| |
|
Our personal views
-Abortion is okay if there are valid reasons. Unhappy that abortions can be granted on demand.
-People should do more to prevent becoming pregnant - should take responsibility . For example, wombs should be removed if the mother has serious genetic faults.
-There should be an earlier cut off point for having an abortion. Stories of aborted babies found crying in toilets by cleaners.
-Allowing abortions sustains the world"s resources. The population is kept down if parents choose not to keep the baby.
-There should be somewhere for unwanted babies to live, a special house.
-Society shouldn't force someone to keep an unwanted baby or force them to adopt. - There is always a person there, right from conception. Important to stress their potential.
The premature expulsion of the foetus from the womb. Debate is polarized between pro-life groups and pro-choice groups.
Abortion is only permissible if the life or health of the woman is at risk or if the life or health of the baby is at risk. Certain criteria are set out, but virtually anyone is awarded the right, pleading damage on mental health. In 1990 the fertilisation and embryology act revealed the maximum time an abortion can take place is 24 weeks.
What is a person? Is there a central essence which makes us human?
What about rights? If the foetus has rights, surely chimpanzees and other animals should have rights. What takes preference- mother's rights or foetus's rights'! The government decides what rights you should have, social contract. Does the foetus have any absolute rights or are they conditional?
There are 7 options for when the foetus can be regarded as being human:
1. Human at conception.
2. Human when we see a physical Sigl1. Does it become human when it has brain activity. Neural activity doesn't imply COI1Sciousness.
3. Viability, can it survive outside of the womb.
4. Ensoulment, the foetus becomes human when it gains a soul. Augustine claims a girl is given a soul after 80 days and a boy 40 days.
5. Becomes human at birth. However, there is not much difference in physical and brain activity when the foetus is in the womb as opposed to when it is born.
6. Consciousness, a foetus is human when it becomes aware of its surroundings.
7. Potential. We must always say that a foetus has potential for human life and should therefore be allowed the right to life.
Problem- just because you have potential doesn't necessarily mean you should be awarded the right.
Don Marquis argues that abortion is wrong. He claims that we must first conclude what it is about normal adult human beings that makes it wrong to kill them and then determine if foetuses have those characteristics. Killing a normal adult is wrong he argues, because the adult is thereby deprived of a valuable future. Since foetuses have a future like ours, they too have a moral status.
Judith Jarvis Thomson says that even if we knew the foetus has a serious right to life and full moral status, abortion would still be moral and should be legally permissible.
The central issue for Thomson is not the status of the foetus but whether the mother has an obligation to that foetus. The woman is the creator and is too often transformed into a container for her foetus. Since women do not explicitly agree to carry their - foetuses then they have no such obligations towards them.
-Many teenagers are irresponsible" abortion provides them with an easy way out.
-The father can often persuade the mother to have an abortion when that is not what she desires.
-Disagreements as to whether the morning after pill should constitute as a form of abortion. The morning after pill prevents the fertilised egg from implanting itself into the lining of the womb. Roman Catholics may view it as abortion as they believe that life begins at conception.
-There may be more unwanted teenage pregnancies today than before because of a lack of fear from parents or the church.
-Abortion is a convenience at someone else's expense.
-Circumstances; rape victims" severe disabilities" unknown risks to mother .
-Joint decision of mother and father" providing they can both produce sound arguments. -Relationship of the mother and father should perhaps be taken into account. -Circumstances it should not be permitted; convenience abortions.
-There should be dedicated departments within hospitals with specialists and counselors to deal with abortions.
Debi Jones 6-2-04
Created 21:02:04