Student's Name

Professor's Name

Course Number

Date

Deontological Ethics: Position against Abortion

Abortion is one of the most contentious issues in the modern world. Different communities and
society groups have different views about the issue of abortion. While abortion is allowed in
some communities, the main question remains whether it is right for a woman to carry out an
abortion. Abortion refers to the intentional removal of a fetus from the womb before it reaches
maturity. In most cases of abortion, the embryo dies because it was removed from the uterus
prematurely. In some cases, it is possible for the woman carrying the fetus to die in the process.
These are the issues that raise concerns regarding the nobility and the morality of abortion.
However, normative theories can help to provide a clear perspective on whether it is right or
wrong for individuals to practice abortion in the society. This paper would support the argument
that it is wrong for individuals to be involved in abortion based on the provisions of the
deontological theory as opposed to the views of utilitarianism.

According to deontology, abortion is wrong since it violates the aspect of duty regardless of the
consequences. Deontology is a theory that focuses on how correct or how wrong an act
regardless of the impression created by the outcomes. "Deontological ethics focuses on duties
and obligations: things we ought to do regardless of the consequences" (MacKinnon & Fiala
115). This implies that it does not matter whether the abortion process threatens the life of the
woman carrying the fetus, kills the fetus, or gives the woman the satisfaction that she needed
from terminating the pregnancy. The main factor is that the woman has the duty to give birth to
the child and take care of him as a mother. This is an obligation that is bestowed upon a woman
at any moment the woman becomes pregnant. Every parent has the obligation to take care of
their children starting the period before they were born. This implies that expecting mothers have
a duty to do everything in their power to ensure that nothing happens to the fetus rather than
make the decision to terminate the pregnancy. Therefore, the choice for a woman to carry out an
abortion leads to the violation of her obligation to deliver and raise the child. This implies that
the practice of abortion is wrong according to deontological theory.

According to deontological theory, abortion is also wrong because its intentions are not
universal. Deontological theory depicts that an action can only be right if the individual carrying
out the act has good intentions called maxims. In this theory, Kant believed that the intentions of
one person could not fully justify the decision to carry out an act. He believed that maxims only
comprise of intensions that can be universalized. "Act only on that maxim that you can will as a
universal law" (MacKinnon & Fiala 73). Through this statement, the deontological theory
depicts that individuals should only act on intentions that they would recommend to be applied
by everyone else in the world. The most common reason why most women carry out an abortion
is due to professional obligations or the absence of the child's father. In some cases, women carry
out an abortion in cases of unplanned pregnancies. All these are intensions that would not be
recommended for everyone in the world. For instance, many women get pregnant and deliver
without their husbands. In case all these women could terminate their pregnancies, millions of
cases of abortion would be reported in a day to the point that it would become a national disaster.
Therefore, these are not intentions that can be depicted as maxims. This depicts the fact that it is
wrong for an individual to carry out an abortion for any reason as long as there is the probability
of giving birth to a healthy child without complications that could cost the life of the mother.

Abortion is also wrong according to deontological theory because it treats the pregnancy as a
means to an end rather than an end itself. This depicts that people should treat others the way
they would like to be treated. Treating others as n end depicts that one is willing to do whatever
it takes to give those people the best conditions for their situations. On the other hand, treating
others as a means to an end implies treating them in whatever way as long as the individual gets
what they want. "These and similar requirements are necessary for treating another person as an
end rather than merely as a means to my ends of goals" (Mackinnon & Fiala 117). Most women
who carry out an abortion treat the pregnancy as a means to end. For instance, some of them
believe that they only got pregnant due to their desire for pleasure, but they did not expect a
pregnancy. On the other hand, some women terminate pregnancies in order to get time to focus
on other professional obligations. According to deontology, this does not qualify as a maxim. By
treating the fetus as an end, women must learn to provide the fetus with all the best conditions in
order to ensure that they deliver a healthy child. Therefore, carrying out an abortion is treating
the fetus as a means to an end and is wrong based on deontological theory.

However, the views of utilitarianism object to the views of deontology on abortion.

Utilitarianism is a theory that depicts that an act is right if it results in more good and happiness
compared to the alternatives. This implies that utilitarianism mostly focuses on the outcomes of
actions rather than the actions leading to these consequences. Utilitarianism has various laws that
influence the behavior of people. Cahn quoted that "An act is right if and only if it is required by
a rule that is itself a member of a set of rules whose acceptance would lead to greater utility for
society than any available alternative" (343). This implies that an action can be right if its
outcomes would serve the community better compared to the alternative. This is one of the
principles that give most people the justification for abortion. It mostly applies where women
carry out an abortion in order to secure a professional position at the workplace or pursue other
commitments. In such cases, the main justification involves the claim that the pregnancy would
affect the ability of the woman to earn a living creating instability for the entire family. In other
cases, the woman is encouraged to carry out an abortion in order to hold a professional position
where the employer believes that it would be difficult to find another person that would hold the
position. Considering that the outcomes in both cases provide better service to the community at
that moment, it is perceived to be a justifiable course to carry out an abortion.

Utilitarianism also justifies abortion since it advocates for individuals to follow the rules that
give them their desires. "Rule utilitarianism asserts that the best chance of maximizing utility is
by following the set of rules most likely to give us our desired results (Cahn 344). Most people
have desires that are not necessarily good when compared on a universal scale. However,
utilitarianism depicts that as long as the desires of the individual make them happy, they have the
right to follow the rules that lead them to these desires. This implies that women can carry out
abortion as long as that act leads them to their desires. This justifies cases of abortion, such as
ones where a woman carries out an abortion in order to pursue education and acquire a good
career. However, this provides little regard for the concerns of the fetus and whether the
outcomes affect other people or not.

Therefore, it is apparent that abortion is a contentious issue. From the assessment, if deontology
and utilitarianism, it is clear that different normative theories provide different impressions on
whether it is right for people to carry out an abortion or not. The provisions of deontology depict
that it is wrong for individuals to carry out an abortion since it violates the aspect of duty for the
woman, it does not have any maxims, and also promotes the use of other people as a means to an
end rather than ends. Deontology depicts that women have the duty to deliver and raise children
rather than terminating them at the early stages of development. It also shows that most
intentions of abortion cannot be recommended for universal use; hence, it is not right. However,
the provisions of utilitarianism support abortion. Utilitarianism depicts that individuals should
follow rules that cause them to get their desires. This implies that one can carry out an abortion if
it helps them to achieve their desires. Utilitarianism also advocates for actions that serve a
greater good to the society than one person. Therefore, it justifies some cases of abortion.
Therefore, it is essential for individuals to fully consult their conscious and understand the moral
implications of their actions and their outcomes before they contemplate abortion.

Works Cited

Cahn, Steven, M. Exploring Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology. New York: Oxford

University Press, 2017. Print.

MacKinnon, Barbara & Fiala, Andrew. Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues. Boston, MA:
Cengage Learning, 2016. Print.