RESISTING MOTHERHOOD

REEVALUATING ABORTION ETHICS IN LIGHT OF ARTIFICIAL UTERUSES

Resumo

Abortion remains one of the most contentious issues in reproductive ethics, affecting domains from women's rights to healthcare and criminal law. This paper explores the ethical landscape of abortion, particularly focusing on the implications of artificial uteruses for traditional abortion debates. The advent of artificial uteruses, which will allow fetal development outside the womb, challenges conventional pro-abortion and anti-abortion arguments. By critically analysing various positions on fetal personhood and the moral permissibility of abortion, this study aims to construct a robust pro-abortion argument. It argues that the core issue in the abortion debate is not solely the moral status of the fetus but rather the societal expectations placed on women to become mothers. The thematic relevance of this study is justified by the ongoing debates over abortion rights and the rapid advancements in reproductive technologies. As artificial uteruses become a viable option, they could fundamentally alter the arguments for and against abortion. The aims of this research are threefold: (1) to critically examine both pro-abortion and anti-abortion arguments in the context of artificial uterus technology, (2) to determine whether traditional pro-abortion arguments such as those based on bodily autonomy can justify abortion, and (3) to explore what argument, if any, can defend the right to abortion as the death of the fetus in light of artificial uteruses. The methodology employed in this research combines normative ethical analysis with feminist critique. The study involves a review of existing literature on abortion ethics, including both traditional and contemporary arguments. It also incorporates feminist perspectives on motherhood and reproductive rights, aiming to provide a comprehensive analysis that accounts for the potential impacts of artificial uterus technology on women’s rights. The initial hypothesis asserts that the availability of artificial uteruses will challenge traditional abortion arguments by providing an alternative to terminating pregnancies. However, this exploration let to the conclusion that bodily autonomy is not the only objective of abortion; rather, it encompasses the termination of the fetus. Consequently, the use of artificial uteruses cannot serve as a replacement for abortion. This leads to the conclusion that pro-abortion arguments based solely on bodily autonomy are insufficient to fully uphold the right to abortion and do not fully explain its true nature. Although artificial uteruses represent a significant technological advance, they do not address the ethical complexities surrounding abortion. Consequently, a re-evaluation of reproductive rights is required to ensure that women's autonomy and freedom from enforced motherhood remain paramount. The paper puts forth a new argument that abortion should be regarded as a woman's right to reject motherhood, a socially constructed role that is the foundation of women's oppression. Thus, it concludes that the right to abortion is based on the ethical right to resist oppression.