Abortion Annotated Bibliography
abortion annotated
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date ABORTION ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 2
Cohen, J. (2018). The safety and Quality of Abortion Care in the United States. The National
In the article, Cohen (2017) asserts that the abortion debate has been one of the
contentious issues in society today. It presents both a moral dilemma and is also a legal issue,
which has contention in different nations. According to the author, the main question is on
whether “life begins at birth or at conception” (pg. 3). The society has been discussing the
beginning of life, which has given rise to both pro-life and prochoice movements. For pro-lifers,
“every life should be sanctified and every individual has the right to life” (pg. 7). Therefore,
every woman is bound by duty to ensure that they preserve life and do not choose abortion.
Using Kantian categorical imperative, it is evident that every person has the duty to preserve life.
One the other hand, pro-choice movements asserts that the woman is an individual with rights on
what to do with their bodies. The woman can choose to terminate abortion since the fetus is not
independent and depends entirely on her body. Pro-choice movements also argue that “every
person has the duty to act on the well-being of their lives” (p. 8). It becomes a contentious issue
as the individuals cannot agree on one area of the debate. Both have used Kant’s categorical
imperative to support their ideas on abortion and that they are bound by universal duty to act in
the way that they choose. It is not an obligation that a person has towards a specific choice,
whether to continue with the pregnancy or terminate it. Cohen (2017) argues that the contention
on whether to support abortion is left on women. However, law makers are also interested in the
debate and have been proposing specific restrictions, which may hinder access to safe abortion.
Endler, M. (2020). Telemedicine for Medical Abortion: A Systematic Review. BJOG 19(1).
https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.15802. ABORTION ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 3
Endler (2020) carries out a systematic review on the use of telemedicine and how it
relates to the abortion debate. Telemedicine involves the “use of modern technology to promote
healthcare service delivery” (p. 104). The article looks at how medical technology has been used
to promote specific ideologies for women in society on matters concerning abortion. The
problems that exist is that “telemedicine has not reached a high number of people in rural areas”
(p. 106). Different women have given ideas on how abortion has affected their lives through
sharing on mobile devices. Pro-lifers have used various platforms in healthcare to push their
arguments on the development of life. They can share the process of a baby’s growth from
embryo to the fetus before birth. “The information shared can be essential in influencing the
choice for women” as they can access data on abortion, its safety and quality (p. 111). Medical
abortion has also used telehealth services in carrying out safe abortions. Some of the services
that have been used include scans to show the baby’s growth process, ultrasound to determine
the position of the fetus before abortion as well as follow-up scans to show the health of the
womb. One the other hand, telehealth services have also been used to prevent cases of
miscarriage or accidental abortion. The doctors can use ultrasound services to determine the
growth of the fetus and view it as it changes from one level to another. Therefore, the use
telehealth is for both pro-lifers and pro-choice individuals in their ideologies for abortion. It is
necessary for both improving the fetus’ health as well as addressing different services. Telehealth
provides options for both pro-lifers and pro-choice movements in pushing their ideas through
Jensen, E. (2020). Preventing Unsafe Abortion: Evidence Brief. Policy Commons. Doi:
20.500.12592/xwg8r2+ ABORTION ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 4
Jansen (2020) carries out an evidence-based study on ways through which patient safety
can be addressed when carrying out an abortion. One of the things to consider is that “abortion
can critically harm the mother” especially in cases where it is carried out illegally (p. 114). In
such cases, the doctors can use unsupported methods of abortion since it is done without proper
reporting or supervision. The cases also leave mothers without any reporting mechanism if the
procedures goes wrong, which is common for illegal cases. When carrying out an abortion, the
article asserts that “it is essential to prevent both physical and psychological damage.” In cases
where abortion is legalized, women can access it in mainstream hospitals and they may have
counseling procedures to prevent cases of depression. Young and adults that undergo abortion
have “cases of anxiety and depression” (121). They tend to visit psychiatrists that especially
when faced with a fact that they terminated a possible life or they may not have children in the
future. When undergoing unsafe abortions, the women threaten their physical and mental
conditions. With legal abortion there “skills and medical standards” unsafe abortions “lead to
220 deaths per 100,000 individuals in the United States” (p. 122). It is therefore necessary to
reduce the rate of unsafe abortion. Pro-lifers assert that it is the duty of medical personnel to give
the best services available to all patients. Therefore, all patients undergoing abortion must
receive the best level of care where abortion is legal. One the other hand, pro-choice proponents
assert that it is upon regulatory bodies to reduce the cases of unsafe abortion. The legislators
should follow up pregnant mothers in cases where abortion is illegal to ensure that they do not
terminate the pregnancy prematurely. Using unsafe abortions as the reason to legalize it is not
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2019.08.002
Self-management asserts that there are thousands of individuals that choose to carry out abortion
and self-manage it. It can be done through taking medication to terminate the pregnancy at home.
Others can go along with the procedure in the hospital and opt from being hospitalized for home
recovery. The challenge is that “there is minimum benefit in self-regulation and management”
(102). One of the challenges is that women may have complications without access to a doctor. It
is a threat to their lives and has been influenced by other individuals. The ethical guidelines from
Kantian ethics state that “a person has the duty to protect their body from harm” (89). Therefore,
women can justify self-management of abortion for women. The ethical guideline also gives
women the duty to preserve life. Therefore, they may not carry out abortion since it will harm a
possible life. The duty ethics ensure that there is creation of universal laws that define human
life. The contention that it brings in the debate have continued being confusing for both
arguments. Each side attempts to justify its position by giving reasons why they chose the
position based on duty ethics. The main issue is that duty ethics may support arguments for both
sides. In self-management, women assert that” they are practicing their constitutional right of
making decisions without outside influence” (106). However, others assert that protection of life
is universal and abortion is similar to murder. it is an argument that needs further research before
Singh, S. (2017). Abortion Worldwide 2017: Uneven Progress and Unequal Access. Guttmacher
utm_source=Master%2BList&utm_campaign=
Singh (2017) looks at the facts of abortion up to 2017 and the progress made as well as
unequal access. As of 2014, there was an estimate that about 36 abortions occur per 100 women
every year especially for women between the ages of 15 and 44. There has been no significant
change in the numbers despite changing legislations about abortion in countries such as the
United States and other Western nations. People have been seen to “travel from one jurisdiction
to another to access the procedure in places where it is legalized” (93). The most restrictive areas
that have banned abortion tend to have more cases than in a place where it is legalized. One of
the main ways through which different legislations have been able to reduce cases of abortion
have been “offering sexual and reproductive education to teenagers” (111). It is more successful
than restricting abortion as seen in the studies presented in the article. The individuals that
procure abortion will do it even when there are restrictions on the procedures. Educating
adolescents on responsible behavior and contraception has been one of the ways through which
abortion can be reduced. Teenage and unplanned pregnancies are the two areas that increase the
prevalence of abortion. When addressing the issues, it is important to look into how “sex and
reproductive education has been done for adolescents. It can go a long way in reducing pro-
choice movements as well as supporting ideologies for pro-lifers” (102). It is necessary to ensure
that every individual is given the right to make choices on their lives, according to the article.
However, the choices are not essential for the individual. Each decision should be made by the
necessary ethics such as Kantian ethics. The ethical guideline shows the necessary duty that the
References
Cohen, J. (2018). The safety and Quality of Abortion Care in the United States. The National Academic
Press. Doi:10.17226/24950
https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.15802.
20.500.12592/xwg8r2+
Moseson, H. (2020). Self-Management Abortion: A Systematic Scoping Review. Best Practice &
