The specific case study is about fetal abnormality in an incident that involves Jessica, the mother-to-be, her husband Marco, their aunt Maria and the attending doctor Dr. Wilson. The essay will illustrate the different theories held by these individuals and will provide a recommendation as well.
Jessica’s moral position is explained by the fact that her beliefs can be classified as pro-choice. This makes the mother in complete control of her body and allows her to decide whether she considers an abortion necessary for her life. Marco’s opinions are also guided by pro-choice theories since he is advocating towards the unwanted pregnancy (Strickland, 2014). Belonging to a Mexican family has ingrained in him the patriarchal values where he acts as the head of the family and is raking all possible efforts to prevent his wife from getting devastated, upon learning of the diagnosed condition. Maria uses the theory of interpersonal relationship, owing to the strong rapport that she shares with Jessica. She also holds the perception that God has created all individuals and adopts the pro-life view as well that makes her consider abortion as morally unacceptable (Manninen & Mulder Jr, 2018). This makes Maria treat the fetus as an individual with complete moral rights, and a separate entity from Jessica. Dr. Wilson holds the exception view, commonly referred to as situational abortion, where aborting the child is accepted when found to be in the benefit of the mother and child’s physical and mental health (Cockrill et al., 2013).
Individuals supporting the pro-choice theory argue that fetuses are considered humans, until they acquire the capability of physically surviving outside of their mother’s womb. Thus, it allows mothers to take the decision for aborting their baby or not, prior to the time of birth. Hence, it allows Jessica adequate time needed for taking the vital decision, for or against abortion of the fetus. The pro-choice theory also makes Marco hold values of freedom and liberty and provide support to his wife in her decisions, without questioning the exact reasons behind them. The pro-life theory creates a major influence on their aunt, Maria and results in an opposition to the decision of abortion, as suggested by the doctor. The word life is found to reflect truth and core values that are sincerely believed to represent the cause (Ziegler, 2013). This view is also influenced by Christian beliefs that makes Maria deeply respect her God’s gift of life. The theory of situational abortion, as held by the doctor makes him hold the view that under specific circumstances such as, incest, rape, deterioration of maternal health or congenital abnormalities in the fetus, the mother should not be forced to carry the fetus until birth (Saad, 2014). Events that concern the physical or mental health, or result in financial hardships and situations should consider the option of abortion in a rational way. Thus, Dr. Wilson advocated for abortion in the situation where the parents Jessica and Marco were made aware of the fact that their unborn child is projected to suffer from developmental and mental handicaps (Weitz, 2014).
I hold the perception that all living beings should be entitled with a moral status. The moral status of fetuses have often come into conflicts with the rights of a pregnant woman regarding her body. I have the opinion that the fetus has no rights. Fetuses do not have any independent moral status and only acquire them at birth. This makes me support the pro-choice theory. Unlike fetuses, infants are considered a part of the human world. Adherence to this theory and belief has a major implication in that it supports the practice of giving the pregnant woman (Jessica in this case study) the right to abort her viable fetus, but not any infant (Rapp, 2014). If Jessica were to make the decision in her late pregnancy that she does not want to bear the child, after having known of the possibility of Downs’s syndrome, she would be given the full authority of morally terminating it (Williams, 2015). Thus, my personal view is that although there exists an interdependence between a mother and her unborn child, under no circumstances should a mother be forced to undergo any operation or keep the child, against her will. Thus, I believe that the autonomy of Jessica should override those of the fetus, provided she is completely informed of the scenario, its potential threats and harms and is competent enough to take sound clinical decisions.
Thus, it can be concluded that the situation has resulted in a conflict among the pro-life, pro-choice and situational abortion theories held by the parents, their aunt and the doctor. However, showing adherence to the situational abortion theory and taking into consideration the autonomy of the mother would be the best step to ensure optimal health outcomes.
References
Cockrill, K., Upadhyay, U. D., Turan, J., & Greene Foster, D. (2013). The stigma of having an abortion: development of a scale and characteristics of women experiencing abortion stigma. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 45(2), 79-88.
Manninen, B. A., & Mulder Jr, J. (2018). Introduction. In Civil Dialogue on Abortion (pp. 11-20). Routledge.
Rapp, R. (2014). Moral pioneers. In Embryos, Ethics, and Women’s Rights (pp. 119-134). Routledge.
Saad, L. (2014). US still split on abortion: 47% pro-choice, 46% pro-life. Gallup Politics, 22.
Strickland, R. A. (2014). Abortion: Pro-Choice versus Pro-Life. In Moral Controversies in American Politics (pp. 45-86). Routledge.
Weitz, T. A. (2014). Rethinking the mantra that abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare”. In Reproduction and Society: Interdisciplinary Readings (pp. 87-94). Routledge.
Williams, J. (2015). Public Reason and Prenatal Moral Status. The Journal of Ethics, 19(1), 23-52.
Ziegler, M. (2013). Women’s Rights on the Right: The History and Stakes of Modern Pro-Life Feminism. Berkeley J. Gender L. & Just., 28, 232.
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