ABORTION – RIGHT OR WRONG

Term Paper Title	ABORTION – RIGHT OR WRONG
# of Words	1410
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	5.64

ABORTION – RIGHT OR WRONG

Eric Wade
Philosophy 210, Introduction to Ethics
College of the Canyons
Final Paper
December 19, 1998

     Abortion consideration requires one to look at the law, social thoughts, religious concepts, family emotions and, ethics and morality.  Pro-choice organizations believe the fetus is not a human being and abortion is a woman’s right to choose. Pro-lifers, on the other hand, claim that a human being begins at conception, and to abort a fetus is murder.  If the woman has a choice, should not the future child also have a choice.  And who represents the rights of that child?   The main question is when does life begin.  If it is at the time of fertilization, and the baby’s life is not interrupted by abortion, then he or she will someday become an adult man or woman. Abortion is murder, and intentional murder, according to the law is wrong.
     If a woman has the right to choose then that means that the right of the child to live is threatened.  If the fetus is given the right to survive than the right of the woman is denied.    Fetal rights raises issues of moral status, human potential and the relationship that would develop with the mother.
s this where the law steps in or can Pro-Lifers protect the child?  not the future childWhy you ask is this murder when many believe the fetus is not yet human.  Because someday it will grow to become a participating adult in society.  Abortion is wrong, because taking a life is murder.

viable.  Because should this is the taking of a humanthe fetus be alllowed to grow it would be come asnduced abortion rather than spontaneous abortion (one where the body has rejected the fetus, whether by injury or because the fetus is notkAk developing naturally), which is referred to as miscarriage, has been one of the most intense ethical issues of the decade.
Many individuals as well as groups, claim a woman has the right to do as she pleases to her body.  This would include the decision to abort a fetus just for the sake of doing it.  It could be because of harm to her body, because it has been determined that the fetus could be handicapped, or just because she doesn’t feel that she wants to become a mother.  Sometimes the woman is pressured into abortion by family and friends even though she doesn’t want to. On the other hand, pro-lifers feel it is murder to kill a fetus.
     Pro-choice organizations believe the fetus is only a potential human being until it is viable.  They believe the fetus has no rights, that the rights belong to the woman carrying the fetus, and that she can determine whether or not to abort. But who determines the viability of a fetus.  Is it when the fetus is fully formed or when a distinction can be made?  If pro-choice supporters believe a fetus has no rights until it is viable, consider what science considers “viable.”  The current definition of viability is a fetus at 24 weeks gestation.  At this time a fetus is about 12 inches in length and about 1 ½ pounds.  If this is what a fetus is like at 24 weeks, how much different can it be at 23 weeks.  But it is okay to kill this human being because it isn’t viable.  There have even been times when a fetus is born at 22 weeks and with intensive medical care has been kept alive.  If this is true, how can we “murder” a child and say it isn’t a viable human being.  Even at the end of the first trimester (3 months or 12 weeks) the toes and fingers become differentiated as well as the external genitalia, and is about five inches long.
     Although health is not the main reason for abortion, there are many times that it is necessary to abort because the mother’s health is at stake.  Both sides, pro-choice and pro-life groups agree that abortion is necessary.  But who defines “health”.  Is it when the mother can die or may become incapacitated?  Does this also include the psychological issue?  Could a woman be so depressed that she is completely incapacitated.  Are there not people that are so depressed that they can’t get out of bed.  The National Abortion Federation claims that ...

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