It is a womans right to choose the option of an abortion if the foetus

is known to have an abnormality.

ASHLEY PLATT-YR11-LSG24

ETHICAL FRAMWORK
Utilitarianism is the belief, summarised and adapted by John Stuart
Mill from Jeremy Bentham that Actions are right to the degree that
they tend to promote the greatest good for the greatest
number (Kay, 1997). Bentham constituted the greatest good as the
tendency to augment or diminish happiness or pleasure and the
greatest number was determined to include all who were affected by
the action (Kay, 1997).

THE ISSUE
Technology is now available that allows for the screening of
abnormalities in a foetus, an issue that arises from this is whether a
mother should then have the right to an abortion. Currently, abortion is
legislated across Australia and amendments are continuing to be made
to the original ruling from 1969, allowing an abortion to protect the
health of the mother (Atkins et al. 2014, p. 223). Current abnormality
screenings are offered to mothers during their first and second
trimesters. Blood tests and ultrasounds are used to measure the
amount of hormones in the mothers bloods to indicate the risk of
abnormalities (Govt. of Western Australia, 2011). At the initial
introduction of abortion legislation in Australia motherhood was still
seen as an expectation not a choice. Although times and opinions have
changed discussions around abortion still rarely recognise the authority
women should have over their bodies(Atkins et al. 2014, p. 224). One
extreme view of abortion is the belief that a foetus is a person with legal
and moral rights and therefore, based on the sanctity of life, their life
should not be taken except to prevent a greater evil(Atkins et al. 2014,
p. 225). A foetus can also be viewed as entirely part of a woman's body
and therefore subject to her autonomous control (Atkins et al. 2014, p.
225).

Figure 1

SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy, international abortion can
occur though either a surgical procedure or by administration of
medication (SA Health, 2016). Two medications are administered to
cause the mother to miscarry; mifepristone and misoprostol.
Mifepristone changes the lining of the uterus by stopping the action of
the hormone progesterone and the misoprostol assists in the expulsion
of the foetal tissue (SA Health, 2016). A first trimester surgical abortion
is performed up to 12 weeks gestation and uses suction to remove the
foetal tissue from the uterus (Uffalussy, 2016). A longer gestation time
(up to 24 weeks) requires dilation and evacuation, the use of surgical
tools, to perform the abortion (SA Health, 2016).
Chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome and neural tube
defects can now be detected through screening procedures (Govt. of
Western Australia, 2011). Discovering an increased risk of these
abnormalities may cause the mother to consider an abortion due to
the risk of miscarriage and death. Abnormalities are detected through
the analysis of a blood sample testing for concentration of the
hormones B-hCG and PAPP-A, changes during pregnancy may indicate
a chromosomal abnormality (Govt. of Western Australia, 2011).

STAKEHOLDERS

MANAGEMENT PLAN
Utilitarianism is, in theory, a simple decision making ethical framework;
consider the amount of people affected and choose the solution that
will have the best outcome for the most people. However there can be
differing opinions on how to apply the framework; in this case there can
and will be conflict on how many people the choice of an abortion will
affect. Should the decision include just the mother and her child or the
extended family as well? I believe that the final decision should only
take into consideration the mother and father and the child itself. For
example if the foetus is known to have Trisomy 18, and therefore may
not survive the pregnancy or die shortly thereafter, this will significantly
affect the wellbeing of the parents and the health of the foetus. Using
the ethical framework of utilitarianism the decision of an abortion can
be made knowing that this decision will, eventually, produce the
greatest good for the greatest number.

IMPACTS
Laws are created in order to protect those in need however at the same time
they actually exclude others. In this case the law excludes the father of the
foetus from the decision making process, leaving him unprotected by the
law. The law as it stands acknowledges the foetus as an extension of the
mothers body and therefore the decision to have an abortion is solely hers,
however two people have contributed to creating the foetus. This is where
the greatest impact lies, on the individuals deciding whether or not to have
an abortion.

Ultimately the mother will be affected most greatly by the decision to

have an abortion, these impacts are recognised by the government
and in some states there are compulsory therapy sessions for the
mother (Atkins et al. 2014, p. 227-228). Repercussions of the decision
will also affect the mothers family as she may seek help and support
from them through the decision making process. The government has
the power to influence the final decision of the mother as they put in
place laws and amendments that decide who can have an abortion
under certain circumstances and gestation times.

Figure 2: Fan abortion during the early stages of gestation, the foetal tissues is
removed using the curettage after dilating the cervix (Embracing Options, 2014)