Abortion Controversy Essay -- Pregnancy

The Abortion Issue Introduction Abortion has been a very controversial subject over these past few decades. Every time you pick up a paper or magazine it seems there is always some protest regarding abortion, whether it be for fetal rights or women's rights. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica the definition of abortion is "the expulsion of a fetus from the uterus before it has reached the stage of viability (in human beings, usually about the 20th week of gestation). An abortion may occur spontaneously, in which case it is also called a miscarriage, or it may be brought on purposefully, in which case it is often called an induced abortion." This paper will focus only on those abortions which are considered to be induced and will present the argument to both sides, considering both the argument for Pro-life as well as for Pro-choice. Pro-Life Argument Don Marquis states in his article Why Abortion is Immoral that killing someone is wrong because the killing inflicts the greatest possible loss on the victim. He says that it is not the effect on the murderer and the victim's friends and relatives that makes killing an absolute wrong. Although killing does affect those close to the victim the ultimate harm done is on the victim himself due to their loss of future. Marquis states that killing is regarded as one of the worst crimes because it is depriving people of the value of their future. If this view were applied to abortion it would be easy to see how abortion could be considered wrong. By willingly ending the life of the fetus you are willingly ending their possibility of a future. The fetus has the possibility of having a future with emotions, experiences and activities that are the same as human beings and even closer to that of young children. This argument applies in most cases of abortion but not all. For example, to abort a fetus whose life will be filled with unbearable pain and anguish because of a physical or cognitive disorder could be justified because it could be said that the future of the fetus would be bleak and uncertain. In ways it could be stated that the "means justify the end". It must be noted however, that this acceptance would not apply to all situations of physical and cognitive disabilities; only the most severe cases would qualify. For example, there could be no way to justify inducing an abortion because it has been de... ...e brain is functioning. Conclusion When analyzing both sides of the abortion issues, it is evident that both sides provide both strong and weak arguments. Abortion will always be a controversial issue in society and there will always be disputing sides to the matter. Each person must make their own decisions based on their beliefs and factual evidence. Both sides must learn to be open-minded to the other side and learn to respect the fact that they have different thoughts and views. WORKS CITED "Abortion." Encyclopaedia Britannica - Online. 1 Oct. 2000. Carrier, Richard C. "Abortion is not Immoral and Should not be Illegal." Internet Infidels. 1 Oct. 2002 . Jarvis Thomson, Judith. "A defence of Abortion." Gender Basics. 2nd Ed. Anne Minas. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Inc, 2000. 402-409. Marquis, Don. "Why Abortion is Immoral." Gender Basics. 2nd Ed. Anne Minas. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Inc, 2000. 398-401. Robinson, B.A. "Abortion." Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 3 Jul 2002. 1 Oct. 2002 Sherwin, Susan. "Abortion." Gender Basics. 2nd Ed. Anne Minas. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning Inc, 2000. 410-417.