Abortion

My personal opinion is that abortion of babies with disabilities should be of the choice of the parents. In my belief, it is useless to coerce a person into a certain action if the person himself is not a willing party. It is meaningless for a couple to continue with the pregnancy and give birth to the child in the end if they do not want to take care of the child and shower love on the child. In the end, it brings burden on the parents and personal misery on the child.

As Teo states, children with disabilities are a financial and emotional burden on the family. I do agree that such children would require special care and attention and accordingly, the costs of raising the child would also be higher. However, to take such a stand as the author, "It made me wonder why anyone would make a decision to carry such a pregnancy through"(last sentence), is seemingly too dismissive of the child's right to live despite disabilities. Such special attention could be a burden to some but it could also be a sacrifice that loving parents are willing to give for their children. It is definitely welcome if parents are willing to shower love on their disabled children and enjoy the process of bringing them up but we should be equally sympathetic of parents who choose to abort such children. Firstly, people often argue that organisations and the government itself will provide financial help and support, but are they able to provide 24-hour non-stop commitment to aid in the healthy growth of the child? Ultimately, it all boils down to the willingness of the parent to shoulder the responsibility willingly. It would be a tragedy if the child is abused and used as a tool for venting one's temper on if the parents are forced to carry on with the delivery.

Both Seto and Ser think that every foetus is a person and that we should not discriminate against foetuses with disabilities.

As John Stott, a famous theologian, once put it, 'the foetus is not a growth in the mother's body (which can be removed as readily as her tonsils or appendix), nor even a potential human being, but a human life who, though not yet mature, has the potentiality to grow into the fullness of the humanity he already possesses'. (paragraph 6 from Seto Hann Hoi)

Such a statement is usually a guiding principle behind the arguments of anti-abortion advocates. Moreover, many religions believe that 'ensoulment' begins from the moment of conception. So abortion is actually a form of murder, an act of violence and evil against a fellow human being. Abortion is a gruesome procedure which is revolting to many but this should not be the only reason why it is condemned. Americans introduced lethal injection so that the person who is killed does not appear in pain and evoke the sympathies and protests of the majority of the Americans. But it is equally tormenting, rupturing the lungs of the prisoner and causing the prisoner to die without expressing pain(because some chemical numbs all expression). It is important to just realise that it is inherently wrong to carry out abortion not because it is disgusting(as would the reactions of some people be when they see videos on abortion procedures).

I do agree with Ser that "[how] disabled a person is depends on how responsive the environ-ment is towards his needs too." On this note, governments should do more to strengthen their infrastructure to make their environment disabled-friendly as well. With the provision of more emotional and financial support and improvement of infrastructure, then will the argument that children with disabilities should not be aborted have a stronger basis.

Although abortion is a morally abhorrent option, sometimes it is necessary. However, instead of imposing strict regulations against abortion, let the misery suffered after abortion be a form of retribution to those who make rash decisions and view abortion as a solution to any problems.

The following statistics explores post-abortion mentalities of women in general: Even some post-abortion women who became pregnant as a result of rape or incest report that the abortion made them feel further violated. Of the other 99% of post-abortion women, many report that instead of feeling free or happy after the abortion, they feel burdened with guilt and loss.

The whopping 99% of these women show that abortion in fact brings serious moral repercussions for them later on, so it is a form of punishment in itself. However, the harm to the baby has already been done, advocates of anti-abortion laws may argue. What i think is, in time to come, more people will realise the demerits of abortion, and not as an easy solution to end unwanted pregnancies. Through understanding the harrowing experiences of others, our society will mature at the same time. Also, medical science advancements will further help to salvage situations. Maybe with the increased focus on therapeutic cloning and stem-cell research, disabilities could even be cured before the baby is delivered. The after-effects of abortion are usually very tormenting for the people involved as well, so we should not adopt a stand that condems all of them. Let us not condemn people based on our own strong personal opinion.