Running head: ETHICS 1

Resolving Ethical Dilemmas

Student Name

Institutional Affiliation
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Resolving Ethical Dilemmas

Dilemmas are the instances and situations where one has to choose between two or more

options that are conflicting and have moral and ethical implications. There are many dilemmas in

society. For instance, people have different definitions of what is right and wrong. These

differences lead to conflicting views on various issues in society. One such issue is abortion.

Abortion is a controversial subject in most societies. A section of people believes that abortion is

wrong as everyone, including the unborn, have a right to life. Other people also take the stand

that a mother has the right to choose whether to have a child or not. Such people claim that by

dictating whether one should have an abortion or not, the law interferes with individual privacy.

The paper discusses abortion as a contentious issue in the United States.

The Fundamentals of the Policy Described in the Article

The article describes an abortion issue involving a 17-year-old teenager (North, n.d.). The

teenager was an immigrant and had applied to have the abortion since she could not sustain the

pregnancy. Before then, there had been changes to the abortion laws relating to immigrant

minors. Such laws required the minors to seek permission. The minor had sought permission and

was waiting for the determination of the case. However, the government was determined to

prevent her from having the abortion. A District judge ordered the government to allow the

minor to have her abortion (North, n.d.). In return, the government appealed and got an order

allowing them to delay the abortion even longer.

Judge Kavanaugh who has since become a president appointee gave the delay order

(Gerstein, n.d.). There were numerous concerns about his appointment to the Supreme Court.

Many were worried about the fate of abortion cases. In his ruling, he had indicated that the

Director of the refugees had the right to block an immigrant minor from obtaining an abortion.
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The dilemma, therefore, involves the right of minors to obtain an abortion. Certain groups

and individuals maintain that before a pregnancy reaches a certain age, a mother has all the rights

to terminate it should she wish to do so. Such a choice would thus be a personal choice.

However, there are people with a contrary opinion. These claim that the government has the right

to delay or even block some people from obtaining an abortion. According to Reamer, there are

several processes of making decisions about ethical dilemmas. These include determining the

issue, the individuals likely to be impacted by the decision, available actions, and arguments for

and against, conducting consultations, decision-making, documentation, and monitoring (Chapter

3, n.d.).

The Arguments that Support the Abortion Policy

Right to Make Decisions on their Bodies

There are several arguments that support abortion. First, some people claim that women

have the right to decide the actions to take, as it is their body. They, therefore, have the right to

choose what to do with their bodies. Many factors affect the process of having a child. These

factors include financial stability, age, and the status of the relationship. Women should thus

have the right to decide when to have children.

Liberty Regarding having a Child

The arguments supporting abortion further claim that women should choose whether to

raise a child or not. Raising a child needs an emotional, physical, social, and economic

commitment. When women are not ready to make the commitment, they should have abortions.

Unwanted pregnancies lead to poverty and many instances of child neglect. The government

would prevent such issues by allowing abortions.

To Lower the Number of Illegal Abortions

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There have been many arguments that women still have abortions despite the fact that it

is illegal. The abortions are dangerous and sometimes lead to numerous health complications.

The continued banning of abortion hence exposes many women to health risks. Abortion should

thus be legal in order to promote safer ways of doing it.

Arguments that Oppose the Abortion Policy

The first argument is that immediately after conception there is life. A child in the womb,

therefore, has the right to live. Other opponents of abortion also claim that legalizing abortion

would increase irresponsible behavior. Another argument against abortion is that it is dangerous

for a woman to have an abortion due to the numerous health risks.

Empirical Evidence Supporting and Opposing Abortion

Empirical Evidence Supporting Abortion

Illegal abortions continue to escalate over time (Sedgh, Finer, Bankole, Eilers & Singh,

2015). Such abortions put the lives of women at risk. More evidence illustrates that unplanned

pregnancies are some of the main causes of school dropouts and poverty. Allowing abortion

would thus reduce the rates of school dropouts and promote safe abortion measures.

Empirical Evidence against Abortion

The rates of irresponsible sexual activities have been rising everywhere in the world and

especially in the United States. Teenagers are aware that they can easily seek out abortions

whenever they get pregnant. Tightening the laws and policies against abortion is thus necessary.

Such laws will reduce the rates of careless sexual activities and lower the spread of sexually

transmitted infections.

Social Work Ethics and Values Supporting Abortion

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Several values and ethics support abortion. The first is value is freedom. People have the

liberty to make decisions affecting their lives. Another social value is equality. To achieve

equality, women should have the right to decide what is best for them.

The Social Values and Ethics Opposing Abortion

The first value opposing abortion is the right to life. Unborn babies are human and they

should not be killed simply because they are a liability to the mothers. Another important value

is accountability and responsibility. People should be accountable for their actions. When women

or teenagers engage in sexual activities and have babies, they should be accountable and thus

take care of the children.

Recommendations Based on the Analysis

I think that abortion should be made legal. Many teenagers and women are already

having abortions. The abortions are however risky and can easily lead to negative health impacts

or even deaths. Making abortion legal would, therefore, promote safe abortion measures that

reduce the risk of negative health impacts. Abortion should also be legal for the sake of teenagers

who get pregnant. These teenagers have no ability to take care of the children. Keeping the

pregnancies would also mean disrupting their academics. The best option for such teenagers is

therefore to have an abortion. There are pregnancies conceived without the consent of the

females involved. Such pregnancies may be because of rape or defilement. The government

should not force the victims of such actions to bear the burden by keeping the pregnancies.

In conclusion, many dilemmas face society today. One such dilemma is the contentious

issue of abortion. Some people maintain that abortion should be illegal. Others insist that

whether to have an abortion or not should be the decision of an individual. In addition, some

groups propose that government institutions and the law should regulate any application for an
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abortion. In such cases, courts and other relevant department have the mandate of allowing or

denying the right to abortion. I, however, think that abortion should be made legal. In making the

practice illegal, more women opt for unsafe and illegal abortion options that may have negative

health impacts.
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References

Chapter 3. (n.d.).Ethical dilemmas and decision-making framework. A Framework.

North, A. (n.d.). A detained 17-year-old immigrant wants an abortion. The government went to

court to stop her. Vox. Retrieved from

https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/19/16500166/texas-abortion-teenager-

undocumented-immigration

Gerstein, J. (n.d.). Teenage immigrant abortion case could be hurdle for Kavanaugh’s Supreme

Court bid. Politico. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/06/trump-

supreme-court-pick-kavanaugh-immigrant-abortion-teen-700856

Sedgh, G., Finer, L. B., Bankole, A., Eilers, M. A., & Singh, S. (2015). Adolescent pregnancy,

birth, and abortion rates across countries: levels and recent trends. Journal of Adolescent

Health, 56(2), 223-230.