In this article, I will tell you my opinion on the ethics of (some cases of) abortion. Abortion is an interesting subject, not just because of the fact that it is divisive, but rather why it is divisive. Abortion touches on so many distinct topics, which interconnect to form a web of complex opinions. Most people who think about it honestly are bound to find contradictions in their value structure as a result.

I don't think all cases of abortion should be painted with the same stroke. If we allow ourselves to drop party slogans, I think we can all think of moral counterexamples to our viewpoints. Below is a list of reasons for a person to have an abortion. I encourage you to come to your own conclusions on each case.

• Convenience: The Mother (or Couple) has decided that having a baby would impede upon their quality of life, and would prevent them from being able to do the things they want to do.
• Convenience (Disability): Same as above, except the couple were expecting to be pregnant, but the fetus is revealed to have an unexpected disability that would make taking care of the resulting baby more likely to diminish their quality of life than a non-disabled child.
• Convenience (Gender Preference): The baby would be healthy… but the “wrong” gender.
  • This happens quite a bit in China, in which there is a lot of emphasis on having a male son.
  • It also has been happening in Western countries.
• Pragmatism: The Mother (or Couple) believes they would be unable to provide a good quality of life for the baby if it were born.
  • For example, if the mother was impoverished, (assume that there is not a reliable social safety net), she might doubt that she could provide for a child, and that the child would starve.
  • We consider the case in which the baby is disabled in the same way. It may be that the mother believes she could support a healthy baby, but not a disabled one.
• Shame: The Mother is ashamed of the baby's conception.
  • For this case, we assume that the conception was consensual, but it was a poor decision that the mother regrets.
  • For example, a single woman having a child out of wedlock.
• Rectification: The Mother was raped, or the conception was the result of incest.
• Life-Saving: Delivering the baby would kill or severely injure the mother.
• Mercy: Due to some disability with the fetus, the resulting baby would have health problems that would cause it to suffer.
• Mercy (Lifespan): The baby would likely die almost immediately after birth.
• Mercy (Disabled): The child would not be in physical pain due to it's disability, but it would lead a difficult life.
  • For example, being born blind or deaf, or being born with developmental disability (eg, Downs)
• Mercy (Social): Strictly because of how society operates, the baby would have a difficult life.
  • For example, suppose the baby is mixed-race, and the mother knows that the child will face discrimination from her community.
• Mercy (Philosophical): The mother believes that bringing children into the world is immoral, simply due to the intrinsic suffering that is a part of existence. (eg, “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”)
• Societal: The mother believes that having a baby would be bad for society at large.
  • Some women may believe that the world needs less white children, and, if the baby is white, she may decide to abort for that reason.
  • Some Women could believe that bringing a child with certain traits (ie, mentally handicapped) would be bad for society.

No matter how stalwart of a pro-life or pro-choicer you are, there should be some cases that give you pause. That's why I have created the Abortion Belief Survey, shown below. Next to each abortion consideration, there are two options: “Aborting” and “Not Aborting”. Your job is to assign one of four symbols to each case:

• “+” if you believe the action is “Moral”. That is, the action is good, but not required. (For example, rushing into a burning building to save a person's life)
• “0” if you believe the action is “Neutral”. ¹⁾. That is, the action is neither moral nor immoral. (For example, not rushing into a burning building to save a person's life)
• “-” if you believe the action is “Immoral”. That is, the action is bad. (For example, starting the fire)
• “?” if you aren't sure.

Here's how I filled out the survey. I expect this to upset everyone. :)