The Abortion Debate: Are Abortions Immoral?

The Abortion Debate: Are Abortions Immoral? Abortion involves the loss of fetus and consequently loss of a future human being. It can only be justified in circumstances where the life of the mother is in danger and the consequences of failing to abort are great (Marquis 194). Marquis identifies two accounts that make killing wrong, namely, the discontinuation account whereby killing automatically terminates life and discontinues the experience of living to the victim, and the desire account, whereby killing interferes with the fulfillment of strong fundamental desire necessary for any other desire to be fulfilled (195). This is compounded by the fact that it is morally wrong to kill people who have little or no desire to live. It is equally wrong to kill the unconscious, the sleeping, those who are tired of living and even those who are suicidal. A fetus lacks desire to live and this makes abortion to be wrong (Marquis 195). People desire to live because they value what life has to offer. Furthermore the goodness of life is not secondary to peoples desire for it because it were so; the pain of premature death would be easily replaced with appropriate desire (Marquis 196). Despite the fact that fetuses are not in a position to value their future and their future may not be valuable to them, It is important to note that the future of a fetus is valuable to other people (Marquis 198). Support of abortion on the basis that an entity cannot possess the right to life unless it has the desire for its continued existence can easily be disapproved by the fact that failure of an individual to have interest in something does not mean that the individual does not have a right to it (Marquis199). Similarly, Bansens argument that a fetus lacks sentience, it cannot be wronged and cannot be a victim even if aborted is equally disapproved by the fact that fetuses have prospects and can be victims when aborted because they are deprived of their future and their prospects (Marquis 200). In view of issues discussed in this essay, it is evidently clear that abortion is not any different from killing, a practice that deprives the victim of a future-like ours. Fetuses possess a future and property that makes killing of adult human beings wrong, it follows without saying that abortion is ethically wrong (Marquis 201). Use of contraceptives cannot be equated to abortion because they only prevent fertilization and conception from taking place but this does not result to any form of killing (Marquis 201). Why Most Abortions Are Not Wrong Some people feel that decision to procure an abortion lies squarely on the pregnant woman because she is the one bearing the burden of unwanted pregnancy, while other people prefer keeping abortion safe and legal because of dangers associated with illegal abortion and inequalities associated with the poor and the minority women who are unable to control their fertility (Steinbock, Arras and Alex 471). Steinbock, Arras and Alex argue that abortion is not wrong because of the moral status of the embryo and the burdens resulting from pregnancy and childbirth on women (471). It is okay to kill a non- conscious fetus if a woman does not want to keep the pregnancy because killing a fetus does not deprive it of a future like ours. This is based on the simple scientific fact that a fetus is non- conscious and consentient hence it does not have a future like ours (Steinbock, Arras and Alex 472). A fetus cannot be equated to a new born baby because even though the fetus is alive and human, it is practically not aware of anything and it is not any different from a sperm and ovum which are also alive and human. Furthermore, a fetus cannot think, feel or even perceive anything as opposed to a new born baby. This makes Killing of fetuses to be morally different from killing babies because they do not have the ability to experience pain and pleasure. They are consentient; just like trees and they lack interest of their own hence it is impossible to consider their interests (Steinbock, Arras and Alex 472). Steinbock, Arras and Alex highlight that nonscentient beings cannot experience pain and suffering because it does not matter to them what they experience or what is done to them. Since fetuses are nonscentient, it follows that they do not have the ability to experience pain and pleasure. This is simply because their nervous system has not yet developed to transmit pain messages to the brain hence fetuses cannot be said to experience pain during abortion (473). Although fetuses are living, they do not have a life because they are nonsentient, they are equivalent to living cells in human beings which die or are simply killed. Such cells are not said to lose their live or to be deprived of their lives. Killing a fetus before it becomes conscious and aware does not deprive it of anything (Steinbock, Arras and Alex 473). The fact that fetuses are potential human beings does not qualify them to be treated as actual human beings. In any case living human beings are potentially dead but there is no reason to treat them like corpses (Steinbock, Arras and Alex 474). If fetuses; the potential human beings should be treated like real human beings, then the potential personhood attached to fertilized ova should also be attached to unfertilized eggs and sperms as potential human beings. Furthermore every player is also a potential winner and as such unfertilized eggs and sperms are also potential human beings and their potential should not be negated (Steinbock, Arras and Alex 474). Since neither the sperm nor the egg has a future of its own before fertilization, it follows that even the embryo does not have a future without the uterus and cannot develop all by itself without the uterus and adequate nutrients from the pregnant woman (Steinbock, Arras and Alex 477). A pregnant mother serves as a life support system to sustain the life of a fetus; hence the morality of abortion not only depends on the fetus but also on womans moral obligation to sustain the life of the fetus without terminating pregnancy (Steinbock, Arras and Alex 478). Pregnancies are associated with various burdens including labor, delivery and sometimes death. Outside the abortion context, there is no situation in which someone should undergo risks and burdens to preserve another persons life. Clearly, restrictive laws of abortion impose burdens on pregnant mothers that are not imposed on other people in comparable situations thus violating the principle of equal protection. (Steinbock, Arras and Alex 478). A woman should not be forced to undertake significant risks and burdens of keeping the fetus alive. After all such a woman would have to carry a bugger burden of raising a child against her wishes or even giving it up for adoption (Steinbock, Arras and Alex 479). It is morally right to terminate pregnancy for sex selection or for fetal reductions, especially where a woman has 3 or more fetuses because chances of them surviving are minimal if some are not killed. It is also risky to mothers health (Steinbock, Arras and Alex 481). Women have a amoral right to decide either to carry the burdens of pregnancy and childbirth or to abort. It would be much fair to put women to task on justifying their decision to have children instead of justifying their decision to procure abortion (Steinbock, Arras and Alex 482).

