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British and American common law traditionally prohibited abortion
only after quickening (when the mother feels fetal movements).
But after the U.S.
Civil War, states began absolutely prohibiting
abortion, based primarily on medical concerns. Then in 1973,
U.S. abortion law was dramatically changed by the Supreme Court's
decision in Roe v. Wade; states now could not
prohibit abortion until the third trimester of pregnancy,
and restrictive regulations were allowed only in the second
trimester.
History
has known various laws and mores about life's beginning, often
related to the society's code of sexual behavior. Today's moral
debate on abortion pits autonomy (or personal liberty)
against the duty not to harm others. Also involved are
various understanding of ensoulment -- that is, how a
new person comes into being. Much depends on the importance
and distinctiveness of the many changes from a potential
to an actual, fully human life. These stages include insemination,
combination of DNA, womb implant, appearance of human physical
features, fetal movement, response to stimulus, quickening,
viability (potential to live outside the womb), birth, speaking,
and using reason.
Euthanasia
means "good or peaceful death"; however, it may also be a form
of suicide or killing, where morality depends
heavily on motive. Passive euthanasia (a.k.a. "letting
die")., includes refusing treatment for oneself and withholding
life support for others. Active euthanasia -- a direct,
positive act of mercy killing - is forbidden by virtually all
ethical codes, though many defend it as a merciful alternative
to a lingering, agonizing, fatal illness.
Physicians
have potentially conflicting obligations to perserve life
and to relieve pain; patients increasingly have taken
responsibility for medical decisions based on informed consent.
Courts have repeatedly affirmed a patient's right to refuse
treatment, based on the right to privacy and the right
to liberty.
With
life-extending technologies, the distinction between ordinary
and "extraordinary" treatment usually is based either
on custom, cost, complexity, or the ratio of benefits
to burdens from the patient's point of view. But "rights"
to such care can be very costly; if a patient cannot pay, is
it a "right" to demand or expect payment from others?
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