PHIL 434 Week 8 Term Paper Final Draft Template (1)
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Week 8 Term Paper Final Draft
Paula Hernandez
West Coast University
PHIL 434: Medical Ethics and Issues
Lucas Ulrich
March 20,2024
2
Week 4 Term Paper Final Draft
Reproductive rights, ethics, and legal frameworks are all closely linked to the topic of abortion, which is a difficult and strongly debated topic. The word "abortion" itself implies a variety of medical procedures that aim to terminate a pregnancy. This essay discusses the technical aspects of the abortion debate, the rise of governmental regulations related to it, and the
moral reasons for and against abortion rights. However, it does not dig into the complexity of the
topic. There is a contradicting position in the argument around this issue, between advocates arguing fetal life sanctity and opponents emphasizing a woman's autonomy in making decisions.
A number of variables including the woman's health and the gestational stage of the pregnancy,
different medical methods may be utilized throughout abortions to stop a pregnancy. Medical
abortions performed during the early stages of pregnancy usually entail the use of drugs like
misoprostol and mifepristone. Misoprostol causes contractions to force the uterus' contents out,
whereas mifepristone inhibits progesterone, a hormone essential to sustaining pregnancy
(Medication abortion up to 70 days of gestation," n.d.). Conversely, surgical procedures involve
techniques like vacuum aspiration and dilatation and curettage ("Dilation and curettage (D&C),"
2023). While D&C entails dilating the cervix and scraping or suctioning the uterine lining,
suction aspiration uses a suction instrument to remove the contents of the uterus (American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2020).
Gaining knowledge about the evolving laws surrounding abortion is important for
comprehending public policy debates. In 1973, the historic Roe v. Wade case defended a
woman's freedom to choose by legalizing abortion on a national level. States do, however,
vary greatly in their abortion laws, which adds to the patchwork of the states' regulations.
Abortion availability is affected by state-specific waiting periods, ultrasound regulations, and
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gestational age constraints (Guttmacher Institute, 2021). The debates around legislation aiming
to limit or increase access to abortion services have been heating up in recent years. These
discussions frequently center on the permissibility of particular operations, gestational age
restrictions, and laws controlling abortion facilities (Guttmacher Institute, 2021).
Supporters for abortion rights make their argument that women have the moral right to make decisions about their own bodies from the standpoint of individual autonomy. This is in line with
the ethical concept of autonomy, which highlights how important it is to respect people's right to make decisions that have an impact on their lives freely. Allowing women access to safe and legal abortion procedures maximizes happiness while minimizing suffering, according to utilitarian theory. Abortion availability helps people and society by reducing harm resulting from
unplanned pregnancies. However, those who oppose abortion often agree to ethical theories like Kantian Ethics, which emphasizes greater importance over human life. According to this viewpoint, ending a pregnancy is morally wrong because it goes against the idea that every human being should be treated as an end in themselves, as opposed to as a means to an end.
Arguments in favor of abortion rights focus on the moral implications of women's reproductive decisions and are based on both utilitarian and individual autonomy.
Advocates of abortion rights place a strong emphasis on women's autonomy and the value of making ethical choices about one's body. They frequently argue that it is women's moral obligation to make decisions that uphold their autonomy and that doing otherwise would be immoral (Smith, 2019). Utilitarianism emphasizes the significance of the greatest benefit for the largest number of people by assessing acts based on their results and consequences. Abortion rights advocates believe that allowing women to choose abortion complies with the utilitarian ideal of maximizing happiness while avoiding suffering (Räsänen, 2021).
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Access to abortion helps people live happier, healthier lives by eliminating the potential despair that unwanted pregnancies might result in. Utilitarianism delves deeply into the numerous ways unexpected pregnancies affect the structures of society and the economy. Supporters believe that giving women the option to have an abortion reduces the demand that might be placed on public resources and social services (Frederico & Michielson, 2018). Access to abortion benefits the general well-being and welfare of the community by lowering the strain on social assistance organizations and lowering the number of children born into difficult circumstances, which is directly in line with utilitarian principles.
In contrast, there are solid arguments opposing abortion, and it's important to fully understand these arguments, which usually have moral and ethical foundations. Strong motives against abortion are supported by these arguments, which focus on Kantian ethics, the sanctity of life, the rights of the fetus, and possible psychological trauma. Proponents of the natural law view of abortion usually argue that life begins at conception therefore, stopping a pregnancy is the same as killing a human potentiality. This view emphasizes nature's innate order and purpose, which includes the naturally occurring beginning of life (Paulson, 2022). From this perspective, abortion is considered immoral since it opposes the sanctity of human existence and crosses the natural way of life. Pro-life advocates base their arguments against abortion on the concept that a
fetus has a right to life, which stems from Kantian principles. Kantian ideas believe that actions that have the potential to take a life are inherently evil, regardless of the outcome (Beauchamp & Childress, 2019). In addition, concerns about possible negative psychological and emotional effects raise attention to the ethical principle of beneficence and emphasize how crucial it is to reduce harm ("Restricting access to abortion likely to lead to mental health harms, APA asserts,"
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2022). Critics believe that abortions can cause long-term psychological effects on women, such as feelings of shame, grief, and regret, threatening their emotional and physical well-being. Prioritizing autonomy in reproductive decision-making over mental health risks violates the norm of beneficence, raising ethical concerns.
While studying abortion, it becomes obvious that the importance of taking note of women's autonomy and their right to make choices regarding their bodies cannot be stressed enough. A utilitarian study analyzes the positive and negative effects of permitting or banning abortion rights. Utilitarianism maintains that by allowing women to terminate pregnancies, society may reduce suffering while increasing happiness. Concerns about morality are raised on the opposing side, including the sanctity of life, social implications, and the psychological effects
on the people involved. Applying utilitarianism theory to the abortion controversy requires thoroughly examining the potential consequences for everyone involved.
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Pence, G. (2021). Medical ethics: Accounts of ground-breaking cases
(9th ed.). McGraw Hill Education.
Restricting access to abortion likely to lead to mental health harms, APA asserts
. (2022, May 3). https://www.apa.org.
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2022/05/restricting-abortion-
mental-health-harms
Frederico, M., & Michielson, K. (2018, February 13).
Factors influencing abortion decision-
making processes among young women
. MDPI.
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/2/329
Dilation and curettage (D&C)
. (2023, November 7). Top-ranked Hospital in the Nation - Mayo Clinic.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/dilation-and-curettage/about/pac-20384910
Medication abortion up to 70 days of gestation
. (n.d.). value is what Coveo indexes and uses as the title in Search Results.--> ACOG.
https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/practice-
bulletin/articles/2020/10/medication-abortion-up-to-70-days-of-gestation
Beauchamp, T., & Childress, J. (2019).
Principles of Biomedical Ethics
: Marking Its Fortieth Anniversary.
The American journal of bioethics : AJOB
,
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(11), 9–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2019.1665402
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