Ethics of Abortion

The Ethics of Abortion

Terminology I

Abortion is defined as the intentional termination of a  human pregnancy Abortions are performed at  different stages of pregnancy.

For example, ‘early-term” abortion occurs before the 20th week of the pregnancy.

“Late-term” abortion occurs after roughly the 20th week. Generally, abortions occurring later in
pregnancy are more controversial than those occurring earlier for reasons related to viability and
personhood Additionally, late-term abortions are rare in comparison with early-term abortions.

Terminology Il

The moral implications of abortion are dependent on several philosophical and moral concepts, one of which is personhood.  As we have learned, the philosophical tradition holds
those human beings are by nature persons or rational beings. This means that humans have by nature a rich mental life that involves reasoning, choosing, believing, desiring, and having emotions. Furthermore, human beings are self-aware Not only do we reason, choose, etc., but are aware of ourselves as selves who do these things, A human being is able to unify his or her experiences, and to understand them as belonging to his- or herself over time.  Terminology Ill

For instance, consider Jack. One-year old Jack crawls, cries, and sleeps in a crib.  Ten-year old Jack is 4 feet 6 inches tall, 65 pounds, with some adult teeth and some baby teeth. He plays baseball. He understands math.  Twenty-year old Jack is 6 feet tall, 160 pounds, with all adult teeth. He is a college student. He has learned the rules of deductive logic.  Fifty-year old Jack is 6 feet tall, 190 pounds, and has gray hair, He is a lawyer He has learned how to play the guitar and golf.  Many philosophers and most non-philosophers would say that the Jack at 1, at 10, at 20, at 50, and at all points in between is the same person. The Jack at 50 is planning for his own retirement at 65; he’s not planning for some other person’s retirement. The Jack at 20 is remembering his own life experiences from age 10; he’s not reflecting on some other person’s experiences.  In other words, at every moment over his lifespan, Jack is the same self although his body and his abilities change. Jack is oneself through many changes. Value of Human Life I

Nearly everyone agrees that human beings have value as persons.  The Judeo-Christian worldview says that human beings are made in the image of God, who is held to be the perfect standard of personhood.  Kant’s categorical imperative holds that persons are ends in themselves; thus, each person has an absolute value that cannot be reduced to a mere means or a tool to be used for something else. The utilitarian perspective says that all individual persons are of equal value, even if the value of the group outweighs the value of any individual member of the group. The Golden Rule, present in many traditions, holds that one ought to value other people as one values oneself.  Value of Human Life Il

Many associate the value of human life with the rich mental experiences human beings possess;
they also believe that human beings have certain moral rights, including the right to live.

Recall Jack: Most would say that Jack’s value and right to live apply to Jack at every moment
from his birth to his death, without regard to his age, condition, or level of maturity For example,
although one-year old Jack does not have the rational or volitional ability of Jack at 50, we
generally do not consider baby Jack to have any less of a right to live or any less value because he is only one year or one day old. To the contrary, we tend to think that infants are of great value.

But what about the fetus at one day before birth, 1 month before birth, 5 months before birth, or 8 months before birth?

Some argue that personhood is a gradient matter, Jack at 50 may be a fully developed person. Jack at 10 is a developing person; he understands math but has not yet learned logic A fetus, some would say, is a developing person as well, although at an earlier stage than the 10-year old.

Others would say that the fetus is a potential person. Roughly, potentiality is understood as a
thing’s innate tendency or capacity to develop into something more complex over time. In other
words, a human fetus is not a complete human person, but it has the innate capacity to develop
into a human person. Others might say that the fetus is neither a person nor a potential person. Rather, the fetus is merely a part (or a collection of parts) of its mother’s body. Argument Against Abortion and Rebuttal I

Now let’s look at some of the arguments on either side of the abortion debate. A summary of one
argument against abortion might be:  “All practices that deprive an innocent person or potential person of lite are wrong. Abortion deprives an innocent person or potential person of life, because the fetus is, if not a person, at least a potential person. “Thus, abortion is wrong,” One who objects to such an argument might try to deny the first premise by saying it is false that all practices depriving an innocent person or potential person of life are wrong. A utilitarian
might be inclined to say that some acts of taking life are morally justifiable if they are done in the best interest for the majority of people.  One might try to deny the second premise by saying that abortion does not deprive an innocent person or potential person of life because the
fetus is neither a person nor a potential person. Or, one might say that potential persons do not
have a right to live. The supporter of the initial argument could argue against the utilitarian perspective and say that all persons do have a right to live.

 The supporter of the initial argument could argue against the utilitarian perspective, and say that all persons do have a right to live.  He could argue that the fetus is at least a potential person We confer the right to live on a newborn infant. although the infant is not a fully developed person. So we ought to recognize the right to life for the fetus as well.  Finally the supporter of the initial argument could reply that because we do not know for sure whether the fetus has the nights of personhood, we ought to err on the side of caution and treat the fetus as if it is a person. Argument for Abortion and Rebuttal Il

On the other hand, one might offer the following argument in favor of abortion:
“A woman, as an autonomous moral agent, has the moral right to do what she wants with her
body Abortion is a practice that involves her own body Thus, the woman has the moral right to
have an abortion if she wants to do so.”  One who objects to such an argument might try to deny the first premise by saying that there are some restrictions to how a moral agent can use his or her body. For example, the principle of autonomy does not justify a person using their body to injure another person by striking them in the face.  Or, one might argue against the second premise by saying that the practice of abortion is not merely a matter of the pregnant woman’s body There is a separate life developing inside her body, the life of the fetus.  The supporter of the initial argument could reply by qualifying the first premise: “A woman, as an autonomous moral agent, has the moral right to do what she wants with her body as long as she doesn’t harm any person_” This point is related to The supporter of the initial argument could reply by qualifying the first premise: “A woman, as an autonomous moral agent, has the moral right to do what she wants with her body as long as she doesn’t harm any person.” This point is related to the claim of utilitarian philosopher John Stuart Mill, who wrote “The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.  “One could defend the second premise by saying that abortion involves only a woman’s own body because the fetus not a separate life, it is merely a part of her body.  Even if the fetus is a potential person, the rights of the woman outweigh any rights the fetus may have, as illustrated in cases such as rape, incest, or when the life of the pregnant woman is endangered by the pregnancy In such cases, even most abortion opponents agree that the woman’s right to live outweighs those of the fetus.  At this point, the debate cones down to a discussion of the nature, value, and rights of persons and potential persons.