The problem of abortion seems to be a rather controversial one. Presenting the world with a new human life: is it a moral obligation or a woman’s personal decision? Is a pregnant woman empowered to make such an important decision by herself? In this essay, we make one more attempt to solve the enduring problem of abortion. Two main views on abortion will be discussed in the present paper: abortion as a crime committed by the would-be mothers and abortion as a last resort the mothers apply to.
The most common label people pin on abortion is that it is a mere crime that the mother commits against her unborn child. The supporters of this point of view claim that 46 million abortions are performed worldwide every year. There are 26 abortions out of 100 pregnancies (Henshaw et al., 1999). It is obvious that this rate decreases the overall population size. When one realizes that the Earth does not count the people who were actually killed by their mothers, the situation seems horrific.
The opponents of this assumption of abortion argue that abortions help mothers to save their health or prevent the child from the unfortunate future. In the first case, it is the medical service that is responsible for this step the unaccomplished mother undertakes. Being under constant observation, she gets the doctor’s advice about the necessity of abortion as a means to save at least one life out of two. Normally the decision taken under these circumstances is well-grounded and carefully thought of by both sides.
Speaking of the second point the supporters of abortion have, we should say that they find abortion as the mother’s attempt to protect the unborn child from the various hardship she will fail to fight. One might say that the mothers’ problem should be solved in some other way irrelevant to human life. But realizing the poverty rate (and this is poverty that in most cases induces mothers to make an abortion, the abortion rate turns out to be the highest in the poorest countries), one may see that this decision is grounded, at least financially. The more the country where pregnant mothers are going to give birth to their children are interested in the birth rate, the fewer abortion will be made.
The analysis of the problem of abortion will not be sufficient if we do not take into account the psychological aspect of the problem.
The defenders of woman’s rights on abortion advocate that young mothers are not aware of the responsibility that they should take when they bear children. This results from the would-be mothers’ reluctance to realize the seriousness of the consequences their sexual life has. It is not enough just to be physically ready to give present this world with a child; a girl needs to be capable of bearing the burden that the birth of issue presents. Therefore, the supporters of abortion find the induced miscarriage as a reasonable way to prevent the birth of a child whose upbringing will be absolutely neglected because of the mother’s incompetence.
The people who find abortion as a deliberate killing of the fetus believe that it is possible for mothers to get to know how to meet the demands of an appropriate upbringing. Once the purpose of mastering the parental art is set, the mother is able to do her best when overcoming this task. In the long run, practice makes perfect. Why not take the chance to become an affectionate mother after all?
In conclusion, we may say that the problem of abortion is regarded as the problem of doubled effect. On the one hand, abortion is harm that is done in order to promote some good. On the other, this is a good the side-effects of which might horrify. Therefore, the problem of abortion should be solved differently in each particular case, regarding both advantages and disadvantages the process is full of. Only sound consideration of the issue will help mothers to make the right decision. And these are mothers who are the only people empowered to make these important decisions.
References
Henshaw, Stanley K., Singh, Susheela, & Haas, Taylor. The Incidence of Abortion Worldwide. International Family Planning Perspectives, 25 (Supplement), 30 – 8, 1999. Web.