Half-abortion vs. Selective reduction

Title: Half-abortion vs. Selective reduction
Date: 28 November 2011
Class: Theory of Knowledge
Category: In Class

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            In class, we were assigned to read from a selection of articles on an ethical issue. I read an article regarding the issue of abortion written by Ruth Padawer. It presented an anecdote of a 45-year-old woman named Jenny, who had artificially created twins. She stated that because she did not have them naturally, she didn’t have a big problem with having an abortion of one child. Personally, I found her response to the issue quite ironic. She had stated that she had for a large period of time, tried to consume a baby through this artificial manner. Jenny’s reasoning for her decision seems to be based on emotions. She used her emotion of fear and worry of not being able to raise the second child as well as she would like to, due to her lack of financial resources. [Emotion as a WOK] Nevertheless, as I read the article, I felt that she should have been grateful for both lives that she was given, rather than being overwhelmed by having twins. By having this abortion, she is in a way, wasting a valued egg from the egg donor. Is it fair for Jenny to have this abortion when the egg donor may not be able to have children anymore? Is Jenny responsible for having and raising the children that the donor was supposed to have, or is this claim unfair? In having this abortion, how does the doctor choose which child to erase? Does the mother have any say in this? Would it even matter? Is Jenny’s reasoning enough to justify her erasing another child’s life? Is it fair for the child to have his/her mother determine whether he/she will live or die? [Knowledge Issues/Wondering]