Deontology and Abortion: Examining The Ethical Implications

The Debate Over Abortion: Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice

Abortion's been a hot topic for what feels like forever. It's usually this big argument between the pro-life folks and those who're pro-choice. On one side, you've got people saying abortion is totally wrong because it's ending an innocent life. The other side? They believe women should have the freedom to choose what happens with their bodies, including if they want to end a pregnancy or not. So, what's the right move here?

Understanding Deontological Ethics

Let's dive into deontological ethics for a sec. It’s all about doing the right thing because of rules and duties, not just thinking about how things turn out in the end. With abortion, we gotta look at the act itself—ending a pregnancy—and why someone might want to do it.

Respecting Autonomy

A big part of deontology is respecting autonomy. It means everyone gets to make their own choices, and those choices deserve respect. For abortion, this aligns with the pro-choice view: Women should decide about their bodies and pregnancies themselves. From this angle, respecting their autonomy makes sense.

Treating People as Ends in Themselves

But there's another part too—treating people as ends in themselves. You can't just use someone as a way to get something else you want. When it comes to abortion, this could mean not ending a pregnancy because it’s taking away an innocent life that's valuable on its own.

The Universalizability Principle

And then there's universalizability—basically saying that moral rules should work for everyone. In terms of abortion, you might say everyone has a right to life—even unborn fetuses. If we follow deontological thinking here, this seems pretty solid because it supports that idea that certain rights are universal.

The Personal Decision and Ethical Considerations

The whole abortion debate is packed with tough ethical questions, isn't it? Looking through deontology gives us some handy ways to think about it: Respect people's choices, treat them with inherent value, and stick to universal principles. Sure, these ideas might clash sometimes, but they give us a place to start untangling this complex issue.

At the end of the day though, deciding whether or not to go through with an abortion is super personal. It needs careful thought about all these ethical angles we've talked about.

References

• Kant, I. (1785). Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.
• Mappes, T., & Zembaty, J.S. (2010). Social Ethics: Morality and Social Policy.
• Pojman, L.P., & Fieser, J. (2009). Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong.
• Thomson, J.J. (1971). A Defense of Abortion. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 1(1), 47-66.
• Noonan Jr., J.T. (1970). An Almost Absolute Value in History.The Morality of Abortion.