Is abortion ethical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is abortion ethical - Essay Example The controversial issue of abortion today is no longer a precept. Abortion is not something that has begun to perform today, although it has increased over time and the worldwide legalization. There are many methods of abortion that vary by week of gestation. However, all lead to the same end result in death of the unborn. One method is not necessarily better than another; it may simply be less risky for women. However, the problem of abortion is engaged in a great ideological and religious controversy that is based on recognition and values not applicable to the social reality of women's lives today. Thus, ethical, moral, philosophical and religious serve to reflect and evaluate these values, adapted to the current context, as well as serve as a guide to legislative action to moral problems. What is abortion? Abortion is a medical process which takes place to terminate a pregnancy so that the baby is not born. It is sometimes known as a ‘termination’ or a termination pr egnancy. A pregnancy can be ended by taking medications or having surgical procedure. This is usually done by those women who do not want a child or are not physically fit to give birth to a baby which can even be life threatening for them. However, abortion is considered unethical by many because they think that the mother is killing her own child. Though there may be a number of reasons that a woman would like to have an abortion. An abortion that is carried out to save the life of a pregnant woman is medically referred to as a therapeutic abortion which can save the woman from physical or mental harm. A pregnancy is also terminated when there are chances that the child will have a premature birth or will be disabled for life. If the woman requests to have an abortion for non-medical reason then it will be referred to as an elective or voluntary abortion (Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle, & Cheever, 2010 ). For abortion to be carried out the abdomen needs to be subjected to a trauma. Howeve r, if the trauma force is way too much it is possible that serious internal injuries may result and miscarriage may or may not be successful. It is the process of abortion that determines how risky it may end up to be. The World Health Organization has stated that unsafe abortions were carried out by unskilled doctors using dangerous and unhygienic equipment. If abortions are performed properly in a skilled manner, they are the safest procedure in medicine. Abortion can lead to maternal death but the risk is quite low – about 0.6 every 100,000 procedures in the US (Parker & Sommer, 2010). This means that abortion is 14 times safer than childbirth (8.8 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births). Abortion is more risky if the gestational age is more; however, it is still less than childbirth through around 21 week’s gestation. Adverse effects of abortion Like any other clinical procedures, abortion is not risk free. There can be negative results of abortion. For instance, an abortion can be incomplete. This means that all the products of pregnancy may not be removed during the abortion (Mogotlane, 2005). This problem is faced in less than 2 of the 100 abortions that take place. The retained products can cause bleeding, cramping or infection in the uterus of the patient. If any tissue is left