Abortion is a contentious issue with both political and cultural ramifications. For decades, since Roe v. Wade, the fight between pro life and pro choice activists has taken nasty turns and in some cases resulting in fatalities. It is inconceivable that life can be denied to a potential contributor to society just at the time of conception and some times when the fetus takes on a human form. Even though the debate between abortionists and anti-abortionists has stalled, the case for life is still strong. This paper seeks to make an argument for the preservation of life. It introduces religious, cultural and biological explanations for protecting life rather than end it.
One of the reasons why abortion should be outlawed is the fact that the development of the fetus is a process that continuous. It is difficult to judge at what point in the fetus’ development is abortion permissible (Saurette and Gordon 11). Once an egg has been fertilized, it takes a new life of its own that need not to be interrupted. Arguments for abortion should be able to answer the delimitation problem. In addition to to the continuous process of the development of life, there is a question on when exactly life begins. The question that is always asked is whether life begins when the baby extsts its mother’s womb or when its is still in the womb. Birth is a wrong marker of the beginning of life.
There are also religious and moral grounds for outlawing abortion. All Abrahamic religions see life as sacred and abortion as murder. Life is valuable at all stages even before conception. The Christian tradition believes that a child is a gift from God and human beings are not supposed to take away this precious life (Beckwith 5). There also the argument that one would want to do to others what they want them to do to them. Treating life as an end not as a means to an end. There is a philosophical and long moral argument for respecting all kinds of life.
The question of abortion forces people into the gray areas of ethics. In ethical considerations, murder is wrong and under no condition is it justified. Human life is sacred and denying life is inhuman and uncalled for (Beckwith 5). Abortion is a process of denial of life, hence it falls in the category of murder. Those who support abortion argue that a fetus is not a human being because it lacks a sense of awareness and is unable to make informed decisions. This is a misrepresentation of life. If losing a baby through miscarriage is painful, people should be able to see that like is inherently precious and no amount of justification is enough to terminate pregnancy. Beckwith argues that an unborn child is “a fully fledged member of the human communityshe is just as much a bearer of rights as any human being whose rights bearing is uncontroversial” (1). Thus humanity is not established when the child is born but when it is conceived.
There are scientific reasons why abortion should not be allowed. It is apparent that from the time of conception, genes from a woman and a man create a new human being with a distinct genetic make up (Saurette and Gordon 195). Because the new creation has DNA of its own kind, it is imperative that human beings respect this new creation. The argument that a fetus is a blob misses the mark because it is an individual despite the fact that it cannot talk or interact with the world, it is a living being. The fetus is not necessarily an extension of a woman’s body that can be easily removed when people believe it is necessary to do so.
Arguments against abortion become complicated when rape and incest is factored in. It is understandable that the relationship between a mother and a child born of incest and rape is strained but these are few exceptions. It is wrong to take a few exceptions and make them the norm. Women who are raped or bear children out of incestuous relationships need do have legit arguments for abortion (Saurette and Gordon 196). The problem comes when this particular argument is made to justify abortions in all kinds of cases. It is true that women have the right to choose but that right is difficult to defend when it involves the denial of life. When two individuals who consent to sexual activities end up creating a baby, it is ethically wrong to say that the new creation is a mistake. Being able to accept the results of one’s actions is critical to human life and when adults engage in consensual activities, they have to accept the results of their choices.
In conclusion, abortion is an issue that is contentious and divides society. The debate on when a baby becomes a baby keeps raging on. It is important to note that abortion even though in the grey area cannot be less morally reprehensible as murder. At the time of conception a new human being is created. Though in infancy, this being has the potential to live up to societal expectations like any other being. It is ethically and morally wrong to justify abortion. As proven, there are religious, scientific and moral reasons against the practice of abortion.
Works Cited
Beckwith, Francis, J. Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case against Abortion Choice. New
York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2007
Saurette, Paul and Gordon, Kelly. The Changing Voice of the Anti-Abortion Movement:The Rise
of "Pro-Woman" Rhetoric in Canada and the United States. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2016.
