This week we had some revision sessions in the class. All the topics that were done in the whole semester were discussed briefly. Thereafter the lecturer asked each of us to come up with 2 questions each, regarding any topics that were discussed. Next he read out each of our questions loud to the class. Among some of these questions, one of them caught my attention. The question was, “Is abortion a right choice to make?” Therefore I chose this question to reflect upon in this diary.
According to my personal view, abortion may or may not be wrong. Certainly it is a thorny question, and the issue is fraught with controversy. Deciding whether abortion is or is not wrong is a personal view. There are two sides of this kind of dilemmas. One could say that a baby does have a life from the time the mother’s egg is fertilized and that human being should have its own rights. Therefore abortion could be unethical.
On the other hand, in some certain circumstances abortion may be the right thing to do too. If the mother and baby are both going to die or if they know beyond a doubt the baby has no chance to survive once it is born are reasons why abortion may be the right thing to do. A woman being raped by a family member could be another. It’s not a cut and dry decision, each circumstance is different. In the case of rape or incest, the mother should be able to make that choice. She did not have the choice of becoming pregnant but she should ultimately have the choice if she continues to carry the child. This is a touchy subject but the mother has to have the right to choose in those instances.
In any case, the upshot is that the morality of abortion is not a simple topic. It is less simple than many people with opinions on it will acknowledge, not only in public, but, it seems, to themselves. One of the most exciting features of this topic, intellectually, is that it has something to violate the intuitions of everyone. Neither pro-life nor pro-choice can generate a logically consistent position on abortion without abandoning other beliefs which are strongly and widely held. Perhaps less self-righteousness from both sides is in order, then.