The modern debate over abortion has raised numerous attentions from various disciplines across the world. Each discipline argues different positions, and there seems to be no emerging agreement. Certainly, Socrates and Herodotus would have their stand on the currently abortion issues. Just like other scholars, Socrates and Herodotus would have their view on how abortion issue is affecting the society.
Socrates and Herodotus would have not had allowed abortion to take place in the current society. However, it would have appeared to approve abortion in certain circumstances. Their perception of abortion would resemble most arguments offered by various scholars. Most debaters in the current society disallow abortion but allows in various justifiable circumstances. Such circumstances would include when the unborn baby endangers the life of the mother, when the mother is suffering from an untreatable disease with immense pain, and when the mother it is not within the required age. The Socrates and Herodotus would argue that there is no moral problem with performing abortion under such circumstances. In the current society, individuals are misusing abortion by engaging in abortion where it is not allowed. Most individuals attempts to abort whenever they feel like, a notion which would have been disapproved by Socrates and Herodotus.
Historically, Socrates and Herodotus argued that young babies born with any defect must be killed. The Socrates and Herodotus argued that for the benefit of the whole society, women who aged 40 years and above should not conceive. According to them, if a woman above 40 years conceived she should abort before the unborn child or expose it to death after the child is born. Their historical arguments had that a woman had to conceived at the age between twenty and forty years old. Accordingly, a man was supposed to be reproductive at the age between twenty and fifty five years old. If a younger or an older man impregnated a woman, the Socrates and Herodotus viewed it as an offense that is neither pious nor just. A child born out of these situations would be without the benefits. Such benefits included prayers and sacrifices provided in every marriage ceremonies presided by priests, priestesses, and the whole city. Otherwise, a child born out of these circumstances is unauthorized, illegitimate, and unhallowed.
Basing on their past arguments, the Socrates and Herodotus would have argued that abortion to be allowed to some extent.
According to them, the prohibition of abortion would have work against the obligation of protecting the mothers as well as achieving the benefit of the entire society. Basing upon this argument, it would be thought that this is a later interpolation. The Socrates and Herodotus would have argued that, the physicians undertaking to perform any abortion may not essentially mean that they are morally condemned. Instead, the physician’s commitment to perform an abortion is viewed as saving the situations under which a woman is experiencing. In the current society, there are various situations that call for abortion, which would have been allowed by Socrates and Herodotus. Among these situations include pregnant young and school going girls, pregnancies out of rape, and pregnancies where the mother suffers from untreatable diseases.
In review, the Socrates and Herodotus would not have allowed abortion in society. However, they would have allowed abortion to some extent. They would have allowed abortion on situations where the mother is too young, unhealthy or suffering from untreatable illness, and where the pregnancy resulted from rape or forced sex.
