Arguments for/Against Morality of Abortion

Morality of Abortion For Abortion (utilitarian): Anything having a net output of benefits with consideration of everyone is morally permissible [1, 7]. An abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy and the procedure is performed by a licensed health care professional [2]. Medical or surgical abortions performed in the first trimester do not significantly affect later infertility, ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, or preterm or low-birth-weight deliveries, according to The Kaiser Family Foundation's statistics on abortion [3], and shows no greater risk of breast cancer, according to research from the National Cancer Institute [8].There is about 1 death per 100,000 legal abortions and the risk of complications from the abortions are rare, about less than 0. 3% [3]. In the question of whether fetuses can feel pain during an abortion, evidence from research concludes that â€Å"fetuses from 20-23 weeks do not feel pain† [6] – whereas abortions mostly occur before tha t time period [3]. In conclusion, since the legal abortions are performed by a professional and the benefits outweigh the costs, abortion is morally permissible. Against Abortion (kantian): Killing an innocent human life form is wrong.The fetus is an innocent human life form, therefore it is wrong to abort the fetus [1]. According to the Women's Center statistics, teenagers are more likely to delay having an abortion until 15 weeks of pregnancy, when the medical risks are greater [4]. The federal law dictates that states cover abortions under Medicaid under cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment [3], but having wider access to contraception would be a better solution to the problem of abortion and enable private companies to take on the burden of the costs[5].A fetus â€Å"possesses a property, the possession of which in adult human beings is sufficient to make killing an adult human being wrong† [9]. The arguments for abortion are apt to â€Å"'speciesism'† [9] b ecause the arguments center around the notion that a â€Å"human being† should have reasoning ability, critical thought, or consciousness in order to pass as a human being. We cannot focus on consciousness or rationality as a definition of a person because it has the fallacy of being too narrow of a definition since a erson in a coma is still considered a human being. In conclusion, since fetuses possess the ability to gain rationality, and don't need it to be defined as a human being, abortion is wrong because it is murder, and murder is not justifiable. Works Cited Gensler, Harry J. â€Å"A Kantian Argument against Abortion. †Ã‚  Philosophical Studies: An International Journal for Philosophy in the Analytic Tradition  49. 1 (1986): 83-96. JSTOR. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. ;http://www. jstor. org/stable/4319811;. â€Å"Abortion†.MedlinePlus. National Library of Medicine (US). Web. 2013 Jan 28. ;http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/abortion. html#cat22; â€Å"Aborti on in the U. S. : Utilization, Financing, and Access. †Ã‚  The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. The Kaiser Family Foundation, June 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. ;http://www. kff. org/womenshealth/upload/3269-02. pdf;. â€Å"Abortion Statistics, Facts About Abortion In The US. †Ã‚  Orlando Women’s Centers. The Women’s Centers, n. d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. ;http://www. womenscenter. om/abortion_stats. html;. â€Å"Second-Trimester Abortion Overview. †Ã‚  The Pro-Choice Public Education Project. Reproductive Health Technologies Project, n. d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. ;http://www. rhtp. org/abortion/documents/Second-TrimesterAbortionFactSheetExternal. pdf;. Christian, Brugger E. â€Å"The Problem of Fetal Pain and Abortion: Toward an Ethical Consensus for Appropriate Behavior. †Ã‚  Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal  22. 3 (2012): 263-87. U. S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.Web. 18 Feb. 2013. ;http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/p ubmed/23285794? tool=MedlinePlus;. Vaughn, Lewis. Doing Ethics: Moral Reasoning and Contemporary Issues. 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton ;, 2013. Print. â€Å"Abortion, Miscarriage, and Breast Cancer Risk. †Ã‚  National Cancer Institute Factsheet. National Cancer Institute (NCI), n. d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. ;http://www. cancer. gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/abortion-miscarriage;. Marquis, Don. â€Å"Why Abortion Is Immoral. †Ã‚  Journal of