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Topic Selection and Milestone

Topic Selection and Milestone

Winnie Nyamapfumba

Chamberlain College of Nursing

NR445: Principles of Ethics

Professor Daniel Henke

November 15, 2021

Topic Selection and Milestone

Abortion is an issue that has precipitated numerous debates in society. It alludes to the act of terminating the life of an embryo developing in the uterus of a human being before it reaches maturity. Some individuals argue that keeping or eliminating a child should be left to the affected individuals. In contrast, others oppose the act claiming that it is an injustice to the young ones who are denied the chance to live (Tatalovich, 2019). Still, no conclusive decisions have been made on whether it is okay to have an abortion or whether it is an immoral act. This essay explores the debate on abortion to determine why individuals support each side of the discussion. It also scrutinizes the issue under different moral theories.

Evaluation of Different Sides of the Debate on Abortion

The supporters of abortion give different reasons for favoring the act. Firstly, those in favor of the action claim that pregnant women should be allowed to make decisions about their bodies. Therefore, if they choose to eliminate a pregnancy, they should be allowed to do so without being criticized (Tatalovich, 2019). Subsequently, supporters of the issue also claim that allowing the act promotes equality between males and females because it will enable women to have children when they have achieved their goals in life. When they get pregnant before they have fulfilled their dreams, they can eliminate their pregnancy and continue pursuing their goals until they reach them, just like male individuals.

Opposers of abortion have valid reasons for criticizing the act. Firstly, abortion takes away from the unborn babies their entitlement to live. It takes away the life of a living being, which is equal to murder (Tatalovich, 2019). Secondly, the opponents of abortion criticize the act because it negatively impacts the affected individuals' health and well-being.

Firstly, those who abort their unborn children often develop a guilty conscience that predisposes them to mental distortions (Tatalovich, 2019). Subsequently, when the procedure is not performed effectively, the chances of developing conditions such as cancerous growths and infertility are significantly high.

Evaluation of the Position Using Moral Theories

Ethical egoists posit that the priority of individuals should be to focus on the things that interest them and not those that make other individuals happy. Ethical egoists would indicate that pregnant women should decide whether to have an abortion based on the decision that would benefit them the most (Popovski, 2018). Therefore, those who ascribe to this moral theory would support abortion. The justification of their moral position is that abortion lets women make pregnancy decisions that favor them the most. The moral viewpoint of the ethical egoist causes a significant conflict between the interests of individuals and those of the community. This is because allowing the act can precipitate immorality in society. It can cause young people to engage in unprotected sex without fear because they can eliminate the pregnancy seamlessly (Popovski, 2018). I believe that it is significant to use a different strategy to prevent unwanted pregnancy, such as educating young women on more practical ways of preventing unwanted pregnancies, such as using contraceptives.

Social contrast ethicists’ claim that those in the same community should follow stipulated moral and ethical values. The view of social contrast ethicists will be that women should not practice abortion because it contrasts the values and morals prescribed in society (Popovski, 2018). The fact that would justify the social contrast ethicists’ viewpoint is that abortion is taking away individuals' lives, which can be perceived as murder.

Additionally, it would encourage immoral acts such as fornication and adultery because the repercussions of such actions can be eliminated seamlessly through abortion. The topic precipitates a collision between personal obligations and national ones because some nations have legalized abortions, making it okay for individuals in the region to engage in the act. However, those whose moral values do not agree with the actions may have difficulties following the stipulation. For example, physicians in the countries where abortion is legal are required to eliminate pregnancies without questions at patients' request (Popovski, 2018). However, those in the medical profession whose moral values do not allow them to perform the act may have difficulties following the precept.

Professional Code of Ethics Relevant to Abortion

The ANA Code of Ethics contains several ethical principles that are relevant in the abortion debate. Firstly, the professionals are required to observe beneficence. Beneficence alludes to engaging in acts beneficial to the patients in their care (Fowler, 2017). The ethical principle would encourage doctors who support abortion to proceed with the action because it upholds the mother's welfare. On the other hand, those who support abortion would use the principle to avoid it because it harms the unborn baby. Another significant ANA precept that is relevant to abortion is patient autonomy. The precept indicates that the patient is entitled to make critical decisions that affect their health. Therefore, pregnant women are allowed to decide whether they should keep pregnancies or eliminate them. Abortion may cause conflicts between professional duties and familial duties because the ethical code may obligate healthcare professionals to perform the act while members of the patients' families are against it (Fowler, 2017). The professionals are obligated to prioritize their patient's desires at the expense of the views of the family members.

Conclusion

Abortion is a controversial issue that precipitates unending debates in society. Just like those who support the act, those who criticize it have valid reasons for doing so. Therefore, it is significant to examine different perspectives about the issue, such as the viewpoints based on moral theories and those indicated by the professional code of ethics, to develop a better understanding of the issue.

References

Fowler, M. D. (2017). Faith and ethics, covenant, and code: The 2015 revision of the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses with interpretive statements. Journal of Christian Nursing, 34(4), 216-224.

Tatalovich, R. (2019). Abortion: Prochoice Versus Prolife. In Social Regulatory Policy (pp. 177-209). Routledge.

Popovski, V. (2018). Ethics and laws of the future. In Future Courses of Human Societies (pp. 174-193). Routledge.