amounts to zero. On this perspective, the interests of the actual
people involved matter, and among these interests, we also need
to consider the interests of the mother who might suffer
psychological distress from giving her child up for adoption.
Birthmothers are often reported to experience serious psycho-
logical problems due to the inability to elaborate their loss and
to cope with their grief.
10
It is true that grief and sense of loss
may accompany both abortion and after-birth abortion as well
as adoption, but we cannot assume that for the birthmother the
latter is the least traumatic. For example, ‘those who grieve
a death must accept the irreversibility of the loss, but natural
mothers often dream that their child will return to them. This
makes it difficult to accept the reality of the loss because they
can never be quite sure whether or not it is irreversible’.
11
We are not suggesting that these are definitive reasons against
adoption as a valid alternative to after-birth abortion. Much
depends on circumstances and psychological reactions. What we
are suggesting is that, if interests of actual people should prevail,
then after-birth abortion should be considered a permissible
option for women who would be damaged by giving up their
newborns for adoption.
CONCLUSIONS
If criteria such as the costs (social, psychological, economic) for
the potential parents are good enough reasons for having an
abortion even when the fetus is healthy, if the moral status of
the newborn is the same as that of the infant and if neither has
any moral value by virtue of being a potential person, then the
same reasons which justify abortion should also justify the
killing of the potential person when it is at the stage of
a newborn.
Two considerations need to be added.
First, we do not put forward any claim about the moment
at which after-birth abortion would no longer be permissible, and
we do not think that in fact more than a few days would be
necessary for doctors to detect any abnormality in the child. In
cases where the after-birth abortion were requested for non-
medical reasons, we do not suggest any threshold, as it depends on
the neurological development of newborns, which is something
neurologists and psychologists would be able to assess.
Second, we do not claim that after-birth abortions are good
alternatives to abortion. Abortions at an early stage are the best
option, for both psychological and physical reasons. However, if
a disease has not been detected during the pregnancy, if some-
thing went wrong during the delivery, or if economical, social or
psychological circumstances change such that taking care of the
offspring becomes an unbearable burden on someone, then
people should be given the chance of not being forced to do
something they cannot afford.
Acknowledgements We would like to thank Professor Sergio Bartolommei,
University of Pisa, who read an early draft of this paper and gave us very helpful
amounts to zero. On this perspective, the interests of the actualpeople involved matter, and among these interests, we also needto consider the interests of the mother who might sufferpsychological distress from giving her child up for adoption.Birthmothers are often reported to experience serious psycho-logical problems due to the inability to elaborate their loss andto cope with their grief.10It is true that grief and sense of lossmay accompany both abortion and after-birth abortion as wellas adoption, but we cannot assume that for the birthmother thelatter is the least traumatic. For example, ‘those who grievea death must accept the irreversibility of the loss, but naturalmothers often dream that their child will return to them. Thismakes it difficult to accept the reality of the loss because theycan never be quite sure whether or not it is irreversible’.11We are not suggesting that these are definitive reasons againstadoption as a valid alternative to after-birth abortion. Muchdepends on circumstances and psychological reactions. What weare suggesting is that, if interests of actual people should prevail,then after-birth abortion should be considered a permissibleoption for women who would be damaged by giving up theirnewborns for adoption.CONCLUSIONSIf criteria such as the costs (social, psychological, economic) forthe potential parents are good enough reasons for having anabortion even when the fetus is healthy, if the moral status ofthe newborn is the same as that of the infant and if neither hasany moral value by virtue of being a potential person, then thesame reasons which justify abortion should also justify thekilling of the potential person when it is at the stage ofa newborn.Two considerations need to be added.First, we do not put forward any claim about the momentat which after-birth abortion would no longer be permissible, andwe do not think that in fact more than a few days would benecessary for doctors to detect any abnormality in the child. Incases where the after-birth abortion were requested for non-medical reasons, we do not suggest any threshold, as it depends onthe neurological development of newborns, which is somethingneurologists and psychologists would be able to assess.Second, we do not claim that after-birth abortions are goodalternatives to abortion. Abortions at an early stage are the bestoption, for both psychological and physical reasons. However, ifa disease has not been detected during the pregnancy, if some-thing went wrong during the delivery, or if economical, social orpsychological circumstances change such that taking care of theoffspring becomes an unbearable burden on someone, thenpeople should be given the chance of not being forced to dosomething they cannot afford.Acknowledgements We would like to thank Professor Sergio Bartolommei,University of Pisa, who read an early draft of this paper and gave us very helpful
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