:

“What could ever be a sufficient reason for excusing in any way the direct murder of the innocent?  This is precisely what we are dealing with here.  Whether inflicted upon the mother or upon the child, it is against the precept of God and the law of nature:  ‘Thou shalt not ...

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