Choice of life or Life of choice?

The argument around abortion is an age old debate and it often raises questions on morality and ethics. Is it right to kill something or someone just because it is born yet? Shouldn’t the mother have a right to decide what to do with her own body? Is the man equally held responsible and does he have a “choice” to get away with it?

The two sides of this debate are Pro-life supporters, who believe that abortion is a murder of the fetus or killing of human life; and Pro-choice supporters who believe that the mother must have a choice to decide whether or not she wants to have the baby.

Pro-choice is said the be the middle ground as it is not pro-abortion. They believe that anti-abortion is forced motherhood. Banning abortion gives the State the right to make the choice for a woman. They stand for protecting the woman’s rights and her choices.

Pro-lifers consider that life begins at the moment of conception and killing a fetus is isn’t any less incorrect than killing a human being. The fetus becomes the silent victim of the crime and it is denied the right to live. Abortion is also considered to be ethically and morally wrong and major a threat to human dignity because it is considered a direct attack on life itself.

Pro-choice arguments throw light on situations where the mother’s life is at stake or cases where pregnancy is a result of crimes such as rape and child abuse. It is argued that the mother should have a right on her own body and of what is growing within it.

Pro-lifer, on the other hand, tend to argue that the baby is not responsible for these crimes and one crime doesn’t give anybody the right to commit another. One should not punish the baby but the rapist/criminal for their crime instead. They also state that the mother’s mental health could be affected due to postpartum stress and post-abortion syndrome.

The pro-choice arguments take under consideration unawareness or lack of sex education and consider giving a bad environment for the child equal to child abuse. They also emphasize on social issues such as a rise in population, the existence of a large number of orphans, and poverty. They also bring about a stand for mothers and families that do not have sufficient resources to raise a child.

The prolife supporters still retort that this is no fault of the baby and it shouldn’t be a victim of such issues. They believe that the unborn fetus is a silent victim of the crimes of mankind. It shouldn’t be held responsible for the bad environment of the mother and it is immoral to harm the baby intra or extra-uterine.

When the issue of moral ethics comes in play, religion is also included. Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam are against abortion and one willingly following this religion is expected to have the child.

Abortion also puts the role and responsibility of a man in parenthood under the spotlight. To a great extent, the man is given a choice to decide how involved he wants to be in the child’s life.

According to the pro-life ideology, the mother is denied this right of choice clearly portraying the inequality in sexes. In contrast, the pro choice ideology sets both the genders on an equal platform, giving both of them the right to choice.

Obviously, nobody would disagree that both these sides stand true to their argument. However, they aren’t error-less. I am not completely sure of what is the right thing to do, but I slightly lean towards the pro-choice ideology. It gives more autonomy and could be considered slightly more rational and democratic for the current social conditions we live in.

The real danger to our society is population rise, and less exposure toward a  taboo topic like sex. Complete ban of abortion could cause a rise of these social issues.

However, majority of the questions still remain unanswered. Major questions, such as, “Is having an abortion less wrong than the alternatives”, “Is any other right more important than the right to life” still hold credit and would help us reach a more ethical conclusion.