A couple has just married. During their honeymoon, they decided to have
a baby. A couple months later the woman managed to get pregnant. Unfortunately,
the husband cheated during her pregnancy and asks for divorce. Desperate and
depressed, the woman decides to give up this fetus. The question is: should we
allow the woman have an abortion simply because she regrets her decision? If we
allow her to do that, this seems quite problematic since she has the
responsibility to take care of it.
One way to look at this is that doing an abortion is prima facie wrong-meaning that it is not right to take the life of an developing fetus, which is a potential human being. We should not be allowed to seize its right to come to this world. However, since the women's husband cheated her during pregnancy, it might boil down to fact that all things considered, it is right to go for the abortion. This is because the women is depressed and desperate. After the abortion, she can get rid of the potential child, which is a mark of her relationship with her husband left behind with her, which she clearly wants to get rid of. Hence, all things considered, she will be better off
ReplyDeleteThe fetus is only a potential human being though and not yet an actual human being. Does a potential human being have the same rights as an actual human being? We don't really know for sure what the rights of a potential human being are. If we think about it, children are potential adults, not actual adults, but they do not receive the same treatment as adults do (they cannot drink, drive, etc). So maybe potential human beings don't necessarily have to have the exact same rights that actual human beings do.
ReplyDeleteI feel this is sort of like those train cases we did before the midterm. (The one where you have a switch to reverse the direction of the train). Remember, how we stopped to evaluated the child's life who was in danger? If I am not mistaken we did discuss cases like what if the child was more valuable than what we had considered it to be by not reversing the switch and hence letting the child die. In that ground, potential value of a life and thus rights to a potential human being might be grounded. Also, think about what you said. Dont you think if what you said is true, then objection would always turn out to be correct thing to do? Nevertheless, don't you think this is problematic and therefore might just not be right?
ReplyDeleteI believe at this time aborting the fetus is immoral and impermissible. You have said that during the honey moon, it is part of the woman's decision to have a baby and later she regret it. First of all, after six week, the fetus is not a fetus anymore. It begins to develop fingers, arms, toes, legs and even the brain activity. It is considered as a human life form. The standard anti-abortion view argues that:
ReplyDelete1. Killing any human life is immoral.
2. A fetus is a human life. Therefore,
3. Killing a fetus is morally problematic.
What's more, you have stated that the pregnant woman found her husband cheating on her is at the late stage of pregnancy. Then the time that the baby to birth is not long and why wouldn't her go through the last few weeks, and if she still does not want the baby, adoption will be a very good alternative choice.
I think, given how specific of an example this is, and as Zhihao Zhou mentions above it is near the late stages of pregnancy, I truly do not know a single women on earth, or anyone who would abort in the late stages of pregnancy. Leading this objection to be something of a different issue. I just believe this to be such a problematic issue that it is not one objection that you would have to bring up.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the stage of pregnancy, and the state of the health of the baby, and the woman's financial situation are all contributing factors. If it is late stage it is very difficult to argue to anyone that it is the right thing to do. However people tend to be much more accepting of earlier term abortions. If the baby is going to be born with birth defects is another reason that many people would say is reason for abortion. Also, if the woman will not be able to support them and they will live in terrible poverty and the child will have a mother that did not want it then it could lead to a pretty terrible life.
ReplyDeleteYes, all the factors above are definitely relevant. However, we have focused on only the fetus and the mother. But we have never stopped to think about the father. I acknowledge that his role is much less significant than the mother who develops the baby inside her for nine months and eventually goes through the pain of bringing that life to this universe.However, the father has also played a part in what will lead to the existence of the baby if it is given birth. Therefore, it is very plausible that the father has some feelings and emotions of his own for his unborn child. Therefore, an abortion taken not even taking the father into account can seem to have a detrimental effect on the father's psychology and emotions as a whole.
ReplyDelete