Giovanni asked:
Should abortion be legalized?
Answer by Eric George
There are a number of factors which come into play when discussing the legalization of the practice of abortion. The most common argument for the against notion, hails from the religious standpoint. The argument itself is based upon mainly the concept of the sanctity of life, that abortion is synonymous with murder ‘thou shall not kill’ etc, because since the fetus (which some view cannot be counted as a ‘human’ yet exactly until born into the external environment) is still technically alive within the mothers womb it somehow has innate worth and purpose (a sense of objective value) whereby exterminating the fetus pre-determines the fate of the fetus to begin with i.e. terminating someone’s potential future life. Ending what could be, by ending what is.
The problem with the advocates of this certain perspective is that they more than oft overlook the severity of cases where the issue of abortion comes into moral consideration. Imagine for example, that a girl falls pregnant but has complications with her own health as time draws near, she is told by the Doctors that if she does not abort the baby her life will be in serious risk most likely death.
According to the argument above, no – she must go through with the birth, despite the fact that the ordeal itself will claim both the mothers and the unborn baby’s lives. A conundrum indeed; one is not ‘murdering’ but then in another sense one cannot prevent both you and your child dying.
Of course that was only a scenario, but one which has undoubtedly taken place around the world countless times already. Even more than that, what about rape cases? Should we force a girl to have a child, when the circumstance in the first place was brought by through violence, abuse and pain? This seems even less humane than defending the sanctity of life, by disregarding the choice of the person giving it.
Most countries have legalized abortion on conditional circumstances such as to save the life of the mother or in cases of incest or rape, which is the best way to attempt to regulate such a controversial practice as abortion.
To understand that everyone deserve a future, but that this right to have a future is unvarying for the living mother as it is for the unborn child. Cases are subjective, and therefore the legal implications of such happenings should be deemed conditional as well.
Answer by Shaun Williamson
I don’t know but I am a man. I think that in every country the answer to this question should be decided by women. Men can have their opinions about this matter but the law should only be decided by women.
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