AN ETHICAL QUESTIONDR. P. SPINAZZE

There have been many situations in my student and professional life as a doctor in the public health care system of South Africa that have raised ethical questions.

It is difficult to define one such incident as being of the greatest complexity, as I believe that all ethical questions are complex and there are many within the healthcare sector. However, a situation which I found most ethically challenging was one which involved abortion.

The beliefs around abortion instilled in me by my Catholic faith, combined with my family upbringing, indicated one irrevocable conclusion: abortion is wrong.

This is an easy statement to make when one is not directly involved with the process and associated decisions.

Becoming a doctor placed me in a position where I would often encounter this major ethical issue first-hand. I have been forced to consider the personal and socio-economic issues around abortion, as opposed to making an ethical judgement from a distance.

ABORTION

A lapse in judgment, a simple mistake,

Too young to know, a sudden rape.

The spark that sets the womb alive

The home to yours, you give a life.

A life not asked to spend its time,

Not weeks but months, all of nine.

She lies awake, night by night,Confused, alone, in this her

plight.People would judge behind

closed doors,They’d call her a witch, call her

a whore.Too young, too dumb to raise

herself,How could she care for someone

else?

No ring, no money, no one to help,

Too early yet for movements felt.

She had no options left to choose

Adoption one she would not use.

Now the question left to voice,Pro-life or pro-choice?

By Pier Spinazze

ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR 2012 – STREET CHILD

Abortion will always be a controversial issue. My stance is neither pro- life nor pro-choice, but a balance between the two. I believe advocating for pro-choice may instill a level of carelessness, but a blind adherence to a pro-life approach fails to take into account the mother and her circumstances.

ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR 2012 – STREET CHILD

My background originally led me to think that there was little room for debate. As a doctor, however, I am forced to consider the potential alternatives denying someone the right to an abortion promotes. Street-side abortions, maternal and fetal death, and “street kids”.

The Solution

Thankfully I have not been faced with many cases presenting with this ethical dilemma as my time in

gynaecology was brief.

There is no right or wrong answer and my approach to each situation was different and patient specific. My

primary responsibility is to the mother and where her health was directly

jeopardized by the pregnancy I offered her the choice to abort. In other cases

where I felt uncomfortable with the circumstances or reasoning I referred

the patient to another doctor.

Thank YouThank You