Ethics and Abortion

Contemplating the issue of abortion in a counselling setting has confronted my position regarding abortion, examined my values and challenged my ability to articulate them accurately. The result of the exercise is increased awareness of different aspects of the issue; spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally and sociologically. In addition, I gained great clarity of my values and a determination to journey with clients who are considering the issue of abortion.

This paper will present my Christian, ethical perspective towards abortion. It will begin by enumerating four of my values and my desired practice of supporting clients to explore alternatives to abortion. Subsequently, this paper presents how I might be able to professionally and ethically integrate my personal position within three relevant ethical frameworks in Australia; Christian Counsellors Association of Australia, Psychotherapy & Counseling Federation of Australia and Australian Association of Social Workers. Next, this paper will present considerations using ethical principles and four pros and cons, in the scenario where I consider continuing or terminating consultation. Finally, this paper will present Christian perspective, with scripture references, on abortion.

My personal values regarding abortion, are against abortion as ethically as possible. I endeavour to take into full consideration the circumstances of my client with the type of abortion she is contemplating; therapeutic, psychiatric, eugenic, social, ethical, or on demand (Ryrie, 1991). I am inclined to encourage and empower my client to take time to explore the alternatives and the consequences of abortion. My four values are, in no order of preference, respect for human life, respect for freedom of choice God has given us, human body is the temple of God, and I am called to show unconditional love to all around me.

The first value respect of life, refers to my view that the mother and the unborn child both have high value and need to be attended to with utmost care and respect. My view is that a mother can be empowered with resources and knowhow to do what is best for her and her baby, which contrast with that of pro-lifers and pro-choices, who do attribute equal value to mother and child, setting up competition for the rights of each. Instead, my desired practice will be to provide a safe environment in which the mother’s life is valued and empowered. I hope from that place of safety, the mother will then be able to hear the unborn’s voice and value.

I hold respect for the paradoxical freedom of choice God has given to every human being. “For you, brethren have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Gal 5:13) Other verses, 1 Cor 6:19, 1 Cor 8:9, 1 Cor 9:14-19, Gal 6:7-8 also illustrate this principle. I recognise that the mother holds immense power over the child’s life, be it; to allow the child to live, dedicate significant resources and changes in her life to facilitate the child’s growth, or bring the child into the world with the intention to give away and then live with the knowledge that she has a child somewhere in the world. I am aware that no matter what actions the mother decides to take, she will have to live and relive the decision she made for the rest of her life.

I value human bodies as the temple of God in which God’s spirit resides (1 Cor 6:12-20). By this I mean that I believe that abortion is harmful to the mother’s body, and without question destroys the unborn. Both the mother’s body and the unborn deserve care and concern, and perhaps I can help my client explore the health issues (physical and mental) involved in abortion.

I value the need to show unconditional love as a Christian has been called to (1 John 4:7-11). As a Christian, I am called to love as Christ loves. This to me is a love unconditional, beyond the behaviour of the client. Regardless of the course of action the client chooses, no matter whether I personally agree to or not, I am to love and attribute unconditional positive regard. As a counsellor I can do this by supporting the client in finding out different possible courses of action for the unwanted pregnancy and providing after care for as long as it is beneficial to the client.

As a counsellor, I agree and embrace the fundamental values of Counselling and Psychotherapy given by Christian Counsellors Association of Australia, Psychotherapy & Counseling Federation of Australia and Australian Association of Social Workers. The Psychotherapy & Counseling Federation of Australia specifically listed the following fundamental values of Counselling and Psychotherapy as their guideline for counselling practioners like myself:

Respecting human rights and dignity

Ensuring the integrity of practitioner-client relationships

Enhancing the quality of professional knowledge and its application

Alleviating symptoms of personal distress and suffering

Facilitating a sense of self that is meaningful to the person(s) concerned within their personal and cultural context

Increasing personal effectiveness

Enhancing the quality of relationships between people

Appreciating the variety of human experience and culture

Striving for the fair and adequate provision of Counselling and Psychotherapy services (2011, p.8)

I do not foresee any challenges to implement the above values in the case where my client is contemplating abortion or has decided to go ahead with abortion after consultation, even though I would perhaps feel disappointment (which I will have to take to my supervisor to process) as my values are against abortion and for empowerment of the client to deliver her baby.

