Should I allow myself to have an abortion?

Pro: If the fetus is not a human being, then abortion is no more, and possibly much less, significant than the surgical removal of any nonessential body part.

Con: If the fetus is a human being, then abortion is murder, and the act carries with it the full psychological, moral and legal burden that is borne by anyone who terminates an innocent human life.

Pro: The fetus that threatens the life of its mother is innocent: it has no intention of doing harm. And yet the innocence of the fetus is not sufficient to obligate anyone, specifically the pregnant woman contemplating abortion, to avoid acting in self-defense. The justification for self-defense is the threat of harm. Innocent, ignorant agents can cause harm and even death. The mother and the doctors who treat her are justified in protecting her life by aborting the fetus.

Pro: If passive euthanasia is accepted after the cessation of integrated cerebral activity, then abortion is acceptable before the onset of integrated cerebral activity.

Pro: Where significant other people support the idea of abortion, the decision to undergo the procedure, if it were likely to cause any psychological stress, causes less.

Con: Where significant other people oppose the idea of abortion, the decision to undergo the procedure, if it were likely to cause any psychological stress, causes more.

Con: Pregnant women sometimes ignore their own desires to have children and opt for abortions because of pressures from significant other people.

Pro: Legal abortions in facilities dedicated to the procedures, with competent practitioners operating, promise to be very safe for the pregnant woman. Responsible doctors will not perform abortions on women where the procedure is likely to cause the mothers harm.

Con: Illegal abortions in unregulated facilities, operated by incompetent practitioners, threaten the lives of pregnant women.

Pro: Women who are pregnant and find the cost of an abortion very expensive will note that the cost of giving birth and raising a child will be far greater.

Con: Where laws prohibit the pregnant woman from having an abortion, the risk of being arrested and punished for the crime may induce the pregnant woman to forgo the procedure.