The stakeholders who would be affected by abortion would be the woman, the father (depending on the situation), the womans family, friends, and the doctor and nurses involved in the procedure. When faced with the decision of an abortion, from unindended pregnancy, the decisions are often talked about and discussed with the women and her husband, the girl and her mother and sometimes family and friends. Therefore, they would all be affected somehow. If the pregnacny is unwanted, the woman’s freedom could be impacted. Depending on the friends and families views and values of abortion, conflict could be created between their relationships. If a doctor is working in an aboriton ward of a hospital, you would think that his beliefs and values would be of an aborition supporter. Even though this may be, he could still be affected by continuous prodedures of abortion.
Someone who belives the values of utilitarianism, would first ask whether having an abortion brings about the greatest good. There is no single view of abortion among utilitarians. There are different ways that ‘the greatest good’ can be viewed by a utlitarian. The argument that the woman herself has the right to choose to have an aboriton or not, is not supported by utilitarianism. If a woman was to chose aboriton because of financial, or for work reasons, it would be deemd as wrong. Some fundamental views held by a utlitarian, are that there is no absolute value placed on human life, the consequences of an action should be weighed up to determine whether it should take place or not and whatever the action that takes place needs to benefit the maximum number of people involved. If a utilitarian woman was to become unexpectedly pregnant, it then seems that she should get an abortion.
Situation ethics used to see aboriton as an act of evil. The views have changed and ‘the only thing good in itself is love, and we may be required to push our principles aside and do the right thing’. If a woman has been raped and ends up pregnant, an abortion could be seen as an act of love, and not as a negative response. A woman shouldn’t be forced to bring up and care for a child, if it was an unwanted pregnacny, especially from a sitution such as rape. It would not be fair on the mother, as the rest of her life would be impacted. It also wouldn’t be fair for the child as it would live a very difficult life if the mother is either unprepared or too young for motherhood. Personally I believe that depending on the situation, abortion should be legal and not looked at as an evil act.