Morality of a Fetus

Is It All About the Morality of the Fetus? Today in the United States as well as all around our world, one of the most contested and debated issues, that everyone has some sort of opinion on is the subject of abortion. There are many different thoughts, ideals, and opinions on whether or not abortion is right, wrong, or even morally sane to do. There are clinics and hospitals that perform the procedures and at many of these locations there are groups who will hold protests against the operation as well as those who support it.

But all of those issues are not what this essay is going to be about, this is going to inform you about whether or not all arguments about the subject abortion come down to the question of what is the moral status of the fetus. To first examine whether or not all arguments come down to the moral status of a fetus, we must first know what the definition of moral status is. The argument of the moral status of a fetus involves whether or not the fetus has the same standing or has the same legal status as a born and living human being.

The moral status of any human can be legally developed and justified but does a fetus carry this same status with it? In this essay I want to show that not all arguments about abortion come down to the moral status of a fetus, although it can be one on the forefront, it is not the bottom line and where all arguments can come down to. One of the most prolific examples of arguments about abortion is the Roe vs. Wade lawsuit in the state of Texas.

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Prior to this court suit, it was illegal, in most states, for a woman to receive an abortion during the first trimester of a pregnancy. “The Roe v. Wade decision held that a woman, with her doctor, could choose abortion in earlier months of pregnancy without legal restrictions, and with legal restrictions in later months, based on the right to privacy” (Lewis, J). Ultimately it was decided that most laws against abortion violated a constitutional right to privacy, and it overturned all state laws outlawing or unduly restricting abortion.

To this day it is one of the most controversial decisions in US Supreme Court history (answers. com). Was the moral status of the fetus brought into question during this example, I am sure it was but, it was not what the argument was about, the issue was the privacy of the mother. Another example that comes to mind is a story told within a discussion in our class, one of our classmates tells a story about a young lady who was raped in her teens. This teen wanted to have an bortion however; the perpetrator or rapist in this case was found guilty and forced by the court that he would have to pay support for the baby once it was born. This caused the courts to also decide on whether or not once the individual was released from prison, would he have visitation rights to the child. The courts answer was yes and the mother carrying the fetus was not legally allowed to abort the pregnancy because the father would not agree, he had a right to the fetus he had fathered.

Although there may have been some arguments about the moral status of the fetus contained within the court’s decision, I would have to think that the father’s rights came more into play as opposed to the mother’s and in this case I certainly disagree to this decision. Whether a person chooses to abort a pregnancy, it should be up to that person alone. It is there burden to live with for the remaining years of their lives, not ours. If a woman is raped, should they have to live with carrying that fetus to term and have to decide whether to raise the child with love or to give that child to adoption?

I believe that the first argument is what the abortion would do to the mothers well being, is it for medical reasons that the abortion is needed? There are many different arguments for or against abortion and I do not think the moral status should come into question or come down to the moral status if there are other subjects to view first. As one can imagine there are many different arguments for or opposed to abortion, not all come down to the moral status of the fetus.

It is going to be a subject of scrutiny and arguments for many years to come. Issues with its legality as well as its morality will be raised for years, and it is my hope that the final decision will stay with the woman who is pregnant and she does what is best for her. Works Cited Lewis, J. J. “Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision. ” Web. 18 Jan. 2013. Retrieved from http://womenshistory. about. com/od/abortionuslegal/p/roe_v_wade. htm http://www. answers. com/topic/moral-status#ixzz2IM8JfrRr

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