Annotated Bibliography on Moral Controversy on Abortion

Annotated Bibliography on Moral Controversy on Abortion

Personal and Communal Ethical Factors

There has been a raging debate for many years on the legality as well as morality of abortion. In this seemingly never-ending conversation, an angle through which the topic of abortion has been looked through is morality. According to Watson (2018), in this moral controversy on the issue of abortion, personal and communal ethical factors come into play in a variety of ways. In fact, these two components are influential as they shape the position taken by individuals on either side of the debate. For those analyzing the debate from a pro-life perspective, the ethical positions these individuals take revolve around the sanctity of life and the belief that human life begins at conception. With this in mind, these individuals therefore advocate for the protection and preservation of any form of life, including the unborn. From a communal ethical lens, the ethical factors applied are rooted in religious beliefs and cultural norms. According to Keegan et al. (2023), these two emphasize on the value of every lif,e thereby discouraging abortion. The pro-choice supporters, on the other hand, call for priority to be placed on personal autonomy and bodily rights. Drawing from this, this group therefore argues for women to be allowed the freedom to decide about their bodies and futures, which loosely means full support for abortion. The communal ethical factors for the pro-choice position strongly promote women’s reproductive rights and access to safe and legal abortion, claiming that this is social justice and gender equality. These two divergent positions considered, the prevailing and seemingly never-ending debate on the morality, or otherwise, of abortion contributes to the complexity and intensity of the abortion debate.

Ethical Positions Using Kantian Ethics

It is worthwhile to analyze this debate from an ethical point of view and in this particular case the application of Kantian ethics. Primarily, analyzing this debate from the categorical imperative would offer a unique perspective on this debate. Focusing on the pro-life position as a start, Kantian ethics would more than likely support the idea of life’s sanctity principle considering that this is regarded as a universal moral law. Lanphier (2022) stated that from Kant held that an individual is required to act in a way that their actions could quality into a universally accepted law that is devoid of any form of contradiction. The prohibition of abortion might, therefore, be regarded as ethically justifiable because it supports the human life value. In similar fashion, pro-choice arguments could be supported from the point of view of Kantian ethics in that it advocates for bodily autonomy and individual freedom. Elaborating on this, Keegan et al. (2023) mentioned that proponents of this school of thought argue that respecting women’s rights by allowing them to make choices about their bodies is applicable from a universal point of view.  At the end of the day, Kantian ethics provide a valuable framework on which either side of the debate could apply to argue their position. Needless to say, this further contributes to this ongoing abortion debate and its complexity. The purpose of this report is to analyze several sources focused on the debate of morality of abortion. Primarily, five peer-reviewed research studies have been selected for the analysis.

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Annotated Bibliography

Keegan, G., Francis, M., Chalmers, K., Hoofnagle, M., Noory, M., Essig, R., … & Chor, J. (2023). Trauma of abortion restrictions and forced pregnancy: urgent implications for acute care surgeons. 
Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open
, 
8
(1), e001067. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tsaco-2022-001067

This article analyzes the aftermath of the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health decision highlighting how acute care surgeons are likely to encounter patients facing complications from self-managed abortions especially from underserved areas of reproductive and maternity care across the USA. In this article, commonly used key terms are “self-managed abortions” and “forced pregnancy”. The article has reported that the problem identified pertain to the ethical and legal duty of acute care surgeons to provide care appropriate and equitable care for all especially those in areas lacking reproductive services. The author states that lack if quality healthcare disproportionately affect poor individuals and people of color leading them to face unique challenges such as unwanted pregnancies and these ultimately lead to higher rates of abortion (Keegan et al., 2023). This article is resourceful for use in the final research as it emphasizes on the need to recognize the impact on minority groups and, more importantly, the need for surgeons to be trained in addressing the challenges faced by these demographics. A quote picked from the article and which will probably be used in the final article is “Providing appropriate and equitable care for all patients across the country.”.

Watson, K. (2022). The ethics of access: Reframing the need for abortion care as a health disparity. 
The American Journal of Bioethics
, 
22
(8), 22-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2022.2075976

This article is focused on the disproportionate representation of minority women such as poor women, Black, and Hispanic women urging for bioethicists to view the need for abortion care as a potential health disparity. The author has questioned whether framing it this way could lead to increased access to medical care for these marginalized groups. Keywords used in the article include “children and families” and “contraception”. The authors propose an end to abortion claiming that in the United States and many parts of the developed world, abortion exceptionalism is promoted where patients are treated as moral agents. There has been a notable shift in abortion’s legality to state legislatures as observed by Watson (2022) who calls upon bioethicists are to strengthen their thinking and teaching in abortion ethics. This article is important as it keenly highlights the intersection of health equity, justice, and reproductive rights and this effectively calls for a reevaluation of ethical considerations regarding
abortion
access and empowering those affected. A quote selected for future in the final report is “Advocating for consideration of the conscience of pregnant women in deciding on the value or benefit of abortion.” (p. 27).  The findings of the article deepen our understanding of the ethical complexities surrounding abortion and the need to urgently address health disparities and access to reproductive healthcare.

Lanphier, E. (2022). Abortion and the Intersection of Ethics, Activism, and Politics. 
The American Journal of Bioethics
, 
22
(8), 72-74.

