An abortion is “the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus.” Abortions can be spontaneous or induced by deliberate medical or other intervention; abortions that are not induced by deliberate intervention are called spontaneous abortions or miscarriages.[1]
Abortion is a less-discussed cause in the effective altruism community. Some effective altruists support reducing abortions (whether spontaneous or induced) as a cause area on the grounds that:
Unborn children (embryos or fetuses) are moral patients or will be in the near future.
Abortions occur in large numbers – there were 200 million spontaneous abortions and 73 million induced abortions in 2019, outnumbering all-cause deaths of already-born humans in the same year (58 million).[2]
The interests of unborn children are neglected, similar to non-human animals and future people in general.
Effective altruists may also draw attention to the suffering experienced by fetuses due to late-term abortions.
This tag is for discussion of abortion as a cause area and as an issue that affects members of the effective altruism community.
Related entries
less-discussed causes | moral patienthood | person-affecting views | population ethics
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“Abortion.” Wikipedia, 26 March 2024. Accessed 26 March 2024.
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Simnegar, Ariel. “A Case for Voluntary Abortion Reduction.” EA Forum, 20 December 2022. Accessed 26 March 2024.