Ethical Abortion in America
Wendy Stevens
Ashford University
Joe Niehaus
Sociology 120
September 21, 2008
Abstract
Women have abortions everyday, whether it is done through a doctor’s office or by other vulgar means, known as alley abortions. Over the last two decades abortion rights and laws have become an ethical question. The question remains, should abortion be legal? There are two sides to this coin, Pro-Life and Pro-Choice. But where do the boundaries, for each decision lie. What limits are realistic, what limits are responsible, how to protect the doctors and the women who go to clinics, stem cell research. All of these are issues that need to be and have been addressed for years. However, each individual is left with and ethical and moral decision of why the abortion is or is not necessary. These are the question that will be addressed in the following pages.
Pro-Life and Pro-Choice advocates take very different stands on the abortion issue. For the Pro-life, they believe that no matter what the mother should have the child and then if the mother does not want to rear the child to give it up for adoption. For Pro-Choice the advocated say that it is the woman decision on whether or not they want to continue the pregnancy. Rape and incest victims come into play on these two options. If a woman is raped the controversy lies if having the abortion is more detrimental to the mental aspect of the victim, just having the abortion to move on. The ethical question that lies for the Pro-Lifers is this, is it right for some to have the abortion and not others based upon the circumstance? Here is the problem. Abortion was originally designed to protect the health of the mother and unborn child. Therefore if sexual assault was done to the women, does this put her or the baby at a health risk? Most likely not; however there is the rare occasion that they both contract an STD (sexually transmitted disease,) from their assailant. This then leaves only the...