Nursing Ethics: Abortion

Abortion

                Prolly, abortion is one of the most mainstream issues we have with today’s generation especially that most couples nowadays really do not buy the true idea of loving. It is as if everyone is in love, but are they really? Abortion (from the Latin word aboriri, "to perish") may be briefly defined as "the loss of a fetal life."

                It is sad to know that incidence of teenage pregnancy is taking a step higher each year. It makes me want to ask what really is happening with the world now? What happened to all the values and self-preservation our elders taught us?

                When we discuss about abortion, there are a lot of viewpoints that talk about when and how it can be moral. As a nurse, we should be surrogates and we are tenants of life to preserve it at all costs. Nevertheless, in a way, there are also instances where we resort to termination of life inside a mother’s womb especially when one brings more harm than the other. We can give choices to our patients whether to continue and take the risk of having an abnormal child with all the incapacities you can imagine that will make the baby suffer if he ever will be delivered to life; or not. One condition is when a mother cannot keep up with the pregnancy and delivering the baby to life can maybe mean her life. There are also instances when a woman can be a rape victim. She can or cannot continue the pregnancy. That will be her choice. So the ones I have cited are just few of the situations where abortion can be therapeutic but there are also instances where abortion is completely immoral. It is evident that the determination of what is right or wrong in human conduct belongs to the science of ethics and the teaching of religious authority. Both of these declare the Divine law, "Thou shalt not kill". The embryonic child, as seen above, has a human soul; and therefore is a man from the time of its conception; therefore it has an equal right to its life with its mother; therefore neither the mother, nor medical practitioner, nor any human being whatever can lawfully take that life away. The State cannot give such right to the physician; for it has not itself the right to put an innocent person to death.

                We should be very responsible with our doings. There are those who are into premarital sex. Unfortunately most of them are minors. I do not know if you can call it an accident if the woman who engages to that gets pregnant. A boy and a girl who are into that are at least sane enough to know what they are doing and the consequences of their exploits can have. If the girl gets “accidentally” pregnant, some resort to abortion. They have reasons like they are not ready to become parents that they are too young or maybe their parents will not permit them. To put it simple, they just do not want it to happen. They resort to all the abortifacients they know. And as easy as pie, it is as if nothing happened.

                Whatever we do, we should be sure of it. we should not lose the values we have and kill innocent lives just because of our “careless” acts. Lastly, we should not forget that always there is Someone who is watching everything we do. So be mindful enough!