Is Abortion Ethical? Abortion is one of the very many controversies our country faces. The battle between pro-choice and pro-life has been waged for many years now and still continues today. The big question is; is abortion ethical or not? To determine this there are many questions that need to be answered about the fetus and the mother. Is the fetus a person with rights? Does the pregnant mother have an obligation to the unborn child? Is it ethical to force a pregnant woman to term? Does the abortion process treat the fetus unethically?
These are just a few questions that should be answered in determining how ethical abortion is. Much of the debate has to do with weather or not the fetus is considered as an actual living human being. If the fetus is considered to be a human being than pro-life supporters would argue that abortion is in fact murder and should be illegal. On the other hand, pro-choice supporters say that the fetus is in fact a part of the woman’s bodily autonomy. Yet, that still does not mean abortion is ethical. At the very early stages of pregnancy a heart beat can be detected at as old as 7 weeks.
Still, without the mother the child could not survive. This brings up the next question about abortion. Does the mother have an ethical obligation to the unborn child inside of her? Being pregnant means a life is growing inside of you. That fact is not deniable. When the woman partakes in sexual activity it is known that becoming pregnant is a possibility, especially when proper prevention is not taken. Perhaps the woman’s obligation to the fetus is not strong enough to be forced to keep the child but may be enough to determine a time when the abortion may be unethical.
The next question is; does the abortion treat the fetus in an unethical way? Even if the fetus is not considered to be a person, this does not mean that it can not have any moral standards. Many people feel that abortion too late into the pregnancy should be illegal because the fetus beings to look too much like an actual baby. This works for the pro-life supporters in stopping abortion at an earlier stage. Also, abortions are not good for the carrier as well. Women afterwards can sometimes not have the ability to become pregnant again when they actually want.
Infections can also occur and become very painful. Usually debates about abortion are focused on politics and laws. Should it be considered to be the murder of an innocent child or should it be the choice of the mother. The only thing that either side would agree to is a median between the two. A time at which during the pregnancy abortion should no longer be allowed is the best option. Still, no agreement has been made and abortion still remains to be legal throughout the United States.