Resolving Ethical Dilemmas

Resolving Ethical Dilemmas

Dilemmas are the instances and situations where one has to choose between two or more options that are conflicting and have moral and ethical implications. There are many dilemmas in society. For instance, people have different definitions of what is right and wrong. These differences lead to conflicting views on various issues in society. One such issue is abortion. Abortion is a controversial subject in most societies. A section of people believes that abortion is wrong as everyone, including the unborn, have a right to life. Other people also take the stand that a mother has the right to choose whether to have a child or not. Such people claim that by dictating whether one should have an abortion or not, the law interferes with individual privacy. The paper discusses abortion as a contentious issue in the United States.

The Fundamentals of the Policy Described in the Article

The article describes an abortion issue involving a 17-year-old teenager (North, n.d.). The teenager was an immigrant and had applied to have the abortion since she could not sustain the pregnancy. Before then, there had been changes to the abortion laws relating to immigrant minors. Such laws required the minors to seek permission. The minor had sought permission and was waiting for the determination of the case. However, the government was determined to prevent her from having the abortion. A District judge ordered the government to allow the minor to have her abortion (North, n.d.). In return, the government appealed and got an order allowing them to delay the abortion even longer.

Judge Kavanaugh who has since become a president appointee gave the delay order (Gerstein, n.d.). There were numerous concerns about his appointment to the Supreme Court. Many were worried about the fate of abortion cases. In his ruling, he had indicated that the Director of the refugees had the right to block an immigrant minor from obtaining an abortion.

The dilemma, therefore, involves the right of minors to obtain an abortion. Certain groups and individuals maintain that before a pregnancy reaches a certain age, a mother has all the rights to terminate it should she wish to do so. Such a choice would thus be a personal choice. However, there are people with a contrary opinion. These claim that the government has the right to delay or even block some people from obtaining an abortion. According to Reamer, there are several processes of making decisions about ethical dilemmas. These include determining the issue, the individuals likely to be impacted by the decision, available actions, and arguments for and against, conducting consultations, decision-making, documentation, and monitoring (Chapter 3, n.d.).

The Arguments that Support the Abortion Policy

Right to Make Decisions on their Bodies

There are several arguments that support abortion. First, some people claim that women have the right to decide the actions to take, as it is their body. They, therefore, have the right to choose what to do with their bodies. Many factors affect the process of having a child. These factors include financial stability, age, and the status of the relationship. Women should thus have the right to decide when to have children.

Liberty Regarding having a Child

 The arguments supporting abortion further claim that women should choose whether to raise a child or not. Raising a child needs an emotional, physical, social, and economic commitment. When women are not ready to make the commitment, they should have abortions. Unwanted pregnancies lead to poverty and many instances of child neglect. The government would prevent such issues by allowing abortions.

To Lower the Number of Illegal Abortions

There have been many arguments that women still have abortions despite the fact that it is illegal. The abortions are dangerous and sometimes lead to numerous health complications. The continued banning of abortion hence exposes many women to health risks. Abortion should thus be legal in order to promote safer ways of doing it.

Arguments that Oppose the Abortion Policy

The first argument is that immediately after conception there is life. A child in the womb, therefore, has the right to live. Other opponents of abortion also claim that legalizing abortion would increase irresponsible behavior. Another argument against abortion is that it is dangerous for a woman to have an abortion due to the numerous health risks.

Empirical Evidence Supporting and Opposing Abortion

Empirical Evidence Supporting Abortion

 Illegal abortions continue to escalate over time (Sedgh, Finer, Bankole, Eilers & Singh, 2015). Such abortions put the lives of women at risk. More evidence illustrates that unplanned pregnancies are some of the main causes of school dropouts and poverty. Allowing abortion would thus reduce the rates of school dropouts and promote safe abortion measures.

Empirical Evidence against Abortion

The rates of irresponsible sexual activities have been rising everywhere in the world and especially in the United States. Teenagers are aware that they can easily seek out abortions whenever they get pregnant. Tightening the laws and policies against abortion is thus necessary. Such laws will reduce the rates of careless sexual activities and lower the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

Social Work Ethics and Values Supporting Abortion

Several values and ethics support abortion. The first is value is freedom. People have the liberty to make decisions affecting their lives. Another social value is equality. To achieve equality, women should have the right to decide what is best for them.

The Social Values and Ethics Opposing Abortion

The first value opposing abortion is the right to life. Unborn babies are human and they should not be killed simply because they are a liability to the mothers. Another important value is accountability and responsibility. People should be accountable for their actions. When women or teenagers engage in sexual activities and have babies, they should be accountable and thus take care of the children.

Recommendations Based on the Analysis

            I think that abortion should be made legal. Many teenagers and women are already having abortions. The abortions are however risky and can easily lead to negative health impacts or even deaths. Making abortion legal would, therefore, promote safe abortion measures that reduce the risk of negative health impacts. Abortion should also be legal for the sake of teenagers who get pregnant. These teenagers have no ability to take care of the children. Keeping the pregnancies would also mean disrupting their academics. The best option for such teenagers is therefore to have an abortion. There are pregnancies conceived without the consent of the females involved. Such pregnancies may be because of rape or defilement. The government should not force the victims of such actions to bear the burden by keeping the pregnancies.

            In conclusion, many dilemmas face society today. One such dilemma is the contentious issue of abortion. Some people maintain that abortion should be illegal. Others insist that whether to have an abortion or not should be the decision of an individual. In addition, some groups propose that government institutions and the law should regulate any application for an abortion. In such cases, courts and other relevant department have the mandate of allowing or denying the right to abortion. I, however, think that abortion should be made legal. In making the practice illegal, more women opt for unsafe and illegal abortion options that may have negative health impacts.

References

Chapter 3. (n.d.).Ethical dilemmas and decision-making framework. A Framework.

North, A. (n.d.). A detained 17-year-old immigrant wants an abortion. The government went to court to stop her. Vox. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/19/16500166/texas-abortion-teenager-undocumented-immigration

Gerstein, J. (n.d.). Teenage immigrant abortion case could be hurdle for Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court bid. Politico. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/06/trump-supreme-court-pick-kavanaugh-immigrant-abortion-teen-700856

Sedgh, G., Finer, L. B., Bankole, A., Eilers, M. A., & Singh, S. (2015). Adolescent pregnancy, birth, and abortion rates across countries: levels and recent trends. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56(2), 223-230.