Late Term Abortion Essay Sample

Abortion a very emotive issue and can be argued to be birth control or as a right to the pregnant mother to decide as to whether she will carry the foetus to term or not. We have many who are against it and as many who are for it. This said, there arises the question of late term abortion. How far into the pregnancy can we ethically argue for the foetus as a human being with right to life? How ethical, necessary, safe or justifiable is it? Is there a scenario that can justify late term abortion? Is it all murder and sin? These questions beg answers that I seek to dispel as I dwell on this issues in the coming paragraphs.
One of the issues that can lead to late term abortion is considerations of the pregnant woman’s health. If in danger due to the pregnancy, the mother’s life has to be saved and at times this difficult but necessary decision has to be taken leading to late term abortion. The other issue is on detected deformities in the foetus. If these are serious it would be a de-service to the child to carry the pregnancy to full term and expose it to a tough life with its discriminations or even for the child to be born only to die due to its body not being able to cope.  The emotional condition should also be considered especially when dealing with pregnancies due to incest or rape to allow for late term abortion.
Others argue that late term abortion kills a human being with an identity already taking the form of a baby and as such is murder. This is more so when the foetus is viable. There are many reasons why late-term abortion can be considered immoral. Around the twentieth week of gestation, the baby is practically already formed (Jodi, 1990), and it is usually considered a person by then.

On the whole, late term abortion should be considered in the special circumstances of danger to the mother’s health or serious deformities in the foetus endangering it or leading to not being able to lead a quality life. This two are the only justifiable and tenable exceptions to abortion.

References
Jodi, J. (1990). The global politics of abortion. Washington, D.C ,USA: Worldwatch Institute,

Late-term Abortions: Facts, Stories, and Ways to Help | RH Reality Check. (n.d.). RH Reality Check | Reproductive Health Information, News, Commentary and Community. Retrieved November 22, 2011, from http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/06/02/thirdtrimester-abortions-facts-stories-and-how-you-can-help-0.