Ethics Final Paper - Central Luzon State University

**Central Luzon State University** Science City of Muñoz 3120 Nueva Ecija, Philippines **Abortion: Valid or Invalid base on the Doctrine of Double Effect** In partial fulfillment for the requirement in the course SOCSI1110 **Presented to:** Mr. Evert Dela Peña **Presented By:** Calacaran, Fre...

**Central Luzon State University** Science City of Muñoz 3120 Nueva Ecija, Philippines **Abortion: Valid or Invalid base on the Doctrine of Double Effect** In partial fulfillment for the requirement in the course SOCSI1110 **Presented to:** Mr. Evert Dela Peña **Presented By:** Calacaran, Frenzy Joy D. Dela Cruz, Ace Gabrielle T. Fontanilla, Kurt Andrei D. Jimenez, Princess D. Limjoco, Louise Samantha B. Nuñez, Mary Ann O. Pineda, Daisy M. Salvador, Mark Kean C. Villanueva, Lalaine G **ABSTRACT** Abortion is still a debate if it is a valid act or not, but in the perspective of the doctrine of double effect, abortion is still considered "killing" as this does not satisfy the four conditions. On the other hand, in the lens of health, abortion is in fact valid if the life of the mother is at risk and it's intention is to preserve the well-being of the mother while the death of the fetus is not the intended outcome. Rather, it is just a secondary effect because the only way to preserve the life of the mother is through abortion, making the fetus's death unintended but a result of the procedure. This paper will delve to the stand where abortion should be legalized and a free option for every woman, especially if it pose risks towards their health. In addition, this will also discuss how factors such as teenage pregnancy, sexual assault, poverty, and population contributes to the stand of legalizing and creating a free option for women to undergo abortion to preserve their well-being without the intention of killing the fetus. I. **INTRODUCTION** In this modern society, abortion is not a taboo topic anymore. This topic is still present in every arguments or debates, whether if it's a right thing to do or not. To define abortion, it is the termination of pregnancy by removing the embryo or fetus from the uterus. Women do not make careless decisions when it comes to abortion; whether it is unplanned or intended, it can turn into a difficult pregnancy for a variety of reasons such as social, psychological, physical, or even in economic lens. Threat to the mother's health and severe fetal abnormalities that would result in the fetus being born with life-threatening health conditions causing an early death after birth are some of the great motives of abortion as this intent is to preserve one's life while the death of the fetus is unintended. Induced abortion can be performed for various reasons, personal choice, medical necessity, social and economic factors. When it comes to personal choice it is the mother who decides whether she wants the baby or fetus to love or determinate. And it can be based on her personal perspective to do it or not, but in the case of the Philippines: abortion is still illegal. Abortion can be done in many factors one of it is medical necessity. Professionals are the only one who perform this kind of method that is called "therapeutic abortion". It depends on the situation that abortion is needed in order for the mother to survive and it is done with a medical consent that makes it legal to law. social and economic factors, individuals particularly women, may feel unable to afford raising a child. Considering the factors of education, basic needs and healthcare expenses. Poverty can affect the mother's decision on choosing abortion, financial stability is one of the factors in raising a child making it harder for individuals to access resources and support. Younger individuals can feel unprepared on supporting and raising a child. Parenthood is a lifestyle that prioritizes children over education or career goals. It is a big responsibility because it requires life-long commitment and many responsibilities, such as providing basic needs and education, ensuring the child\'s health and safety, and teaching other life skills that require emotional, financial, and physical readiness, which some women may lack. As a result, abortion may be considered a hard but necessary choice to avoid bringing a child into an unstable environment, and the mother will also carry the burden of providing for the child, which requires a lot of sacrifice. After all, the mother\'s well-being should always come first because she needs to be in a good position to give her child the care and life they deserve. While most pregnancies are safe and healthy, there are risks to continuing a pregnancy, resulting in complications depending on the mother\'s health, age, and any medical conditions. According to (WHO, 2024), Women die as a result of complications during and following pregnancy and childbirth. Most of these complications develop during pregnancy and are preventable or