“Ethical issues of teenage abortion (social abortion)”

Download file to see previous pagesConsidering the dual goals of protecting society and the best interests of the teenager, facilitating access to safe abortion and providing support to the teenager who chooses this option appears to be the best approach. When teenage abortion is debated on the basis of biomedical ethics, it is found that the ethical applications in this context are completely different from those applied in the case of adults. Autonomy denotes the right of “a reasonable and competent person, who has been given appropriate and complete information — to make his or her own decisions” (Klugman and Dudding, 2004).

In the case of teenagers, a troubling question regarding autonomy is whether the pregnant girl is capable of understanding all the relevant medical information and weighing the risks involved in opting for an abortion. It is generally accepted that the teenager may be short-sighted and give undue importance to physical appearance, has not yet developed a permanent set of values, is more rooted in the present with no clear-cut perception of the future and lacks the cumulative experience which facilitates making correct choices (Dubler, Special Decision Making Concerns of Minors).

Autonomy is linked with respect for the confidentiality of the teenager. The U.K. Department of Health issued a revised guidance to doctors and health care professionals in July 2004, emphasizing the teenagers’ right to confidential sexual guidance and abortion. In the case of abortion, if the teenager “cannot be persuaded to involve a parent, every effort should be made to help them find another adult to provide support,” but her refusal to involve anyone else must be respected. While its’ detractors claim that teenagers are emotionally and physically ill-equipped to deal with the situation, supporters welcome the recognition of the health professionals