Abortion Ethical Issues

Abortion is a very intense, ethical, and controversial topic. I would say that it comes down to a person’s different morals and beliefs as to what they decide, prolife or prochoice. Prolife meaning abortion is out of the question and it’s never okay to kill a harmless human being in any situation. Prochoice being an opinion of being able to choose life or not for a unborn fetus, from an unplanned pregnancy in most cases. I myself have always been on the fence about this topic. I know in my heart that abortion is wrong and I would probably never be strong enough to go through with killing something that is growing inside of me. However I believe in some situations it can be ok in my book. For example, if someone is raped and becomes pregnant due to that horrifying event then maybe they don’t want a child to remind them of the person who hurt them forever. However if someone has an abortion just because they are selfish and didn’t take the proper precautions then I’d say it’s wrong to choose abortion. There are plenty of people in this world that can’t have their own children and would love the opportunity to give that child a wonderful life. So overall I think my stand on abortion is prochoice, a choice to do what is best given the circumstances. In our textbook it states “Accordingly, morally permissible abortions will be rare indeed unless, perhaps, they occur so early in pregnancy that a fetus is not yet defiantly an individual.”

I find that to be a crazy statement because a fetus is an individual no matter how old or far along it has grown, it is a human being that is full of life. That is why it’s so important that as women we take birth control seriously and be educated on the different types/forms that can be used to prevent having to decide to have an abortion in the first place. In 2006 an implantable form of contraception was FDA approved. It is a matchstick sized implant that delivers a steady dose of the etonogestrel to prevent pregnancy for up to three years. The implant is injected underneath the skin of the upper arm during an in office procedure that takes about one minute. Etonogestrel works by thickening the cervical mucus, which prevents sperm from fertilizing an egg and also stops any egg that does get fertilized from implanting itself in the uterine wall. Implantable contraceptives are highly effective for preventing pregnancy and seem to be tolerated well by the women who use them. However menstrual bleeding irregularities were common with these types of implants.

One question at hand is… “Does implantable birth control open the door to outside control of a woman’s body?” Well considering the fact that a woman is given all the information about the IUD before its placed and she gives the consent to place the IUD, I don’t think anyone has control over her body. If she is the one who decides to use the contraception, knowing the side effects and possible complications in the future is key to not letting anyone else have control over your body. Along with implantable forms of contraception there are other forms of contraception like the Depo-Provera injectable contraception, the Nuvaring the progestin-releasing vaginal ring and a progestin intrauterine device called Mirena. The morning after pill is also a form of contraception which can be used after unprotected sex for up to five days. From an article in ABC News: According to Dr. Donna Harrison, president of the American Association of Prolife Obstetricians and Gynecologists this form of contraception can be considered an abortion. “Because fertilization of eggs and sperm can only be prevented within 24 hours of intercourse if the woman has just ovulated, any emergency contraceptive that is effective five days after sex most likely works by preventing fertilized eggs from implanting in the uterus.

And if one believes pregnancy begins with fertilization, that action would be considered abortion.” However Dr Lauren Streicher, clinical instructor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern Medical School thinks that emergency contraception is not equivalent to an abortion.” It takes five to seven days for the fertilized egg to implant in the uterus and begin to grow,” she says. She argues that if one interrupts the process before the implantation takes place, pregnancy never begins. I would have to agree more with Dr Streicher because even when you take all precautions like condoms, and birth control there is still a chance of pregnancy. Therefore having the option to prevent life changing complications by taking a pill is the best option, especially when I feel that it’s not really a form of abortion it’s a way to prevent pregnancy. I think that if you insist that the morning after pill is a form of abortion then you must consider birth control pills and other forms of contraception a abortion as well.

I have been educated now as to the fact that there are future plans for men to take birth control pills, shots and use patches to prevent pregnancy. I really had no idea that this would ever be something that would occur. Now that I have read material on the subject, it really makes me excited to think that a man might have to help with preventing pregnancy in the future, more than just wearing a condom. Holding the most promise for the future of male contraception is a birth control pill. Similar to the female birth control pill, the male birth control pill uses synthetic hormones to lower a man’s sperm count. Clinical trials have already been done in various countries showing that oral contraceptives for men are effective. With these promising results, many hope that the pill will be available to men soon. While the pills work to temporarily lower a man’s sperm count to zero, they do come with side effects similar to those experienced by women taking hormonal contraceptives.

References
University of Cincinnati (2006, November 11). Implantable Birth Control New Options for women. Science Daily. www. sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061110090542.html

Courtney Hutchison. (2010, February 1). Pregnancy Prevention or Abortion? New Emergency Contraception Pill Walks the Line. www.abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/morning-pill-spurs-abortion-controversary.com

Salynn Boyles. (2007, July 18). Study: Implantable Contraceptives Work. www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/news/20070718/study-implantable-contraceptives-work.com

Lawrence Hinman. (2006). Contemporary Moral Issues: Diversity and Consensus. Page 84. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Pearson.