Ethics of abortion: the arguments for and against

Abstract

In England, Scotland and Wales legislation has facilitated the process of procuring an abortion to the point at which, in 2007, it appears to have been effectively assimilated into contemporary life. However, despite the legal acceptance of abortion it remains an ethically contentious subject. Arguments in favour of, or in opposition to, abortion can arouse vociferous and, on occasions, extreme reactions. At the heart of the abortion debate lie questions concerning rights, autonomy and the way in which society views disability (if a pregnancy is terminated for this reason alone). It is important that health professionals comprehend the basis of the abortion debate, from the perspective of their profession, society as a whole and the individual woman who may have had or is considering an abortion or has been affected by the subject in some way. This article examines some of the key ethical issues concerning abortion.

Abortion Referendums: Is There a Recipe for Success?

“…Western societies have progressed greatly in this issue: abortion is no longer viewed as a criminal act, while access to safe abortion is seen as a human right. However, abortion remains a sensitive and ethically contentious issue, even in countries where the procedure has been legal for decades (Jones and Chaloner 2007). The rights of prospective fathers have become an increasingly recognized aspect of the topic (Hill 2001), as well as sex‐selective abortions (Muižnieks 2014), or provisions for conscientious objection to performing abortion that are available, for instance, in most EU countries and many U.S. states (Bertelsen 2013; Savulescu and Schuklenk 2017).…”

Towards Maqasid al-Shari'ah Based Nursing Ethics

“…Thus, a killing fetus does not have any moral stance. Therefore, any form of terminating the fetus is not morally wrong (13). In Islam, the preservation of life must be based on revelation.…”

Abortion in modern health care: Considering the issues for health‐care professionals

“…Historically, many cases have exposed the complexity of making ethical decisions on this tense issue. Often, cases create a tug of war between the enshrined human rights of the woman to self‐determination and autonomy and the right to life of the unborn . Fundamental difficulties surround the topic of abortion, and often, political debate descends into chaos as strong moral and ethical values and political agendas collide…”

“…The Eight Amendment (1983) acknowledged the right to life of the unborn with ‘equal’ regard for the life of the mother. This parody of terms has been disputed given that the foetus is but potential life whose existence is reliant on the woman . Great controversy is also attributed to the X judgement that raises the question of what ‘real’ or substantive risk involves.…”