The Moral Dilemma of Abortion
Abortion is a very popular debated topic in today's society. The question of whether abortion is morally right or wrong is everywhere. There are numerous groups for abortion, and there are numerous groups that are against it as well. There is propaganda everywhere trying desperately to persuade people in one direction or the other. All the propaganda can really be misleading, but the issue really does heavily depend one question. At what point does the embryo gain the same rights to that of a citizen. Abortion from an overall view, is not morally permissible, but there are certainly situations and stipulations that can make it morally permissible.
Abortion is very permissible in certain cases. A couple of those cases are a rape victim in a mental hospital, and also the Marlise Munoz case where she is brain dead while pregnant. In the case of the rape victim there are multiple reasons that make it morally okay in my opinion. First off the victim had no choice when she was raped, it was not her fault that their are cruel people in the world. The victim was more than likely not wanting to get pregnant at the time, and also being in a mental hospital, probably isn't in a state where she can properly care for the child. In the case of Marlise Munoz, she is declared brain dead at the same time she is pregnant, and the hospital wants to keep the body alive until the fetus is viable. In this case abortion should certainly be permissible, simply because the mother is technically not even alive. It is wrong to disrespect the family's wishes to pull the plug on the machines keeping her alive in this case. Not only is the hospital disrespecting the family's wishes, but also the body of Marlise Munoz.
Abortion can also be permissible when the mother's life is at risk. A few cases that fall under that category, are a pregnant woman with leukemia, and anyone who is prescribed medications that will harm the fetus. It is not morally right in my opinion to make the mother put their life on the line at any time, in order to give birth.