Protecting Women’s Autonomy
Abortion has long been a controversial issue with countless people protesting against it and others just as strongly protesting for women to have the right to choose. I am not going to argue that abortion in itself is morally right or wrong, but I believe a woman has the right to decide if abortion is the right path for her. It is ethical for a woman to choose to have an abortion while she is in her first trimester because the fetus has not yet developed into its own being, leaving the decision fully to the mother. “The principle of autonomy can be stated this way: Rational individuals should be permitted to be self-determining. According to this formulation, we act autonomously when our actions are the result of our own choices and decisions (Munson 404). “ A woman who is a rationally being should be allowed to decide what happens with her body. A woman who becomes pregnant should not be forced to carry the fetus if it is not in her wishes; no one else has the right to decide this for her. A developing embryo in the first …show more content…
The girl, parents, and doctor didn’t find out that she was pregnant till she was twenty-seven weeks along. Having a late term abortion was illegal in her state, but her doctor argued that the pregnancy would cause her both physical and psychological harm. Complete strangers offered her money to continue on with the pregnancy and begged her not to have an abortion. The young girl did have an abortion and was able to continue on with her life. The girl in no way had her full autonomy, because of influence from others, especially her parents, but to read that people were trying to persuade her to carry on the pregnancy when it would likely cause her so much harm was upsetting. It is important to think about the life of the person who has to carry the fetus and all the hardships that
Abortion has long been a controversial issue with countless people protesting against it and others just as strongly protesting for women to have the right to choose. I am not going to argue that abortion in itself is morally right or wrong, but I believe a woman has the right to decide if abortion is the right path for her. It is ethical for a woman to choose to have an abortion while she is in her first trimester because the fetus has not yet developed into its own being, leaving the decision fully to the mother. “The principle of autonomy can be stated this way: Rational individuals should be permitted to be self-determining. According to this formulation, we act autonomously when our actions are the result of our own choices and decisions (Munson 404). “ A woman who is a rationally being should be allowed to decide what happens with her body. A woman who becomes pregnant should not be forced to carry the fetus if it is not in her wishes; no one else has the right to decide this for her. A developing embryo in the first …show more content…
The girl, parents, and doctor didn’t find out that she was pregnant till she was twenty-seven weeks along. Having a late term abortion was illegal in her state, but her doctor argued that the pregnancy would cause her both physical and psychological harm. Complete strangers offered her money to continue on with the pregnancy and begged her not to have an abortion. The young girl did have an abortion and was able to continue on with her life. The girl in no way had her full autonomy, because of influence from others, especially her parents, but to read that people were trying to persuade her to carry on the pregnancy when it would likely cause her so much harm was upsetting. It is important to think about the life of the person who has to carry the fetus and all the hardships that