MirandaGavin

The role of religion is worth considering in this debate and the tension between the aims of religion and those of secularism.
Can they coexist?
Does the state have a duty to uphold certain moral values and principles? If yes, how? And what are these morals and ethical viewpoints based on and who do they serve?
If questions surrounding abortion are also tied to, for example, dominant religious beliefs in patriarchal societies, at what point does a govt have the right and authority to intervene on behalf of an individual, in this case a woman?
Women have had to fight for reproductive rights so that they can control decisions that relate to their body: these rights are vital if women are to be part of an open and equal society. For example, in Ireland until recently (2015) there was an almost total ban on abortion which was repealed in a referendum.
When discussing the abortion question, the argument often comes down to ethical considerations regarding a woman's human right to have control over her own body and her choice to terminate a pregnancy versus the moral rights of the embryo. In countries where abortion is legal under certain circumstances, it is also important to consider the relationship between the medical establishment and the state as medical associations etc help regulate medical and surgical treatments and influence law.
A further ethical consideration which influences state intervention is: at what stage of development is an embryo considered to be a sentient human being with a moral status and rights? If it is believed that a fetus is a human being, with rights which are to be protected from the moment of conception, then abortion is seen as murder.