The background of abortion controversy
The issue of abortion is one of the most controversial topics in the modern society, as people argue whether the termination of pregnancy is a moral act or try to determine in what circumstances it should be considered acceptable. However, women around the world have resorted to reproduction control and the abortion as part of it throughout the history of the world, still the debate has become the issue in the United States only in 19th century, as previously the abortion was not directly regulated by laws and was conducted in the cases of explicit danger to the life of a woman. As abortion has become illegal in the majority of states in the middle of 19th century, it had a drastic effect on the women’s health and life and the topicality of the problem started growing. The modern controversy dates back to the 1973 Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade case,” which declared most state anti-abortion laws unconstitutional” (ProCon.org, 2016). In the context of growing movements for birth control and women’s rights, this decision ignited a new wave of debates between two opposing camps, pro-life and pro-choice that still continues now.
Policy-makers and their positions
Democrats and liberals traditionally support pro-choice legislation, while Republicans and conservatives favor pro-life; however, the recent trends in the government prove that there are members in each of the parties, who deviate from this pattern ( Ainsworth & Hall, 2011, p.126). Pro-choice interest groups, such as Planned Parenthood, Washington Women for Choice, Women Vote! and Center for Reproductive Rights are top contributors for pro-abortion policy-making, while pro-life groups, such as Right for Life and Susan B Anthony List team, devote their work and resources to anti-abortion campaigns(Center for Responsive Politics, 2015).
Nursing and abortion
The professional role of nurses in the abortion care should be taken into account, while analyzing the controversy. Pro-choice and pro-life movements’ representatives concentrate on the defense of the mother or the fetus respectively, while the nurses are the third parties that also are affected by the consequences of policy-making in the sphere. The nurses face ethical dilemmas, even though they are not obliged to take part in the abortion procedures, as they may cause serious psychological impact not only on the patient, but also on the nurse. However, “whether the nurse chooses to participate in the termination of pregnancies or not, the core function of the nurse is that of counseling and ethical decision-making.” (Botes, 2000, p. 26), so the nurse may have to look after the patient before and after the procedures. Therefore, the nurses have to take care of all the patients, regardless of their views and attitudes, as the nursing profession is based on empathy and acceptance of the patient. Addressing the best interests of the patient is essential for the nurse, as well as other health care practitioners. As the policy regarding the abortion is constantly changing, there are regulations that ensure that the rights of nurses are protected.
Ethical issues of abortion
The main ethical dilemma considers whose rights should be considered at the first place – the rights of mother or the rights of fetus. Anti-abortion proponents consider that the life begins at the moment of conception, the fetus feels pain, and, therefore, the abortion is a murder of an innocent person. On the contrary, pro-abortion supporters claim that fetus is not necessarily a person, whose rights for life should be defended, while the mother definitely has the rights to decide whether to carry the child or not. Another issue concerns the legal status of abortion and the morality of abortion procedure.
Options to resolve the issue
The differences between two views on the issue make it difficult to find a consensus that will resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, despite the facts that two opinions directly oppose each other, there is a common ground between them, and it should become the basis for developing the agenda to address the issue. Both camps value the life of a person; therefore, according to Tribe, the solution is “to avoid abortion as much as possible” ( McBride, 2008, p.76). Nowadays, there are a lot of contraception options to consider and their accessibility may become the solution to the problem, so this option does not require abundance of resources. The second approach that is not feasible at the moment and requires considerable resources and financing is the cryopreservation technology that will allow keeping the fetus alive. But the technology “cannot really alter the moral issues involved in abortion, it can only expand the range of possible choices” (Gramstad, 2000). However, it can alter the extreme opinion and provide the ground for the consensus.
Abortion debate and the consensus
The optimal solution to the problem of abortion is concentrating on the common values of two parties and finding the consensus. This approach is the most logical and feasible in the modern context, as the issue cannot be completely eliminated because of its complexity. However, collaboration on the micro and macro levels can make a difference. The possible strategies are the promotion of sex education, abstinence and available contraception options. These public policies are aimed at reducing the number of abortions, not making it illegal (McBride, 2008, p. 77). If there are only wanted pregnancies, the number of abortions will decrease drastically. This option does not require the major changes in the convictions of two sides of the argument, but demands the cooperation and mutual desire to find the common ground.
References
Ainsworth, S. H., & Hall, T.E. (2011). Abortion Politics in Congress: Strategic Incrementalism and Policy Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Botes, A. (2000). Critical thinking by nurses on ethical issues like the termination of pregnancies. Curationis, 23(3), 26-31.
Center for Responsive Politics. (2015). Abortion Policy. Opensecrets.org.
Gramstad, T. (2000). Can cryopreservation solve "the abortion problem? Premises of Post-Objectivism. Longevity Report, 79.
McBride, D. E. (2008). Abortion in the United States: A reference handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO.
ProCon.org. (2016, January 11). Abortion ProCon.org. Retrieved from http://abortion.procon.org/
