Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 12

Abortion - Essay Example l term, and on the other extreme side of the debate some philosophers argue that foetuses are human beings and for that reason they have the right to life, hence pregnant is a violation of the foetuses right to life. This paper critically analysis the main arguments for and against abortion with the aim of reconciling the two extreme positions on abortion. Let us begin by critically analysing one arguments offered by the pro-lifers or by those who are opposed to abortion. The main argument advanced by the pro-lifers is that it is immoral to abort because foetuses are human beings. According to the pro-lifers, human life starts at conception and for that reason foetuses should be viewed as human beings, though they have not yet fully developed their vital organs. The proponents of pro-life go on to argue that viewing unborn babies as not being human persons is arbitrary and discriminative (Suzzane, 2003). This is because, for the pro-lifers, it is erroneous and arbitrary to base the definition of human person on the stage of human development that one is at. For this reason, therefore, the pro-lifers contend that unborn babies are human beings, and to abort them, therefore, is morally unjustifiable because it is tantamount to killing innocent human beings. In opposition to this view, the pro-choicers or those who advocate for the right of women to decide on whether or not to abort contend that human life does not begin at conception, but after birth. The advocates of this view argue that foetuses are not human beings since they are not able to survive independent of their mothers; the proponents of this view go on to argue that foetuses and embryos do not have fully developed human faculties, and for that reason they rely entirely on their mothers for survival (Justin, 2012). For this reason, therefore, the proponents of pro-choice argue that women have an inalienable right to decide whether to abort on not. For the pro-choicers, therefore, abortion is not murder