Immanuel Kant’s ethics is one of the most widely taught deontological views. Kantian ethics may be the subject of a separate series, but for this paper it will focus on the morality and immorality of abortion as part of an attempt to understand human morality. Is it morally right or unethical to ponder the implications of our actions? Read on to see how some of our favorite philosophers respond to these topics. Well, Kantianism, the school of thought established by 18th century German philosopher Immanuel Kant, is quite basic. Kantianism is based on following the moral code. There is no moral philosophy that demands the killing of an innocent person.

Literature review

Since the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion as a medical treatment thirty-eight years ago, the issue of abortion has sparked various social and political disputes. In this heightened current environment, it would be reasonable to analyze the moral application of Immanuel Kant’s philosophy, which was developed by one of the finest minds of the eighteenth century, to the ongoing morality discussion over abortion. Setting the debate over the morality and immorality of abortion within a Kantian ethics framework allows one to move away from the sometimes incendiary pro-choice and anti-abortion debate points and into a profound, logical, philosophical study of such a contentious issue. Kant’s ethical theory on abortion’s immorality emphasizes that everyone is equipped with some feeling of dignity and respect (Marquis, D. 2007).

According to Kant’s thesis, all human behaviors and activities are carried out solely because they are seen to be the correct and acceptable thing to do. Furthermore, people’s attitudes and activities are judged based on their moral acceptability rather than any other criteria. In light of the fact that killing another person is prohibited, Kant would argue that abortion is unquestionably immoral (Marquis, 2007). Although, many Kantian agents would agree that abortion is ethically immoral since it takes the life of a rational being. Many people believe that a woman’s autonomy in making decisions about her body part outweighs an unborn child’s right to life.

Although Kant never directly talked about abortion, his rules are a guide to establish moral claims. Human life must be respected. Because the fetus in the womb moves and has a life, it can be considered a human. According to him the fetus has a future because every human being has a future. They will be able to do anything in life. The fetus has a bright future ahead of him. If you destroy the fetus, you are robbing it of its future and opportunity to do anything. Killing is never a good idea. It is immoral and unethical to abort a fetus for no good reason.

The Philosophy of Immanuel Kant and the Argument against Abortion In today’s culture and abortion is a hotly discussed subject. Abortion is something that happens on a daily basis. Although Kant claims that terminating a pregnancy before the birth of a child is unethical. Kant would be adamantly opposed to abortion in at least some, if not all, situations. If we believe that the fetus is a true human person which it most certainly is at later stages of development, it has a reasoning character and must thus be treated as an aim in itself. It is forbidden to terminate it since doing so is treating it as a means. In other words abortion results in an unjust death. However what if the mother’s life is in risk? What if the baby was undesired and the mother was raped? (Varden, 2012)

Kant would likely say that the mother has a moral duty to herself to sacrifice her life rather than abort the fetus, but she could never be forced into doing so. In more difficult circumstances, such as when aborting the fetus is necessary to save the mother’s life. Kant said the mother has no right to sacrifice her own life for the fetus and therefore termed the act as immoral (Varden, 2012). It is even more difficult to judge in circumstances where the mother’s life is not in risk. You could argue that by choosing to terminate the pregnancy, she is attacking it, and in that scenario, abortion would be legal. If that is not the case, he will probably argue it’s ethically bad, but it’s not permissible to pressure them into not doing it. Although fetus are innocent, when the mother’s life it at risk and the only option to save her is abortion then it is moral to abort in that case. Kant claims that murdering the fetus because the mother was raped is unacceptable. As previously said, murdering an innocent person is unethical. There are many additional factors to consider. When a person reaches adulthood, they will realize that the manner he or she was born was due to rape. That is not morally right. Also, killing would be wrong because who knows w