Arguments for abortion

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

The word abortion means the “intentional destruction of a foetus or the inducing of a premature expulsion from the womb to cause death.” Abortion is a major issue in the world today. People in many countries have abortions each year even if it is going against their religion. For example last year on the coast of Dublin there was an abortion ship, which is on international water where people can get an abortion if they like. There are many arguments for and against abortion

Arguments for abortion

People for abortion are often labelled Pro-Choice groups. These include The National Abortion Campaign Lobby. Pro-Choice groups believe that it is the right of any woman to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes. Groups which are Pro-Choice believe that abortion should be made legal and be offered to all women. The arguments they make for abortion are as follows: -

The embryo in the womb is not an actual human being!

This argument is based on the belief that the embryo is just a cluster of cells which is not a person but only has the potential to be a human being.

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A woman should have the right to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes!

This argument is based on the belief that a woman has absolute right over her own body. In this argument the embryo in the womb is not considered to have any rights whatsoever.

Abortion should be legalised to stop unsafe and unsanitary back street abortions.

This is one of the strongest arguments for abortion. In modern day society girls can get abortions anywhere if they really wish. These back street abortions are very dangerous and could maybe even lead to the mother dying ...

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A woman should have the right to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes!

This argument is based on the belief that a woman has absolute right over her own body. In this argument the embryo in the womb is not considered to have any rights whatsoever.

Abortion should be legalised to stop unsafe and unsanitary back street abortions.

Woman may not have the facilities and the money to raise a child!

This argument is based on the fact that bringing up a child can be a financial burden. Pro Choice believe that if a mother feels she will not be able to care for the child then it is irresponsible on her part to bring a child into the world.

A woman has become pregnant as the result of rape or her life is at risk if she has the child!

Pro Choice argue that it is unfair to force mother to go through the trauma of pregnancy to have a child which will make her feel hurt as it will remind her of the rape. Pro choice groups also argue that if a mothers life is at risk then she shouldn’t have to go through with pregnancy because it would leave any other children she has motherless.

The child maybe born with physical or mental abnormality!

This argument is based on a warped value system that says that a person with a mental or physical handicap is worth less than a person who has no disability.

Arguments against abortion

Groups, which, are staunchly against abortion, are called Pro-Life groups. They include such groups are CURA and SPUC. These groups recognise the value of all human life, including the unborn child. These groups try to provide as much support as they can for mothers before and after the birth of the child. Below are some reasons why they are so strongly against abortion.

Human life is sacred!

The Pro-Life argument is that all human life is sacred. They believe that this life begins from the moment of conception and anything that takes away this life is tantamount to murder. If it is wrong to kill a baby of 2 months, in the eyes of Pro-Life people it is equally wrong to kill a two-month-old embryo. They see every human life both within the womb and out of the womb as sacred and from God.

Child should not be punished for its parent’s irresponsibility!

The Pro-Life argument here is based on the embryos right to life irrespective of the situation his/her parents find themselves in. If the conception of the child is due to casual sex, the parents should have no rights to decide if the child should live or not. They would probably only be having an abortion for their own convenience and not value the unborn child’s life at all.

Woman should not be allowed to put her career before her life of her child!

In today’s society many woman are career orientated and the untimely arrival of a child may ruin their career prospects. If a career woman becomes pregnant she may look for an abortion as a way of dealing with an unwanted child. The Pro-Life movement believe that no human situation can justify the taking of an innocent life. Obviously a person in this situation may need counselling or help in knowing how to reconcile her pregnancy with her career.

Abortion may have physical or mental side affects for the woman!

Many women who go through with an abortion sometimes suffer from depression as a result of it. Pro-Life groups try to inform the public of these realities while Pro-Choice groups pay little attention to this

Abortion is murder!

This is what Pro-Life people see abortion as. They believe if we are able to justify abortion then we could just as easily excuse murder as in both cases you’re killing with intent.

So to conclude I feel that abortion is completely immoral and in nearly all cases I think that it cannot be justified. But when the mother’s life is a risk it should be allowed because the death of the mother would leave other children without a mother and this will mean that all their lives will be hugely affected.