Macbeth...Tragic Hero? Essays -- essays research papers

Macbeth is a butcher.† Discuss this statement exploring the ideas of Macbeth as a tragic hero and that the murder may or may not be entirely his fault. In your answer consider the role of the witches, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s indecision and his fatal flaw, ambition. You must support your answer with specific reference to and quotes from the play. The play, â€Å"Macbeth† by Shakespeare is entirely focused on the main character, Macbeth. In this play there are many complex themes and symbols that ties in with Macbeth’s character. One particular debate is on whether Macbeth’s a tragic hero or a â€Å"butcher†. This is a particularly difficult topic to discuss as Macbeth’s character constantly fluctuates as the play progresses. Despite many actions taken by Macbeth are seen as tyrannical and evil, he is nevertheless a typical Shakespearean hero. He is courageous, sympathetic, trapped by his own imagination and guilt, has a weakness that leads to his downfall and is driven by forces beyond his control. Macbeth embodies all the characteristics of a tragic hero. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as a â€Å"brave†, â€Å"noble† and â€Å"valiant† man. He was described as â€Å"Bellona’s bridegroom† (ACT 1 SCENE 2) He fought hard in the battle for Duncan and has earned many people’s respect. He was seen as a hero. Later on, he meets the three witches who hail Macbeth as the â€Å"Thane of Glamis† whom he is at the present, â€Å"Thane of Cawdor† and â€Å"who shall be king thereafter† (ACT 1 SCENE 3). Macbet...

Analysis book called The Maze Runner by James Dashner Essay

Did you know grievers come out within the maze every night after the walls close to the book called The Maze Runner by James Dashner? This book is about a group of teenage boys between the ages of 13 and 19. They are sent to the glade to see if they are smart enough to solve the maze that surrounds it. One day a boy named Thomas is sent to the maze. See the boys only get one newbie a month and the day right after Thomas was sent to the glade another person was sent. It was strange to get two newbies in one month but, what was more strange was that it was a girl. The first girl to be sent to the maze to help solve it and act as a trigger to tell the boys the maze was dying pretty much. In this novel, most of the boys want to keep order in the glade where they were safe from givers and they had food, water, shelter everything needed to survive. Until the supplies don’t come anymore and they have to ration out what they have left to survive on. The girl and Thomas are connected m entally throughout the book. The walls stop closing at night so they all sleep together in the homestead and the grievers come into the glade and take one glader a night. Until they find a way to get out and find out who the creators are. One thing goes wrong and order is nowhere to be found until the problem is taken care of. Everyone in the glade does their part to keep things in order and working and, when one person messes up or tries to go their own way and voice their opinion without permission it throws everything off balance. Like when Alby one of the oldest boys said â€Å"That’s not how it works around here, and our whole existence depends on things working† (Dashner 101). When someone badly messes up the order they have to get banished. Banishment is when you have to leave the glade and go out into the maze to live the rest of your days. It’s not a happy time for the person getting banished or the other boys in the glade. Most of the time the person is gone by morning because the grievers attack them. Banishment is the worst thing to happen in the glade. They also want things to be stable like when building a tower of blocks and one side is heavier so it starts to tip because it’s unstable. Well, Alby felt this way in the book so he tried to regain stability in the gl ade and hope things go back to normal as he states â€Å"I burned the Maps. I slammed my head into the table so you’d think it was someone else, I lied, burned it all. I did it† (Dashner 311) There are many jobs in the glade. There is Runner, Slopper, Med Jack, Gardener, Builder, Track Hoe, Bagger, Livestock Raiser, Cooks, and Blood Housers. I would be a Mad Jack because they help the people of the glade get better when they get sick, hurt, or stung. I have always had a wanting to help people and would love to do it in the glade. I would be important and needed. In the book you only here of two Med Jacks Clint and Jeff. The pair is always seen together and enjoying each others company. They are like best friends glued to each other’s hip. This is what I want my part in the glade to be. When things don’t go as planned order is lost and will not be found until things get back on track. Recap teenage boys and one girl are sent to this maze to see if they are capable to solve it. Two newbies are sent in one month which is not normal especially because one is a female. Then their supplies don’t come, so they have to ration all the food out. The walls stop closing at night so they sleep in the homestead for safety. Each and every night that they don’t solve the maze another kid is taken by the grievers and killed. Finally, Thomas and the girl find out how to get them out of the maze to freedom. This book is written very skillfully and keeps the readers on their toes throughout the whole book. The emotion from every character especially Thomas can be felt and visualized during and before it changes. The things that happen unexpectedly is the best part.

Measurement Test Questions on Reading a Meniscus