However, in the scenario where I contemplate if I am unable to provide continued beneficial counselling for my client, I would refer to the five key ethical principles to formulate a decision that would be in the best interest of my client. Holly Forester-Miller and Thomas Davis (1996) represented five moral principles identified by Kitchener (1984); autonomy, justice, beneficence, non-maleficence, and fidelity. The following section will present the principles and how I intend to apply the principles to formulate a decision on whether I should continue to provide counselling services to my client.

Autonomy is my responsibility to my client to provide unconditional positive regard and a safe environment for her to explore her options. According to Holly Forester-Miller and Thomas Davis (1996), I have the moral responsibility to encourage my client to explore her values about abortion, how the society she is part of will view her in both cases, whether she aborts or decides to keep the baby and how her decision will affect others around her, including the unborn. In addition, I also have the moral responsibility as a counsellor to encourage her to exercise independence through making a rational decision.

I consider it unethical to sway my client to make a decision towards not having an abortion when my client is in state of distress and incapable of making a rational decision. It would be harmful to my client, and a con, if I insist on continuing the counselling without first seeking supervision and work through my personal issues. In cases where my client is in such a state, it would be of her best interest that I attend to her emotions and wait until she is calm before assisting her to explore her options about abortions.

Non-maleficience, considering the power I have over the client in the therapeutic relationship, I endeavour to exercise high caution in ensuring that I prevent harm from coming onto the client. I have to be careful that my position towards abortion does not come across as additional emotional burden for my client. It might be in the best interest of the client if I state my position at the beginning of the therapeutic relationship. I would seek ways to avoid client abandonment by exploring alternatives like working with another counsellor who is more objective about abortion issues, consulting my supervisor and being careful to clearly articulate that my decision to refer the client is not because of her.

The pro of revealing my position about abortion is that my client will be able to decide at an early stage if she can trust me to provide the best support possible for her needs. The con might be that I might be seen as swaying the client especially if she has been in a therapeutic relationship for a while. Then I might need to contemplate abandonment issues as stated above.

Beneficience, in the case of a client contemplating abortion, would look like collecting as much information as possible from relevant supporting organisations such as halfway houses, transitional programmes for pregnant and new mothers, government assistance, support groups etc. perhaps even setting up appointments for my client to explore her options (with her permission) if necessary. I am aware that some pro-life programmes may show gruesome videos of abortion, I see it as a personal responsibility to warn her of such and empower her to not view those videos unless she so desires.

The con of being proactive and collecting information is that I might incline towards too much prolife information and neglect exploring the positive consequences of abortion. I have a feeling that women contemplating abortion already see a lot of benefits to abortion and are perhaps seeking reasons why they should not? “No one wants an abortion as she wants an ice-cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal, caught in a trap, wants to gnaw off its own leg.” (Mathewes-Green, 1997, p. 11) I would be careful to explore this view with my colleagues and supervisors who have more experience, and make sure that this view does not get in the way of me being as effective as I can to my client.

Justice, is my duty to treat all my clients equally, being careful to ensure the appropriate care for minors or individuals with mental handicaps, which might not be the same amount in proportion to another client who is not a minor or mentally handicapped.

Fidelity, is my commitment to provide counselling support for my client in the best possible manner and to fulfil all the responsibility of a counsellor.

Other ethical principles (Diane, Perrin. 2013) include; confidentiality, finality, gratitude, ordering, publicity, reparation, respect for persons, universality, utility and veracity.

