Abortion is one of the major issues that has brought a lot of debate in the society. The arguments take moral, legal, ethical and religious dimension. Most of the arguments are founded with the focus on the fetus and that of the mother. All the arguments about abortion come down to the question of what is the moral status of the fetus. This paper looks at why arguments about abortion come down to the question of what is the moral status of the fetus?
Arguments
One of the major arguments against abortion is that the fetus has life just like any other human beings. It is believed that life begins at conception, thus abortion is viewed as murder. The main argument by those opposing abortion is that the moral status of the fetus is not respected
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In most cases, when the life of the mother is under threat, doctors advice for an abortion to avoid death. This is a decision that can be supported by the utilitarian moral theory that holds that if an act has more benefits than shortcomings, then it is morally right. However, under the deontological theory that focus on rights and duties of an individual abortion based on this case may not support the moral status of the fetus because the fetus is denied the right to live. In addition, as long as the doctor plays his duty to advice on what is good for the mother and the fetus, he fails to protect the fetus by allowing abortion as a way of saving the mother’s life (Dale, 18 March …show more content…
Abortion is also viewed as right in case the mother suffer from psychological problems that may make it hard to be able to bring up a baby. The major argument is that there is no need to give birth to a baby to come to suffer in this world. It is morally wrong to allow abortion under such circumstances because it terminates the life of an innocent being. The moral status of the fetus is not considered in this case because it is denied the right to enjoy life no matter the situation. The society always has its structures and mechanisms to give support to babies born by mothers who may not be able to provide for them. This means abortion should not be held as a moral act based in such an argument (Darney, Leon & Philip