A. Dr. Williams is correct. The priority is the real, known, verifiable life of the mother, not the potential, dependent life she is carrying, that may not be a human being. Particularly in the first trimester, an embryo looks more like a tadpole than a human. It is hard to call it a human life. It is completely dependent and unaware of itself, and it cannot feel pain. Protect the mother. Discourage abortion, certainly. But ethically, abortion is on solid ground.
B. I agree with Dr. Meadows. We have to err on the side of caution, and that means from an ethical standpoint, abortion is never right. In cases where the mother’s life is clearly at stake, make an exception. Beyond that, none. The idea that a woman’s circumstance should alter ethics is absurd. If she is not in a position to have a child, she shouldn’t have sex. Her indiscretion doesn’t make her decision to kill a child ethical.
C. I understand this is a complex issue, but I am in favor of an unborn child’s right to life. That said, I am also in favor of protecting the rights of the mother. Ideally, we wouldn’t have to discuss abortions because no one would have them. But many reasons exist for a woman to have an abortion, and without that option, a woman is put in a dangerous situation in which her body is not wholly her own, and she must suffer more for her actions than a male partner. And giving the child up for adoption isn’t really a solution. We already have too many children who need homes and a foster system rife for horror stories. If it were me, I would choose life. But this is not an ideal world, and not everyone is in the position I am fortunate enough to be in.
D. Although we cannot ignore the plight of the mother, we also have an obligation to protect the unborn child’s rights. That child cannot fend for itself. Dependency does not make the child less human. Many adults are wholly dependent on others for a wide variety of reasons, and certainly children, after they are born, are still dependent in most everyway for continued life. I accept the legality of abortion because I have to. That doesn’t make it ethical. However, I am also in favor of sex education and teaching safe sex, which can lead to fewer abortions. I even understand exceptions such as rape, as the act is destructive to the psyche even without a pregnancy. Bringing a child of rape to term could be too much for some to bear, and I value the mother’s quality of life even if I would also mourn the death of the unborn child. There are no easy answers, but I favor the unborn child’s life at every turn, and make exceptions only when I must choose the lesser of two evils.