The Ethics of Abortion Interview Assignment 1. In your view, is abortion in general ethically permissible or impermissible? Why? Yes, I believe that abortion in general is ethically permissible because women should be able to do whatever they want with their bodies and it should not be governed by other people, especially men. I also think that women should have access to them because there is no point of bringing an unwanted child into this world if it is not going to get the proper care it needs. 2. Is abortion in the case of rape or incest ethically permissible or impermissible? Why? I believe that abortion is definitely ethically permissible in the case of rape or incest because a woman will live with that baby in her for 9 months and have to relive that memory every day and many will resent that baby because of it being forced into them. 3. Is abortion ethically permissible or impermissible when the mother’s life, health, or well-being would be jeopardized by carrying the pregnancy to term and delivery? Yes, the mother’s life comes before the baby’s life. If the mother passes away, this baby will now grow up without a mother and will not have one of the most important and influential people in their lives. 4. At what point in a pregnancy, if any, should non-emergency abortions be banned, and what is your view of the recent Texas law (SB 8) that bans abortion after “detection of an unborn child’s heartbeat,” which is at approximately 6 weeks after the woman’s last menstrual period? Explain. I think the first trimester is when non-emergency abortions should be banned. You should be able to decide by then whether or not you want the baby or if you want to have an abortion. Also, because the baby is not fully formed yet. 5. In 2001 in Arizona, a thirteen-year-old girl became pregnant. She told her mother that she was pregnant, but she refused to identify the father. Finally, in the eighth month of the pregnancy, the girl revealed that she was pregnant by her own biological father who had forcibly raped her. Is abortion in this case ethically permissible or impermissible, and should the girl have legal access to an abortion? Yes, abortion is okay in this instance. I say this because a 13-year-old is still a kid and should be able to live her childhood without having to give it up to take care of a child. Relationship to Interviewee: Best Friend The Ethics of Abortion Interview Assignment 6. In your view, is abortion in general ethically permissible or impermissible? Why? I believe that abortion is ethically permissible to an extent. In extreme cases, like rape or incest it is okay if it is done before a certain point in the pregnancy. But if you use as a form of birth control, I am not okay with it. 7. Is abortion in the case of rape or incest ethically permissible or impermissible? Why? Yes, I think an abortion is okay in this instance because it was a forceful pregnancy and not wanted or consensual as long as it is terminated by a certain point. 8. Is abortion ethically permissible or impermissible when the mother’s life, health, or well-being would be jeopardized by carrying the pregnancy to term and delivery? Yes, the abortion is okay in this instance because losing the mother of the child would be a lot worse than losing the child you haven’t met. Some fathers end up resenting this child because they think it is their fault that the mother passed away. 9. At what point in a pregnancy, if any, should non-emergency abortions be banned, and what is your view of the recent Texas law (SB 8) that bans abortion after “detection of an unborn child’s heartbeat,” which is at approximately 6 weeks after the woman’s last menstrual period? Explain. I think that the pregnancy should be terminated by around 8 weeks. Most women know they are pregnant by about 6 weeks so they have about 2 weeks to make this decision. 10. In 2001 in Arizona, a thirteen-year old girl became pregnant. She told her mother that she was pregnant, but she refused to identify the father. Finally, in the eighth month of the pregnancy, the girl revealed that she was pregnant by her own biological father who had forcibly raped her. Is abortion in this case ethically permissible or impermissible, and should the girl have legal access to an abortion? Yes the girl should be able to have access to an abortion because this pregnancy was not wanted or warranted and she should not be punished for something that she didn’t do.
