Marquis states that “the loss of one’s life is the greatest loss a person can suffer” (469). This single argument justifies the fact that abortion is morally wrong. A fetus can be treated as a creature that will have a future life. Moralists focusing on the issue of abortion have argued that a person’s life begins after conception. Any attempt to abort an unborn child at any stage of development is therefore immoral and unethical. This essay uses these notions and ideas to explain why abortion is morally unacceptable. The essay goes further to argue that the malpractice should be avoided and criminalized.
Why Abortion Is Not Morally Justifiable
The world has been divided over this issue of abortion. Some scholars and medical practitioners have argued that women can abort when their lives are in danger. They have outlined the major challenges and issues associated with pregnancies in an attempt to support their proposals. Different groups have explained why abortion should be permitted so that women can make the best decisions for themselves.
The most outstanding fact is that the abortion debate has continued to receive diverse views from theorists, moralists, politicians, and philosophers (Sumner 475). This situation explains why a non-opinionated approach can play a significant role towards understanding the moral issues surrounding the question of abortion.
To begin with, abortion is a malpractice that denies a potential human being his or future. The act of denying such a person his or her future is morally wrong. One of the reasons why the killing of any human being is wrong is “the loss of his or her future” (Marquis 469). One of the most important issues to understand is that fetuses are human beings by all means. These fetuses have the capacity to become adults. They have a property of life (Marquis 470).
That being the case, the best approach towards dealing with this moral controversy is by acknowledging the fact that fetuses are human beings. If it is immoral to kill grownups, then is should be unethical to abort. This is true because the malpractice makes it impossible for the affected fetus to have a future.
Some ethicists have argued that abortion might be permitted during the early days of pregnancy. However, modern moralists have argued that “all abortions and stages of pregnancy must be accorded the same moral status” (Sumner 475). This knowledge will therefore help many people acknowledge the fact that early and late abortions are both wrong. As well, aborting a fetus at any stage is something that should raise numerous moral questions.
Any attempt to kill a fetus results in numerous losses. For instance, the fetus will be unable to become an adult. This potential human being will have been denied his or her rights (Sumner 475). A good example is the right to life. A society that embraces this kind of understanding will definitely criminalize abortion because it is a major threat to human life.
Fetal development is something that has been observed to unfold gradually within nine months (Sumner 476). This fact explains why sentience is acquired slowly by slowly throughout the development period. That being the case, these stages can be treated as moral statuses. Such statuses should also be treated seriously in an attempt to avoid the thoughts of abortion. This dilemma presents a major ethical dilemma regarding the issue of abortion. However, scholars have encouraged people to focus on the sentience associated with old age. The issue of moral indeterminacy also occurs during old age. This kind of understanding explains “why fetal development is morally indeterminate” (Sumner 476).
This understanding presents a moderate view that can help more people and societies address the issue of abortion. Sumner encourages human beings to accept this kind of information and understanding about fetal development (478).
By so doing, more people will begin to appreciate the fact there is no specific time limit for allowing abortion (Sumner 476). What this researcher does is to present a third alternative that can address the defects and gaps associated with the existing views regarding the issue of abortion. The argument seeks to support the fact that abortion is unjustifiable because human beings cannot decide when life should (or not) be terminated.
In concussion, if the decision to kill a person is wrong, then it would be immoral to abort. Human life is something precious and should be respected. Fetal development starts after conception. This development is critical for a human being to be developed. That being the case, a moderate view is needed whereby human beings can accept that the decision to act of terminating someone’s life is morally unacceptable and wrong. Since pepped cannot determine when life really begins, the most humane thing is to avoid abortion by all means (Marquis 472). This is the case because abortion is an act of killing a human being. This understanding will therefore encourage more people to avoid the malpractice because it threatens human posterity.
Works Cited
Marquis, Don. “Why Abortion is Immoral.” Journal of Philosophy 86.1 (1989): 468-472. Print.
Sumner, LW. “Abortion: A Moderate View.” Health Care Ethics. Ed. Donald VanDeVeer and Regan Tom. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 1987. 473-478. Print.