ABSTRACT
Debates surrounding abortion are always complex. The chapter begins by asking what is entailed in women’s right to an abortion. Abortion rights:
affirm women’s autonomy
are part of broader reproductive freedoms
sit alongside social responsibilities.
However, a woman’s right to choose an abortion threatens a foetus’s right to life. A feminist perspective on abortion responds to this ethical dilemma by incorporating:women’s autonomous decision-making
the moral significance of pregnancy, a foetus and birth
the pregnant woman’s physical, psychological, spiritual, economic and family circumstances.
The chapter shows how restrictive legislation leads to unsafe practices or women travelling elsewhere to procure an abortion. The idea of an abortion spectrum with varying degrees of moral responsibility is tested. A central aim of the chapter is to demonstrate how abortion can be recast from a conflict of rights to a concern with responsible caring. Rights and responsibilities are interdependent.