Abortion- is it Ethical?

Is it morally right to terminate a normal pregnancy before childbirth?

Well the answer to this question will vary from person to person and most importantly will be influenced by the circumstances. According to me abortion is right only when the pregnancy can endanger the mother’s or the unborn child’s life. Otherwise abortion is totally wrong. It is like killing someone deliberately. Now again this depends upon whether one considers an unborn fetus as human being.

Abortions can be considered ethical in the following situations-

• For the sake of the mother's health, including her mental health
• In cases of a crime like rape, incest or child abuse
• In case of genetic problems
• Failure of contraceptive devices

Abortion is legally banned in some nations while in some countries it is permissible until the fetus attains a certain gestational age (usually 12-weeks). Majority of the abortions are due to unplanned pregnancies.

Abortion as a substitute for contraception is ridiculous and cannot be accepted. Selective abortion for gender selection is a crime.

Abortion again largely deals with right of the mother and fetus. What about the father? The father’s rights are rarely discussed. In some cases the father wants the child but the mother wants to opt for an abortion. Legally speaking the mothers say in an abortion is more important than that of the father. But just because the woman is the one who will be bearing the child should aborting the child be solely her decision? Or should the father also have a right in such cases? Will it be morally right if the mother goes ahead with abortion in this case?

This is a never ending argument and depends upon one’s personal thinking. But every woman should think again before opting for abortion. Especially if she is aborting the fetus just because of the sex (female feticide) then she should always remember that she herself is a woman and be proud to give birth to another woman.