Abortion Dilemma Essay

Jessica Nicolosi

CWV - 101

April 30, 2017

David Farbishel

Abortion Dilemma Essay

Society faces ethical dilemmas daily. The way a decision is made on how to handle the dilemma is influenced by our worldview and what we have come to believe. The steps that were taken to get there and our reactions to it once in the situation occurs, will also further shape our worldview or change it. In this paper, I will attempt to explain abortion in regards to my personal worldview and the Christian worldview, and compare it to how others may resolve the situation if they were in the same dilemma.

Ethical Dilemma

The ethical dilemma that I am going to be discussing is a woman named Susan who finally becomes pregnant after years of trying runs into an issue with the pregnancy. Unfortunately, a blood test confirms that her baby has Down syndrome, and her doctors suggest she abort the fetus. She decides to consult others on the different options that she may have. For Susan, it is going to be difficult to make an ethical decision because she has a successful career and wants to maintain a healthy balance between her career and family, yet she feels very uncomfortable with the idea of abortion. The dilemma does not state what worldview Susan has. The first option that Susan would have for resolving the scenario would be to abort the baby. The ethical decision in this scenario would be aborting the child which is seen as taboo in the eyes of society and wrong in the words of the Bible in regard to the Christian worldview. This may mean that it also ends any potential suffering the child may have regarding having Down Syndrome. The second option that Susan would have for resolving the dilemma would be to stay the course of the pregnancy and keep the baby. This option would force Susan to not only be a parent to the baby, but also a caretaker as a child with Down Syndrome requires more attention. This may also mean that the child goes through life potentially suffering from the Downs Syndrome.

Core Beliefs

A core belief in the Christian Worldview is that no matter the situation, abortion is wrong. Exodus 21:22-25 states “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. (ESV) This clearly shows that God considers an unborn baby to be as human as a full-grown adult. These commitments of Christian influence can make someone keep the baby no matter what the situation because the Bible views it as being wrong in God’s eyes.

Resolution

The Christian worldview thing to do in Susan’s situation would be for Susan to keep the child regardless of any difficulties the baby may have. In the Christian worldview, a person should not seek out other options on what to do with the unborn child. The person should be thankful that they have been given the gift of life in the form of the child. The best course of action for a Christian would be to keep the child and raise it with just as much love as they would a child that does not have Down Syndrome. Another option she has is adoption. Adoption commands our attention because of the enormous number of people who have a direct, intimate connection to it— some experts put the number as high as six out of every ten Americans. (Carp, 2017).

Evaluation

Because of Susan keeping the child, the balance that she wanted to keep between both her family and career may be slightly altered and seen as an unintended consequence. She may have to spend more time away from home and make lots of trips for physical therapy. One of the perceived benefits would be that she gets to spend more time with the child, creating a stronger bond between herself and the baby and as a family. She may also gain more compassion towards others who are in the same situation and a stronger connection to Jesus through discipleship. According to Hiles and Smith (2014), “Discipleship is the process of following Jesus Christ and moving into Christian maturity by imitating Jesus’ example and implementing his teaching in a community of believers, in relationship with Jesus himself, and by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (para 9)