In this section, this paper will present the Christian perspective on abortion. Much of the views about abortion center around when life begins (Gary Collins, 2007), the Bible does not make clear indication on the commencement of life and how abortion is perceived (David Clark & Robert Rakestraw, 1996). Exodus 21:22-23 and Psalm 139:13 are some of the scriptures Charles Ryrie (1991) used to interpret Christian perspective on abortion, stating that God is against abortion. Norman Geisler (1989) listed the following biblical arguments for viewing the fetus as fully human and hence abortion is viewed as homicide, prohibited in Christian views;

Unborn babies are called “children”, the same word used of infants and young children (Luke 1:41, 44: 2:12, 16: Exod. 21:22) and sometimes even of adults (1 Kings 3:17).

The unborn are created by God (Ps 139:13) just as God created Adam and Eve in his image (Gen 1:27).

The life of the unborn is protected by the same punishment for injury or death (Exod. 21:22-23) as that of an adult (Gen. 9:6).

Christ was human (the God-man) from the point he was conceived in Mary’s womb (Matt. 1:20-21; Luke 1:26-27).

The image of God includes “male and female” (Gen. 1:27), but it is a scientific fact that maleness or femaleness (sex) is determined at the moment of conception.

Unborn children possess personal characteristics such as sin (Ps 51:5) and joy that are distinctive of humans.

Personal pronouns are used to describe unborn children (Jer. 1:5; Matt. 1:20-21) just as any other human being.

The unborn are said to be known intimately and personally by God as he would know any other person (Ps. 139:15-16, Jer. 1:5).

The unborn are even called by God before birth (Gen. 25:22-23: Judg. 13:2-7; Isa. 49:1, 5: Gal. 1:15). (p. 148)

Norman Geisler is of the opinion, through Scripture verses listed above, that God views an unborn as a person and therefore prohibits any harm unto unborn as He would to a person by any other definition.

In conclusion, Rom 14:19 and Rom 15:1 summarise my duty as a Christian counsellor. I am to “pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another” (Rom 14:19) and “…bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves”. I believe that in Christ, I am called to love and journey alongside my clients, at the same instance, I am grateful for the ethical principles and framework that provide the structures and guidelines for effective work.

References:

Australian Association of Social Workers. (2010). Code of ethics. Australia : Australian Association of Social Workers. Retrieved 18 July 2013, from http://www.aasw. asn.au /document/item/740

Christian Counsellors Association of Australia. (2012). Code of ethics. Retrieved 18 July 2013, http://www.ccaa.net.au/aust/documents /CCAA%20Code%20of%20Ethics.pdf

Clark, D. K. & Rakestraw, R. V. (Ed.). (1996). Readings in Christian ethics : Volume 2 Issues and applications. rlando, FL: Harcourt Brace. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House.

Collins, G. R. (2007). Christian Counselling : A comprehensive guide (3rd e.d.). USA: Thomas Nelson.

Geisler, N. L. (1989). Christian Ethics : Options and issues (pp.135-154). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House.

Holly, Forester-Miller. & Thomas, Davis. (1996). A Practitioner's Guide to Ethical Decision Making. Retrieved 5 September 2013, from http://www.counseling.org /docs/ethics/practitioners_guide.pdf?sfvrsn=2.

Perrin, D. (2013). SO251 Ethical Principles Powerpoint Topic 2. Brisbane: Christian Heritage College. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013, from http://chc. moodle.com.au/course/view.php?id=281

Psychotherapy & Counseling Federation of Australia. (2011). Code of ethics: The ethical framework for best practice in counselling and psychotherapy. Lutterworth, Leicestershire : British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP House. Retrieved 18 July 2013, http://www.pacfa.org.au /sitebuilder/aboutus/knowledge/asset/files/4/2012pacfacodeofethics.pdf

Ryrie, C. (1991). Biblical answers to contemporary issues (pp.79-86). Chicago: Moody Press.

The Holy Bible: New King James Version (1988). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible