Elizabeth said:
Family Planning, Abortion Issues: Option B
Abortion is a highly sensitive and controversial issue. Opinions and ethical responses are diverse. In the scenario, a married couple are disagreeing over an abortion of unknown staging.
A woman’s desire to have an abortion can be echoed in natural law theory, especially if her life is threatened by pregnancy. Natural law would suggest on a basic level that we have a right to not be subject to harm (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2017). Even those who traditionally feel that abortion is morally questionable, such as individuals with a religious leaning, may agree that abortion is acceptable as a byproduct of saving a woman’s life, such as removing a cancerous uterus. “A pregnant woman who is faced with the grim reality of impending death…may use these…procedures for the reasonably grave reason of saving her life” (Irving, 2000, p. 51). From the man’s perspective, the husband could morally argue against the abortion using rule utilitarianism (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2017). If every woman had an abortion, society would cease to exist because babies would no longer be born. Therefore, from a moral stance, abortion is not tolerable because it would not be allowed all the time.
If the roles were reversed, the husband could cite action utilitarianism as a reason for abortion (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2017). The family’s circumstances are unknown, but if the family were poor and they already had other children to support and give attention to, adding another baby to the family would put a strain on resources. If the husband thought the foreseeable units of happiness experienced by the family would be decreased if the pregnancy continued, abortion would be indicated under this utilitarian thinking. The woman, if wanting to continue the pregnancy, could counter with the moral principle of autonomy, and the right to make decisions for her body. “It is this aspect of our nature that gives us our dignity as persons” (MacKinnon & Fiala, 2017, p. 125). Many women’s rights groups also support that bodily autonomy takes priority over any collaborative decision, even when it is contradictory to cultural perspectives. “Collective decision-making is common across cultures, societies, and governments. But group decisions cannot circumscribe the rights of individuals” (United Nations Population Fund, 2021, para. 10).
The abortion topic is not something I’ve encountered within my nursing roles, but it is important for nurses to be educated on this delicate issue. The discussion also highlights the need to be unbiased and set our personal opinions aside, as well as not make assumptions. Being male or female is not a predisposition to being either in favor or against termination. My questions this week would be whether you think an unborn child should be given protection under natural law theory from an ethical viewpoint, and if so, at what stage and why? Do you feel that a man and woman’s ethical choice on abortion takes equal standing?
References
Irving, D. N. (2000). Abortion: Correct application of natural law theory. The Linacre Quarterly, 67(1), 51. https://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol67/iss1/6
MacKinnon, B., & Fiala, A. (2017). Ethics: Theory and contemporary issues (9th ed.). Cengage Learning US. https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781337515443
United Nations Population Fund. (2021, April 14). Bodily autonomy: Busting 7 myths that undermine individual rights and freedoms. https://www.unfpa.org/news/bodily-autonomy-busting-7-myths-undermine-individual-rights-and-freedoms
Please always include at least one direct citation from the MacKinnon and end with two discussion questions for peers.
Step 1
Choose either Option A or Option B and post a 150+ word discussion by Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT,
Be specific and give examples, using at least two outside references, to buttress your argument. Cite all sources in APA format.
Side Comment: During the Soviet Union era, contraceptives were not available. Abortion was the method of contraception. There are women who had over 200 abortions before the fall of communism. The same is true in many other countries.
Option A:
You are part of a medical mission to a small town in a country where contraceptives are not readily available and family planning consists of either constant pregnancies or regular abortions. This has resulted in a health crisis for the women with a life expectancy half that of the male population. Both deaths in childbirth and deaths from complications as a result of an annual cycle of pregnancy followed by an abortion are on the rise.
What are the ethics involved? How do you approach the families of the town? Consider that the culture is highly patriarchal and you need to be convincing rather than dogmatic.
Option B:
A married couple comes into the local health clinic where you are working. One of them wants an abortion, the other is vehemently against it. They are asking your opinion.
First write about the situation as if it is the woman wanting the abortion and the man against it, then switch the roles (the man wants the abortion and the woman is against it).
Write about the issues involved from an ethical, not a legal perspective. (You may combine your arguments if you feel the ethics are identical in both situations.)
Step 2
Read your instructor’s response and post a response to him by Friday, 11:59 pm MT.
Click on the Discussion Board link above to participate in this week’s discussion.
Select reply to join the discussion. For grading details, select the three dots above to see the rubric.
When you have completed the discussion, select Next to access the Week 7 Overview.