Abortion Ethical Dilemma Essay Almost every person will face an ethical dilemma at some point in their lives and will wonder what the ethical and moral option is. For some people, they will decide based on what they feel is the best option for them, and they will not ask God for guidance. However, when Christians face an ethical dilemma, they should first consult the Bible and pray that God will show them the option that most closely aligns with what He says in His Word. Also, God is with them, helping them and guiding them to the most ethical decision and will not forsake them (Hebrews 13:5). Since God is the giver and sustainer of life and crafted each person in His image, aborting unborn babies violates God’s purpose for the child and His commandment of prohibiting murder.
Ethical Dilemma In this case, Susan, who has a successful career and manages a family, must make the decision to deliver or abort her child with Down syndrome. Seeking answers, she asks a professor of evolutionary biology what she should do with the child. Unfortunately, the professor tells Susan that humans should reduce suffering in the world and increase happiness, and he told Susan that bringing a child with a disorder into the world only to suffer would be immoral, encouraging abortion of the baby. Susan has three primary options to resolve her ethical dilemma: • She could follow the advice of her doctor and the professor and abort the baby. This decision could cause her grief and despair later in life, as she might contemplate whether she could have found joy in delivering and rearing the baby. • She could choose to deliver the baby and realize that even though the child may have Down syndrome, she may fall in love with the child, and the child could, in turn, bring her happiness. …show more content…
• She could choose to deliver the baby and place the baby up for adoption, where a family who is willing to adopt children with disorders could adopt the baby. In her heart, she could feel relieved that she chose to let her baby life and bring joy to another family, while she could still maintain her career and family.
This situation is difficult to make an ethical decision, since people with different worldviews believe Susan would be making an unethical decision no matter which option she chooses. People who support pro-choice (such as the professor evolutionary biology in the scenario) would state that it would be unethical for Susan to deliver the child since the child is going to suffer for the rest of his life. However, people are pro-life would state that is unethical to abort a living baby.
Core Beliefs Before resolving what option she should select, Susan must contemplate her core beliefs. If she is a Christian, she should recollect that Psalm 139:13, 15 (NIV) states, For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. Since God fabricates and sustains all, He alone resolves who and what to give life to (1 Timothy 6:13). Since God has allowed Susan to become pregnant, He has already predetermined that child for life, despite the child having a special need. Aborting this unborn child would directly violate one of God’s Ten Commandments, since Exodus 20:13, which says, “You shall not murder.” Furthermore, because all people are created in God’s image, people should regard each other with love and respect, and aborting an unborn child simply because he has a disorder contravenes on these two views (Diffey, 2014). Resolution Many pro-choice advocates often consider the inclusive effect on both the family and on society by letting the baby with the special need live, and Sujatha Jesudason and Julia Epstein state, “The focus is on the potential suffering a child with a disability will allegedly experience and inevitably bring on parents and other siblings. The fetus with a disability that is survivable post-partum is often considered
Ethical Dilemma In this case, Susan, who has a successful career and manages a family, must make the decision to deliver or abort her child with Down syndrome. Seeking answers, she asks a professor of evolutionary biology what she should do with the child. Unfortunately, the professor tells Susan that humans should reduce suffering in the world and increase happiness, and he told Susan that bringing a child with a disorder into the world only to suffer would be immoral, encouraging abortion of the baby. Susan has three primary options to resolve her ethical dilemma: • She could follow the advice of her doctor and the professor and abort the baby. This decision could cause her grief and despair later in life, as she might contemplate whether she could have found joy in delivering and rearing the baby. • She could choose to deliver the baby and realize that even though the child may have Down syndrome, she may fall in love with the child, and the child could, in turn, bring her happiness. …show more content…
• She could choose to deliver the baby and place the baby up for adoption, where a family who is willing to adopt children with disorders could adopt the baby. In her heart, she could feel relieved that she chose to let her baby life and bring joy to another family, while she could still maintain her career and family.
This situation is difficult to make an ethical decision, since people with different worldviews believe Susan would be making an unethical decision no matter which option she chooses. People who support pro-choice (such as the professor evolutionary biology in the scenario) would state that it would be unethical for Susan to deliver the child since the child is going to suffer for the rest of his life. However, people are pro-life would state that is unethical to abort a living baby.
Core Beliefs Before resolving what option she should select, Susan must contemplate her core beliefs. If she is a Christian, she should recollect that Psalm 139:13, 15 (NIV) states, For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. Since God fabricates and sustains all, He alone resolves who and what to give life to (1 Timothy 6:13). Since God has allowed Susan to become pregnant, He has already predetermined that child for life, despite the child having a special need. Aborting this unborn child would directly violate one of God’s Ten Commandments, since Exodus 20:13, which says, “You shall not murder.” Furthermore, because all people are created in God’s image, people should regard each other with love and respect, and aborting an unborn child simply because he has a disorder contravenes on these two views (Diffey, 2014). Resolution Many pro-choice advocates often consider the inclusive effect on both the family and on society by letting the baby with the special need live, and Sujatha Jesudason and Julia Epstein state, “The focus is on the potential suffering a child with a disability will allegedly experience and inevitably bring on parents and other siblings. The fetus with a disability that is survivable post-partum is often considered