#Justice ethical principle abortion how to
#Justice ethical principle abortion code

In the U.S., restrictive abortion laws in some states, like Texas, have complicated care for miscarriages and high-risk pregnancies, putting pregnant people’s lives at risk. In Poland, for example, doctors fearing prosecution have hesitated to administer cancer treatments during pregnancy or remove a fetus after a pregnant person’s water breaks early in the pregnancy, before the fetus is viable. Minimizing the risk of harm figures prominently in the World Health Organization’s opposition to bans on abortion because people facing barriers to abortion often resort to unsafe methods, which represent a leading cause of avoidable maternal deaths and morbidities world-wide.Īlthough 97% of unsafe abortions occur in developing countries, developed countries that have narrowed abortion access have produced unintended harms. Together, these principles emphasize doing more good than harm. Nonmaleficence is often paired with a principle of beneficence, a duty to benefit patients. It demands medically competent care that minimizes risks. The ethical principle of “do no harm” forbids intentionally harming or injuring a patient. Balancing these competing claims remains contentious. Later in pregnancy, however, rights attributed to the fetus may assume greater weight. In the U.S., where 92.7% of abortions occur at or before 13 weeks’ gestation, a pregnant person’s rights may often outweigh those attributed to the fetus. In this view, a late-stage fetus has more interest in its future than a fertilized egg, and therefore the later in pregnancy an abortion takes place, the more it may hinder the fetus’s developing interests.

One way to reconcile these views is to say that as an immature human being becomes “ increasingly self-conscious, rational and autonomous it is harmed to an increasing degree,” as philosopher Jeff McMahan writes. Some regard a pregnant person as “ two patients”-the pregnant person and the fetus.

#Justice ethical principle abortion how to

According to one interpretation of this view, the principle of autonomy means that a person owns their body and should be free to decide what happens in and to it.Ībortion opponents do not necessarily challenge the soundness of respecting people’s autonomy, but may disagree about how to interpret this principle. Some bioethicists regard respect for autonomy as lending firm support to the right to choose abortion, arguing that if a pregnant person wishes to end their pregnancy, the state should not interfere.

#Justice ethical principle abortion code

The American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics recognizes a patient’s right to “ receive information and ask questions about recommended treatments” in order to “make well-considered decisions about care.” Respect for autonomy is enshrined in laws governing informed consent, which protect patients’ right to know the medical options available and make an informed voluntary decision. The ethical principle of autonomy states that patients are entitled to make decisions about their own medical care when able. Today, they are essential guides for many doctors and ethicists in challenging medical cases. These principles were first developed during the 1970s to guide research involving human subjects. Bioethical approaches to abortion often appeal to four principles: respect patients’ autonomy nonmaleficence, or “do no harm” beneficence, or provide beneficial care and justice.