Abortion and Ethics

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the underlying ethical arguments of both sides of the abortion debate, using Ronald Dworkin's "sanctity of life" principles. In this article, the writer includes all forms of abortion, from early fetal abortion through the RU46 drug to late-term abortions, from abortions out of "convenience" to abortions in cases of rape and incest. The essay evaluates how the anti-abortion crusade has framed its campaign on the personhood and the rights of the unborn fetus. The second part looks at the pro-abortion movement, which has framed its issue as a campaign for women's rights to privacy and reproductive freedom. The writer concludes that both pro- and anti-abortion factions have a common interest in seeing a society with no abortion, where the stigma and economic concerns attached to unwanted pregnancies no longer apply.

Outline:
Abortion and Ethics
Anti-Abortion Arguments
Pro-Abortion Arguments
Works Cited

From the Paper:

"All these scientific arguments about fetal heart rates and brainwaves serve to tie abortion to a greater and more clear-cut moral issue - murder. At issue is what Ronald Dworkin terms people's belief in "the sanctity of life," a multidimensional value measured in several factors. First, life itself has an instrumental value, because everyone's life can contribute to the interests and well being of society as a whole. Second, life has a personal value, a good or personal worth to the living individual. Finally, beyond the instrumental and personal, life also has an intrinsic value. This intrinsic value exists independently of other people's valuation, regardless of the beliefs of its possessor or other observers."
"By proving that a fetus has a heartbeat, distinct DNA and brainwaves, through graphic films showing how a fetus reacts to shock and pain, the anti-abortion camp is focusing on what Dworkin identifies as the intrinsic value of life."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Alcorn, Randy. Prolife Answers to ProChoice Arguments. Oregon: Multnomah Publishers, 2001
• McMahan, Jeff. The Ethics of Killing: Problems at the Margins of Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
• Roiphe, Anne. "Feminists Should Support Abortion Rights." Feminism: Opposing Viewpoints. Jennifer A. Hurley, ed. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001.
• Schwenkler, John E. "Abortion Law in the United States: An Overview" in The Ethics of Abortion Jennifer A. Hurley, ed. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001: 10-12.
• Swomley, John. "Analysis of the Roman Catholic Bishops' November 1998 Political Pastoral Statement 'Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics" excerpted in Abortion: Opposing Viewpoints. Mary E. Williams, ed. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002: 27-35.

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