Introduction
With the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2021, concerns can be raised about the government’s stance on abortion. Namely, the act explicitly denies funding for Planned Parenthood if the organization initiates abortions of most kinds. The ethical issue on display, in this case, concerns the morality and acceptability of abortion. Throughout the years, the practice has been both legalized and prohibited in the US, with the government’s shift in attitudes being central to the ambiguity of the issue. With the issuing of this piece of legislation, it can be understood that the US does not want to encourage abortions or support them, aside from extreme cases (Planned Parenthood Action Fund, n.d.). Alternatively, it can be asserted that the accessibility of planned parenthood services specifically, is challenged. Both perspectives require discussing abortion ethics in more detail.
Pros
There are several arguments protecting abortion as a practice. Most of them stem from ethical considerations of autonomy, agency, and justice. The primary one stems from the idea that abortion protects people, and ensures their safety. Better access to abortion and less stigmatization of the practice means that women who may require it will be able to seek professional help and continue to live their lives. This falls in line with many ethical theories, such as utilitarianism, that find the process of ensuring the happiness of the majority to be a priority. Another perspective comes from concerns about women’s choices, empowerment, and autonomy. This position is largely favored by many current supporters of abortion legalization. It asserts that women should have full control over their bodies, including cases of childbearing. In any circumstance, abortion is a justified act of self-determination, one that the individual must be supported through and accepted.
Cons
The side contesting abortion usually does so on moral grounds considering the practice to be unacceptable. In this view, women that get abortions are murdering their children, preventing them from being born into the world without their consent. The view of abortion as murder is considerably common, as there is an argument about the life of a fetus and its qualification for a human being. If a child fetus is seen as having the same rights as a living human, then its termination is completely immoral by most ethical standards. Views such as deontology explicitly condemn murder for any reason. Supporters of outlawing abortion consider fetuses to be alive or worthy of protection to some degree.
Legal Issue
Case Analysis
The legal issue of the case, on the other hand, is whether it is correct for the government to pay for, support, and ensure the right to abortion. The problem exists regardless of the procedure’s legality, and concerns mostly its availability and funding.
Pros
The proposition for this argument can be made when considering abortion as a necessary human right, and a medical procedure worthy of providing access to. The government should view abortion not as a moral issue, but as an issue of health and human rights. Protecting and guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of its current citizens can mean allowing them a better degree of access to important services, such as abortion clinics.
Cons
The opposite perspective argues that the government does not have any obligation to protect or support the practice of abortion. Even if the existence and work of abortion clinics are legalized, their services and access to abortion must fall under the discretion of individuals responsible for these entities’ work, and not the government. Historically, there is a precedent stating that the state does not have an obligation to finance abortions (Goldman, 1986). Therefore, no reason or force may compel the government into financing abortion clinics.
Conclusion
I suggest that abortion should be made fully legal, destigmatized, and supported by the government of the United States. Despite its controversial nature, abortion is a part of healthcare and should be treated as such (OHCHR, 2021). To protect the well-being and happiness of their people, the US should make efforts to improve their abortion services, allocate funds and decrease resistance to abortion rights being created. This would allow more women to get safe abortions, or consider the procedure in times of need. As an approach, it would guarantee a better array of life outcomes for many.
References
Goldman, E. B. (1986). Legal aspects of abortion practice. PubMed.
OHCHR. (2021). Abortion is essential healthcare and women’s health must be prioritized over politics. Web.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund. (n.d.). Attacks on access to care at planned parenthood. Web.