treatable. Other complications may exist before pregnancy but are worsened during pregnancy, primarily if not managed as part of the woman\'s care. II. **BODY** The controversy about the issue of abortion has been prevalent in this generation with different opinions and perspectives due to various causes and beliefs. Significantly, the present generation are throwing fit due to outgrowing cases of teenage pregnancy, rape victims, poverty, and population that are seen relevant in the implementation and validity for the legalization of abortion. Regardless of the perspective in religious aspect, Doctrine of Double Effect of Thomas Aquinas clearly stated that abortion is not permissible, not just because of its killing matter but also because it doesn\'t satisfy the DDE's four conditions: the nature-of-the-act condition, the means-end condition, the right-intention condition, and the proportionality condition.  On the other hand, abortion in a form of operation must be seen as lawful and permissible in the context where the health of the woman is critical and at risk. Abortion is an unethical practice as it interferes with the bioethics principles of beneficence and non-maleficence, termination of human life is morally wrong, and a woman who became pregnant must endure the process of pregnancy and birth, no matter distressing or painful. The fetus should be treated with dignity and respect. As pro-life, opponents contend that personhood begins at conception, and therefore abortion is the immoral killing of an innocent human being; every human has an inherent right to life. It is considered a murder; the killing of an innocent human being is wrong, even that human being has yet to be born which is deprived of future value.(Abu-Baker R, Mrayyan MT 2020) In the context of abortion, applying the Doctrine of Double Effect (DDE) is a topic of much ethical debate, because it involves both intended and unintended outcomes. The key issue is whether the death of the fetus is a direct result of the action or simply an unintended consequence of trying to achieve a good outcome, like saving the mother\'s life. The following points are based on DDE. 1. **The nature of the act condition.** Some people view abortion as morally neutral, especially in situations where it is needed to be able to protect the mother's life. For example, if it being pregnant will threatens the life of the mother. Like in cases of preeclampsia or ectopic pregnancy, ending the pregnancy could be seen as morally acceptable or a good decision according to the Doctrine of Double Effect. 2. **The means-end-condition.** In this condition, the death of the fetus should not be the intention or reason behind saving the mother's life. For example, if the mother's life is in danger because of the high risk of the pregnancy, the goal here is to treat the problem/mother, not to end the life of the fetus. In such case, the death of the fetus is not the goal of the action but it is seen as unintended consequences. There are cases when the mother needs to undergo through an operation but unfortunately the pregnancy will be affected but the goal there is to save the mother's life. So, the action is valid because the right term for the procedure is "operation" not "abortion". 3. T**he right-intention condition.** Around the world, about a quarter of the countries allow abortions only to save the life of the mother, and 42% of the countries around the world allow abortions when the mother's life is at risk, to preserve a woman's physical or mental health in cases of rape or incest, because of fetal impairment, or for social or economic reasons. Abu-Baker R, Mrayyan MT (2020) One of the major enemies of human is its health and the various diseases  that can severely affect human body\'s capability and capacity to attain a longer life. Specifically, woman have a high probability of having critical condition brought by pregnancy and childbirth which can worst lead to miscarriage. Just like the statement of women who experienced bringing a child to the world, carrying a child for nine-months and giving birth feels like \"the end of the world\" due to severe pain. Also, the pregnancy journey of a woman doesn\'t just end on giving birth, there comes the post-partum depression, emotional stress, and physical efforts which can worsen with the lack of support whether it is physically or emotionally.  Evidently, in the act of operation which reflects the death of the child, can never be considered unlawful and invalid, because the bad effect may be foreseen, but it was never part of the intentions to happen. Thus, abortion in a form of operation is permissible as it satisfies the 3rd condition of DDE which is the right-intention condition.  **References** Abu-Baker R, Mrayyan MT (2020) Investigation on abortion: legal and ethical argumentations. Eurasia J Biosci 14: 4513-4517. Maternal Mortality (2024). World Health Organization Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality