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Since the earliest recorded example of abortion in 1550 BC, the question has been asked many times, ‘Is abortion morally justifiable?’. Abortion is defined as ‘the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks’ (Oxford Language Dictionary) The meaning of ‘morally justifiable’, is an idea that is acceptable or correct because there is a good reason for it. In this essay I will be giving arguments and counterarguments for and against this question and giving a concise conclusion on my opinion, having looked at both sides.
The two positions, when it comes to abortion are pro-choice and pro-life. Pro-choice is the belief in which the mother of the foetus always, gets to decide whether or not to terminate the baby or keep it. Pro-life is the belief in the baby should be born as every life deserves a chance of living, it is against abortion. However, the only life many pro-life believers are concerned with is the life of the fetus. They are much less worried about the life of women who have unwanted pregnancies as a result of an attack for example, or the wellbeing of the children after they’re born. In this essay, I will use data, and the history of abortion to help give a balanced and justified argument.
Around 73 million abortions are carried out each year around the world, with 45% of them being performed unsafely. In this context, unsafe abortion means that it is performed by someone unqualified to do it or in an unsuitable environment (unhygienic or unsterilized). This is also known as a ‘backstreet abortion’. Developing countries have 97% of all unsafe abortions. More than half of all unsafe abortions occur in Asia, most of them in south and central Asia. In Latin American and Africa, the majority (approximately 3 out of 4) of all abortions are unsafe. In Africa, nearly half of all abortions occur under the least safe circumstances. This data is taken from the World Health Organisation’s official abortion website.
Less than 1% of abortions are performed on girls under 16, most aged 15. 0.4% of abortions are performed on women over the age of 45. The rate of abortion has dropped from 32 in 1000 people in 2007, to 28 in 1000 in 2017. In 2021, the rate has dropped further to 10 in 1000 women. Statistically, women are most likely to have an abortion at age 20, where the abortion rate gets as high as 29 per 1000 people. This data was found on 132healthwise.com.
Some people believe that women should never terminate a pregnancy. This is the belief of pro-life. Pro-life believers want abortion to become illegal. This means they want women who access safe abortion performances to be imprisoned. If abortion does become illegal this means thousands of doctors who carry out abortions, obstetricians, and gynecologists will lose their jobs. So, indirectly pro-life believers would cause families to struggle to live their lives (if hypothetically abortion was illegal). If a woman becomes pregnant as a result of an attack, like rape, pro-life believers would still want the mother of the fetus to give birth to the unwanted child, even though it would be a constant reminder of the trauma the mother went through. Another important disadvantage to pro-life belief is that more women would die in childbirth as every woman would be giving birth if abortion was made illegal.
Now, looking at the advantages of pro-life. The advantages of pro-life belief include, the fetus having a chance at life. From a religious perspective, if the mother has an abortion she is going against the word of God, by terminating, a life. Abortions can also cause psychological damage to the mother and anyone else involved, another reason to not have an abortion. Also, there might be cases where the irresponsible people involved use abortion as a form of contraception. There are many people worldwide who struggle or cannot conceive a child so adoption of an unwanted baby is an option instead of termination.
Other people believe in pro-choice. The belief is that the carrier of the fetus should ultimately always have the decision of whether or not to terminate the pregnancy. Advantages of pro-choice include: the person who will be responsible for the child gets the decision, if you are the victim of a sexual assault and you don’t want to have that baby as a result of it, you don’t have to have the baby. Another advantage is if you find out your child is severely disabled or has a life-threatening condition you have the choice of whether or not you continue the pregnancy. Also, if you are not able to care for or provide for a child, you have the choice of terminating it. Or, if your partner or such is abusive.
Disadvantages of pro-choice include abortion may result in future problems in conceiving as well as possible physical damage to the carrier. The partner of the carrier does not have a say, which could be devastating or cause psychological damage to them as well as the carrier. Disabilities don’t have to be a negative thing and just because someone is different or might be limited in their abilities doesn’t mean they should not have a chance to live. If you believe that all life is sacred, then nobody has the right to abort a life.
Now I will be giving a final answer to the statement ‘Is abortion ever morally justifiable?’. After looking at both beliefs in relation to abortion, pro-choice and pro-life, and the data overall, I have, after a lot of thought, decided that abortion is morally justifiable. This is because of the reasons I have stated earlier in the essay including abusive partner, unfit to raise and care for a child or if the child has a severe disability, as well as much more.
However, I can understand why people believe abortion is never morally justifiable, and I agree with some of those arguments. Such as you could just give the child up for adoption, or if it has a disability, it does not mean you have to have an abortion, and most importantly, every life should have the chance of living. But the arguments for pro-choice, and abortion being morally justifiable outweigh the arguments against. Personally, I am pro-choice, and that is since the carrier of the fetus should always get the decision. Nobody apart from them should get the ultimate decision, I admit that this can be devastating for anyone else involved but I am nevertheless still pro-choice. In conclusion, abortion is always morally justifiable as it is a way of ridding yourself of something you cannot care for or want. Abortion is good as it is another option you do not have to have the child.
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