The ethics of abortion
Abortion has been a bit of hot topic for ethicists over the last couple of years. There has been a lot of talk about controlling populations through abortion, in countries like Africa, where people are starving to death. I don't think ethicists are trying to devalue life through these discussions. Just the opposite – they are trying to take into consideration quality of life, not just preservation of life. In populations where millions of people are starving to death, they are considering the ethics of letting a pregnancy continue to term, when the baby will only starve to death later.
They are trying to take into account not just the preservation of life, but the quality of life – not just for the baby, but for the wider community. Less people to feed mean that there is more food to go around. I personally think it is a false dichotomy to pit preservation of life against quality of life and I believe there are other options, but abortion does offer a quick fix to the suffering of millions.
The issue is not black and white
I find it hard to describe my own position on the issue of abortion. As a Christian, I definitely believe that life should be valued, but I know women who have had to make the choice, and I would never want to walk in their shoes because they were not easy decisions for any of them. These were not decisions that they have made on a whim. They were painful decisions with lifelong consequences and the answer was not simple, nor was it ever black and white. I can understand why they made their decisions and my heart breaks that they were even put in those situations. I can't judge the choices that they made, because they were not my choices to make. But their decisions have highlighted the complexities for me and I do believe that it is morally complex issue.
To many people, the idea of abortion at all is horrifying and far more morally deplorable. I think this is partly because of the belief that life is valuable, but mostly because abortion involves action. In situations where children are unwanted, abused and neglected, it is far more passive. We don't condone that as a society, but at the same time, there is not as much lobbying and campaigning done about preventing abuse and neglect. I think it is because the issue is far more complex and the answers do not seem so black and white.
Preservation of life or quality of life?
Reflecting back to the article by the ethicists, I can understand where they are coming from. I have worked with children who have been neglected and abused regularly over their life time. The issues they have had to deal with in their lives are devastating. It has made me stop and wonder about the moral and ethical dilemma of encouraging, or even forcing, women to complete pregnancies where their babies will grow up in such horrendous conditions. I do not believe that all unwanted pregnancies turn to abuse and neglect just as I don't believe that children born from wanted pregnancies are immune to it. I do not believe abortion is the answer, but it has made me stop and think about the dichotomy.
In writing their article about killing babies shortly after birth, I really don't think that ethicists are treating life in an offhanded manner, I think they are attempting to value life. I don't agree with their method for doing so, but I do think their article highlights a very real issue – and that is quality of life. I think often that 'debate' about pro-life focuses so much on sustaining life, but fails to focus at all on quality of life. I think ethicists are trying to reflect on quality of life for the baby, the mother and the wider community. I think they are questioning the better of two evils – whether we prevent suffering, for those at high risk, through abortion, or post term 'abortion', or do we let them live and hope for the best.
Is there another option?
I think we have to address this dichotomy by looking for a third option. We need to try and understand why abortion is seen as such a viable answer if we want to change anything. One psychological theory suggests that there are two base emotions that motivate all human behaviour and they are love or fear. I believe that many women who have abortions do so because they are fearful – fear for the pain their baby will suffer if they are born with a disability, fear of ridicule, fear of how it will impact their other children, fear of how they will afford to have another baby, fear of how they will cope, fear of what they will lose and the list goes on. Fear is not a bad or negative emotion, but I do think that if we could be free from fear, we would make different choices.
This fear is the result of a number of different issues. I think the main one being that we have lost our sense of community. We live next to people or near people, but we are very isolated from one another. When adverse situations arise, we tend to deal with them very much on our own – pregnancy and child rearing are no exception to that. We have support systems in place, but we don't share the load. Communities that are far more communal seem to deal with adversity far better because there are many people who share the load.
Stepping into community
Rather than being pro-life or pro-choice, I think we need to rethink this whole issue. Above all, life should be valued – but we have to consider how we value life. Quality of life is important so I don't think the battle for those who disagree with abortion ends when women choose to continue their pregnancies.
I think the battle is only just beginning for everyone. Life not only needs to be preserved, it needs to be nurtured. Women need to feel supported and need to feel a sense of community. While education is important, it is also about women knowing that when they face difficulties raising their children, there is a community that will be there right alongside them. I think that if we don't like the way that things are, it is not about lobbying to make a difference, it is about being part of the solution.
We can create the kind of community where women can feel supported when they face difficulties. A community where women know they can get help. Throwing money at the problem will not change it. We need a real change, not an easy solution or a quick fix. It isn't going to be 100% foolproof and will always be a work in progress, but for many women, community is what they need. We need to start taking some steps in this direction.
Erin Kikkert is married to Anthony and they they have four tiny tots under 5. They live in Townsville and Erin heritage is from several generations of Baptist Ministers.
Erin Kikkert's archive of articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/erin-kikkert.html