Debates about abortion focus on politics, law, and ethics. Should abortion be treated like the murder of a person, or should it remain a legal choice available to women? Behind these debates are important questions that should be given keen attention. Some believe that the law cannot be used to direct morality. However, all good laws are based on correct moral values.
In my view, women have the right to ownership, privacy, and treatment of their own body. I am not against abortion for everyone has their right to freedom and belief. If the legalized law were eliminated, then the law would force women to carry pregnancies to full term. This is the perfect choice of anti-choice activists. Doing this may not be ethical as it means denying the woman the right to choice of pregnancy and reproducing. It contradicts with the rights to freedom of choice.
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According to Thomson in “A Defense of Abortion,” the fetus has the right to life, but the permissibility of adoption can be appealed through a thought experiment. Thompson argues in the defense for abortion through different thought experiments. The first thought experiment is that of a violinist plugged into another person’s body to use their kidney. “If you do allow him to go on using your kidney, this is a kindness on your part and not something he can claim from you as his due” (Thompson, 1976). For this reason, abortion does not violate the fetus’s right to life. It only deprives the fetus the use of the pregnant woman’s body and life support functions. Choosing to terminate the pregnancy does not violate the fetus’s right to life, it only withdraws its use of her body which causes the fetus to die.
There is a huge debate about the moral status of the fetus. The fetus has the right to life, but the woman has the right to control her body. Taking the analogy of a Samaritan, it is good to show kindness as a moral obligation. However, if one decides not to show kindness, that act cannot be judged as unlawful. It is desirable for people to show kindness and share what they have, but it is not imposed on one’s decisions. Such a distinction is apparent in everyday life. We could think that people may have to show forgiveness, but we have no legal right to claim forgiveness.
While the choice of pregnancy is based on that of the mother, there are those that may decide to take it too far. According to Thompson, even though abortion is legal, there can be no unlimited abortion rights. She gives the example of a hypothetical woman that chooses a late-term abortion just to avoid the nuisance of postponing a trip abroad. Abortion for such a reason would be termed as indecent and unethical. One can argue against the claim that pregnant women have the right to kill their offspring. It is the right of the mother to stop being pregnant, even if it results in the death of the offspring. Such a right is different from that which states that the mother can ensure that the offspring is dead.
Arguments in defense of abortion can apply to justify the act in cases of rape. Abortion in other instances should be based on ethical and moral concerns. Being pregnant translates to having a new life growing inside. Whether the fetus is a person or not, it is arguable that the woman has some obligation to the outcome of the pregnancy. While this obligation may not be strong enough to eliminate abortion as a viable option, it can be strong enough to limit abortion when it is not ethically chosen. Women that are thinking of abortion should consider the morally correct option of choosing to keep and fend for the child. However, the decision should be fully based on the mother’s decision and not on an external law that terms abortion as illegal.
Reference
Thomson, Judith Jarvis. "A defense of abortion." Biomedical ethics and the law. Springer US, 1976. 39-54.
