The Moral Case for Abortion

his is a very appropriate time for me Tto write on "The Moral Case for The Moral Case Abortion." Many people in the pro-choice community believe that the battle for reproductive freedom has been won, that for Abortion abortion is now available, that women have gained control over their reproductive capacities and have been liberated from the repressive rulings of patriarchal Henry Morgentaler governments. This is not completely true. There are still many countries in the world where women are subjected to the Henry Morgentaler was born on March 19, 1923, in Lodz, Poland. From dogmatic religious edicts of theocracies. 1940-1945 he was interned in the Lodz Ghetto and in the Auschwitz and There are still women willing to endanger Dauchau concentration camps. He received his medical education in their health, future fertility, and even their lives in order to terminate an unwanted Germany, Belgium, and pregnancy. The religious right and the Montreal, Canada. In 1968, anti-abortion movement is gaining ground moved by the tragedies of on this continent and abroad. Even here, women suffering injury and in the United States, where everyone death in unsafe, illegal hoped that Roe v. Wade would forever abortions, Morgentaler ensure a woman's right to choice, the vio- opened Canada's first lent factions of the anti-abortion move- abortion clinic, in ment are waging war on doctors, staff, and Montreal. In 1973, he was abortion clinics; and political lobby tried on a charge of illegal groups and presidential candidates vio- abortion and acquitted by a lently opposed to choice are within reach jury. The jury acquittal was of the Oval Office. There are even members of the pro-choice community who are reversed by the Court of questioning the morality of reproductive Appeal of Quebec. In 1975, freedom. These people believe that abor- this most unusual convic- tion must be available, but that it is inher- tion was upheld by the ently bad—a necessary evil. This attitude Supreme Court of Canada. is dangerous and destructive and under- Morgentaler served ten mines the enormous gains due to the months of an eighteen- availability of good abortion services. In month sentence when fact, the decision to have an abortion is Canada's House of Commons passed the "Morgentaler Amendment," mak- clearly an extremely moral choice; it is a ing it unconstitutional for the legislature to overturn a jury acquittal. In all, choice that liberates, empowers, and ben- Morgentaler was tried four times on charges of illegal abortion. In 1988, efits women and society. In this article, I the last attempted prosecution ended when the Supreme Court of Canada will examine all these issues from a humanist perspective, and reaffirm the declared Canada's abortion law unconstitutional. Canada has since morality of reproductive choice. remained without any federal law governing abortion. Morgentaler has The issue of the morality of abortion opened clinics across Canada, often in the face of strong provincial oppo- provides the best illustration of the pro- sition. In 1992 his Toronto clinic was firebombed. No perpetrator was ever found difference between humanist ethics captured. Early in 1996, Morgentaler made headlines across Canada and and traditional religious attitudes. The for- internationally when he issued an open letter to Pope John Paul II, implor- mer are based on concern for individual ing the pontiff to reconsider traditional Catholic doctrines about abortion, and collective well-being and are able to birth control, and women's roles in society. He is the author of Abortion incorporate all available modern data and and Contraception (1982). He is the founding president of the Humanist knowledge; whereas the latter are bound Association of Canada and has received awards from Planned Parenthood, by dogma and tradition to sexist, irrational the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), the National prohibitions against abortion and women's Abortion Federation, the Council for Secular Humanism, and the rights and are completely and callously indifferent to the enormous, avoidable suf- International Humanist and Ethical Union. fering such attitudes are inflicting on individuals and on the community. Summer 1996 17 Most of the debate raging about abor- fetal life that He allows so much of it to go unique individuality, so that these children tion around the world has centered around to waste without intervening? Is it not grow up to be joyful, loving, caring, the question of morality. Is it ever moral possible to then conclude that God does responsible members of the community, or responsible for a woman to request and not mind or object to spontaneous abor- able to enter into meaningful relationships receive an abortion, or is abortion always tions? Why is it that the Catholic church with others. immoral, sinful, and criminal? has no ritual to mark the abortion of so Thus, reproductive freedom—access When you listen to the rhetoric of the much fetal life when it occurs sponta- to legal abortions, to contraception, and, anti-abortion faction, or read imprecise neously, yet becomes so vociferous and by extension, to sexual education—pro- terms about the unborn, you get the condemnatory when it is a conscious deci- tects women and couples and is probably impression that every abortion kills a sion by a woman or couple? the most important aspect of preventive child; consequently it cannot be condoned I believe that an early embryo may be medicine and psychiatry, as well as the under any circumstances, with the sole called a potential human being. But most promising preventative of crime and exception of when the life of the pregnant remember that every woman has the mental illness in our society. woman is endangered by the pregnancy, a potential to create twenty-five human Wherever abortion legislation has been condition that is now extremely rare. This beings in her lifetime. The idea that any liberalized, particularly in countries where position—that abortion is always wrong woman who becomes pregnant as a result abortion is available upon request, the and that there is a human being in the of non-procreative sexual intercourse effects on public health and on the well- womb from the moment of conception— must continue with her pregnancy does being of the community have been very is a religious idea mostly propagated by not take into consideration the fact that positive. The drastic reduction of illegal, the doctrine of the Roman Catholic there is a tremendous discrepancy incompetent abortions with their disas- church and espoused by many fundamen- between the enormous potential of human trous consequences has almost eliminated talist Protestant groups, though not by the fertility and the real-life ability of women one of the major hazards to the lives and majority of Catholics and Protestants. and couples to provide all that is neces- health of fertile women. There has been a Let us briefly examine this idea. At the sary to bring up children properly. The steady decline in the complications and moment of conception the sperm and the morality of any act cannot be divorced mortality associated with medical abor- ovum unite, creating one cell. To proclaim from the foreseeable consequences of that tions, a decline in mortality due to child- that this one cell is already a full human act. Should a girl of twelve or a woman of birth, a drop in newborn and infant mortal- being and should be treated as such is so forty-five, or any woman for that matter, ity, an overall decline in premature births, patently absurd that it is almost difficult to be forced to continue a pregnancy or be and a drop in the number of births of refute. It is as if someone claimed that one saddled with bringing up a child for eigh- unwanted children. It is of utmost interest brick is already a house and should be teen years without any regard for the con- to examine the consequences and effects treated with the same respect a full house sequences, without any regard for the of the liberalization of the abortion laws. deserves. Even if you have a hundred expressed will or desire of that woman, or Where abortion has become legalized bricks, or two hundred bricks, it is not yet of the couple? and available and where there is sufficient a house. For it to be a house it needs walls, Haven't we learned anything by medical manpower to provide quality plumbing, electricity, and a functional observing events in countries where abor- medical services in this area, the conse- organization. The same is true for a devel- tion is illegal, where women are forced to quences have all been beneficial not only oping embryo. In order for it to be a human abort fetuses themselves or by the hands to individuals but also to society in gen- being it needs an internal organization, of quacks, where many die and more are eral. It countries where there is a high level organs, and especially a human brain to be injured for life or lose their fertility? What of education and where abortions by qual- considered fully human. This entity is the about the children often abandoned to ified medical doctors are available without result of sexual intercourse, where procre- institutions where they have no father or delay, self-induced or illegal abortions by ation is often not the goal, and whether it is mother, where they suffer so much emo- incompetent people who do not have med- called a zygote, blastocyst, embryo, or tional deprivation and trauma that many ical knowledge eventually disappear, with fetus, it does not have all the attributes of a become psychotic, neurotic, or so full of tremendous benefit to the health of human being and thus cannot properly be hate and violence that they become juve- women.

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