The morality or immorality of abortion is often a resonating issue for discussion (Johnstone, 2015). In my point of view, abortion is morally justified but needs serious consideration. Any human being is capable of making a mistake. Even more so, mistakes are a great part of human life and a mechanism of evolution. A woman who got pregnant by mistake should be given a chance to avert it. It would help her to better plan her next pregnancy and be ready for it.
The virtue ethics theory states that developing positive traits forms a better personality and helps improve decision-making in the future (Rich, 2013). From the standpoint of this theory, the moral dilemma can be resolved in favor of abortion because it provides an opportunity to make better choices later in life. Without the possibility of abortion, there would be no choice to make, and no learning process would be involved.
The consequentialist theory states that moral decisions are those that do the most good to as many people as possible (Rich, 2013). Applied to the abortion topic, it could probably advise against it, as the birth of a child often means a benefit to society as a whole. However, this theory cannot consider every possible outcome and therefore it is hard to envision which decision does the greater good.
Therefore, abortion seems to be a moral decision as it allows to prepare for the birth of the child in terms of resources, mental readiness, and other factors. Virtue ethics theory supports such logic due to its orientation on personal development and better decision-making. Consequentialist theory, on the contrary, neglects personal well-being in favor of abstract ‘common good.’
References
Johnstone, M. J. (2015). Bioethics: A nursing perspective. Oxford, UK: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Rich, K. L. (2013). Philosophies and theories for advanced nursing practice. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.