Contemporary Moral Issues - Abortion

4 Pages 976 Words

Abortion has been one of the most hotly debated subjects of this past decade, with the sentiment conflicting between the groups labelled as “pro-choice” and “pro-life”, as if an imaginary line has been drawn in the sand creating an identifiable good or bad person based on the feelings they have towards the status of an unborn child. The vehement protesters for both sides have gone on to create public debate through many different means; some benign, some not. Lines become somewhat blurred when the situation turns them into a principal player in the decision about what is correct, especially if you are the one who is shaking a doctor’s hand after hearing the word, “congratulations”.

I feel that I have a unique perspective on the entire idea of abortion, as I have personally witnessed or assisted with thirty-five vacuum desiccation abortions during my time with various medical facilities. My role in this situation was to provide moral support and simply a comforting presence to the woman undergoing the procedure. Truth be told, I have cried every time that I have been a part of the procedure, as it is extremely unpleasant and psychologically unsettling to the woman who is having the procedure done. Through this, however, I am still very set in my stance that abortion is morally permissible, and often a correct route of action, depending on the circumstances that surround the situation. As such, I also feel that a woman’s rights override those of the fetus. The situations that I am outlining below are situations that I have personally witnessed, and these have led me to be very firm in the opinion that I have, that the rights of a woman fully outweigh the rights of a fetus.

First, to decide whose rights are paramount in an abortion situation, there should also be a consideration of the circumstances that brought about the pregnancy. First off, sometimes pregnancies can put a woman in direct physical harm. F...