Lanphier (2022) has highlighted two important claims. One, that ethical debates on abortion in most cases leave out the actual abortion experience and, two, that perceiving abortion access as a disparity in healthcare is a fruitful approach for bioethics scholarship and advocacy. Guided by research done on other articles and my understanding of the overall debate on the morality of abortion, I agree with the author of this article that centering abortion experience is crucial. In many ways, the statement by the author that abortion should be regarded by all morally permissible is correct as it is justified by ethical principles such as Kantian ethics. In addition to this, bioethics has an advocacy role to play as mentioned by the author of the article. Suffice to say, the notable value in this article is that it explores key issues that help maintain focus on the important aspects of the debate such as the experience of the abortion process.

Rachels, J., & Rachels, S. (2012). 
The Elements of Moral Philosophy 7e
. McGraw Hill.

The main issues highlighted in this book center on the issues of the issue of ethics and morality. Some identified issues that have emerged from the book are the objectivity of morality, the clash that exists between cultural perspectives from different communities and the validity of individual opinions in ethics. The authors have also discussed the significance of care and gender in ethical frameworks and how these apply in healthcare. From my own point of view, I feel that this particular book exploration of diverse ethical theories is important as it triggers critical thinking from readers. The justification for this is that the book presents multiple angles on morality and societal values. Among the quotations I find valuable and which I will use on the final report is, “From the point of view of cultural differences argument, there is benefit in abandoning the practice of making moral judgments about other cultures.” (Rachels & Rachels, 2012 p. 73). Suffice it to say, this source is significant because of the focus it has placed on fundamental moral debates whereby the authors have cultivated a deeper comprehension of ethical theories, cultural influences, and gender roles, refining one’s ethical understanding.

Clifton, S. (2021). Disability and the Complexity of Choice in the Ethics of Abortion and Voluntary Euthanasia. In 
The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy: A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine
 (Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 431-450). US: Oxford University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jmp/jhab008

This research study is an exploration of the alignment between disability advocates and conservative religious voices in the debates on abortion and voluntary euthanasia. Clifton, S. (2021) has stated that this study drew insights from the social model of disability and virtue ethics to explain this alignment. In addition, the study has also used the theory of transformative choice to critique the pro-choice logic. Keywords used in this study are “voluntary euthanasia” and “abortion” and are used to demonstrate situations whereby abortion is sometimes justified.  The study admits that there exists a huge controversy on the issue of abortion especially when it is looked at from a moral and ethical point of view. A particular issue that is highlighted in the report is the contradiction in disabled advocates who have expressed paternalistic concerns about personal agency. They have argued that personal agency on the one hand advocates for collaboration towards a society that enables people with disabilities to thrive and also empowers individuals with terminal illnesses and pregnant women to make informed choices which in itself a huge absurdity. “A disability perspective serves as an encouragement to work together for the building of a society” is a quote that will be applied in the subsequent report (p. 436). This article is resourceful in this analysis as it focuses on the complexities of the disability perspective within the context of sensitive ethical issues. With this in mind, it effectively promotes collaboration and informed decision-making for all involved parties.

Watson, K. (2018). Why we should stop using the term “elective abortion”. 
AMA journal of ethics
, 
20
(12), 1175-1180.

In this article, focus is placed on the use of the term “elective” in abortion care with the authors claiming that its use qualifies as a moral judgment whereby mothers and healthcare providers subjectively determine which patients are entitled to care (p. 1178). The article has highlighted ways in which secular health care organizations promote social norms that are regressive to the two components of motherhood and women’s sexuality.  Watson (2018) has noted that this is propagated by allowing “therapeutic” but not “elective” abortions. The study highlights that by using these two distinct terms denies the moral agency of patients and physicians because the latter perceive abortion as morally acceptable. The two mentioned terms; “therapeutic” and “elective” abortions are the keywords that this article has used. The study has proposed that the term “elective” should be completely eliminated arguing that regardless of the reason of abortion, the decision should be based on the health statuses of both the mother and unborn fetus. An important quote from the article that will be used in the larger report is “Secular health care organizations should stop denying the moral agency of patients and physicians.”  This article is invariable for this research as it sheds light on the importance of using neutral language in abortion care.

References

Clifton, S. (2021). Disability and the Complexity of Choice in the Ethics of Abortion and Voluntary Euthanasia. In 
The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy: A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine
 (Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 431-450). US: Oxford University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jmp/jhab008

Keegan, G., Francis, M., Chalmers, K., Hoofnagle, M., Noory, M., Essig, R., … & Chor, J. (2023). Trauma of abortion restrictions and forced pregnancy: urgent implications for acute care surgeons. 
Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open
, 
8
(1), e001067. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tsaco-2022-001067

Lanphier, E. (2022). Abortion and the Intersection of Ethics, Activism, and Politics. 
The American Journal of Bioethics
, 
22
(8), 72-74.

Rachels, J., & Rachels, S. (2012). 
The Elements of Moral Philosophy 7e
. McGraw Hill.

Watson, K. (2018). Why we should stop using the term “elective abortion”. 
AMA journal of ethics
, 
20
(12), 1175-1180.

Watson, K. (2022). The ethics of access: Reframing the need for abortion care as a health disparity. 
The American Journal of Bioethics
, 
22
(8), 22-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2022.2075976