A very interesting article was recently published online. We strongly recommend reading the whole piece called “On Abortion in the Context of Malta: a Medical Doctor’s Perspective”. Below, you can read a part on moral aspect of abortion.
On the Moral Aspect of Abortion
People consider abortion as morally right or wrong primarily on the basis of the value they attribute to the entity in utero and whether they regard this as a person or not. Importantly, this is completely based on the individual’s personal reasoning or moral beliefs developed in the context of social values and predominant attitudes. For this reason, arguing that all the major political parties and the majority of people in Malta have a certain set of moral beliefs against abortion, and we should therefore not discuss this agenda, is a very unfair argument.
There is no place for self-perceived moral superiority in a healthy society. It is quite arrogant, intolerant and undesirable for humanity at large for anyone to say that their moral values are definitely right and those of others are definitely wrong or that established values are necessarily right. This is because there is no indisputable reliable measure to determine who of us is right or wrong about what is morally right (‘good’) or morally wrong (‘bad’).
It is quite arrogant, intolerant and undesirable for humanity at large for anyone to say that their moral values are definitely right and those of others are definitely wrong or that established values are necessarily right.
Nonetheless, we aim for a society where we can all live together harmoniously and try to minimise any cause of social stress. This necessitates tolerance and respect for others’ moral values, and it is what being pro-choice is ultimately about.
I feel obliged at this point to make it clear that medical doctors are no more equipped than anyone else to decide what is morally right or wrong. Nobody is, and this is why nobody should decide for anyone else. It remains an individual personal matter, and therefore the patient’s choice should be autonomous and respected by all doctors in every circumstance. This includes a patient’s choice to have or not to have chemotherapy for cancer, a Jehovah’s witness’ choice to have or not to have a blood transfusion… and the choice to have or not to have an abortion.
The pro-choice stance respects the views of all conscious beings, allowing all individuals to decide for themselves. Conversely, the anti-choice stance (opposing the legalisation of abortion) simply disregards those who have no moral objection to having it done, and in so doing it does not respect or tolerate their moral values. Therefore, it is extremely important to differentiate between being anti-abortion at an individual level and being anti-legalising-abortion (anti-choice), a distinction that is often overlooked. It is perfectly reasonable and respectable for individuals who would never have an abortion themselves to be pro-choice.
Author of the text and illustration : Gilberto Gravino
