Inequitable right claims of unequals? The abortion conundrum

Abstract

The present venture tries to bring out the moral contours of the abortion conundrums. It is a controversy that requires the efforts of scientists, legal luminaries, religious leaders and moral experts. In this paper, the author tries to show that at the core of the debate lies specific ethical concerns which pose formidable challenges before legal connoisseurs and others. It indicates that undue rights claim of either side are fraught with difficulties. Hence, utmost caution should be exercised while dealing with such an extremely sensitive issue. Citing many lawsuits and their verdicts, the author shows that though pro-choicers put forward many convincing arguments in favour of their stand, the pro-lifers' ideas work like a safety valve. Thus, we need to create a balance as, with time, the debate is assuming new character due to the ever-increasing sharpness in our analytical approach and tremendous medical advancement. The author adopts a positivistic tenor by holding that intense discussion by all stakeholders can help us to arrive at a stand which will, on the one hand, address the concern of pregnant women who want to abort the foetus for various reasons and also manage our disquiet about an unborn foetus.