Showing posts with label Pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pregnancy. Show all posts

Thursday 13 January 2022

5 Essential Remedies for Depression


The first thing to recognize when speaking of depression and the different treatments for it, is that there are different types of depression. Each of these types might require a different treatment, in order to alleviate symptoms and cure the disease. Depression and suicide are very much connected to each other. Often patients who try to commit suicide are diagnosed with some form of depression or mental disorder like trauma.

 

A major event in a person’s life can result in ‘reactive depression’. This is when a person physically and psychologically reacts to a problem in an extreme way. Post-traumatic stress disorder is an example; this can result in a cycle of negative symptoms. 

 

Talking therapy is a very good way of treating depression of this type. The therapy could be with a counselor or a psychologist. It could be in a group setting or it could be one on one. Additionally, an anti-depressant might be prescribed. 

 

A chemical imbalance in the body can result in what is called ‘endogenous depression.’ Talking therapies are required, but this form of depression is a lot harder to treat than reactive depression. In the first instance your doctor might prescribe a number of different anti-depressants. This will help bring you to the point of feeling sufficiently motivated to take part in counseling sessions.  

 

Another form of depression is post-natal depression. If the mother wishes to continue breast feeding throughout the treatment it can be difficult, the medication would then be transferred to the baby through the mother’s milk. Depending on how severe the depression is, the mother might be admitted to a clinic, providing there is a mother and baby unit. When treating this form of depression, it is best to keep the mother and baby together so that their bonding process continues.

 

These days something that is used is ECT (electro-compulsive therapy) this is only be used as a last resort after a patient has been on at least three different anti-depressant medications without results. 

 

In order to increase the chances of treatments being successful, lifestyle changes must be made. It is advised that a balanced diet and abstaining from drinking alcohol will help the recovery process during treatment. 

 

Acknowledging depression and seeking treatment does prevent suicide. Educating people in a positive way as well as providing useful information about mental disorders and health issues is important. 

 

The above-mentioned methods are the most common ways to medically treat patients suffering from depression. However, aside from these, there is also a host of alternative therapies available. 

 

Medication, counseling groups and psychology, ECT and of course a change in of lifestyle are all methods which can help to speed up the recovery of someone suffering from depression. 



7 Techniques to Help a Person Suffering from Depression


The following are seven ways to help a person who is suffering from depression. 


  • Providing company will help distract any depressive thoughts. You should encourage the individual to talk to you, and you in turn should listen attentively. Help that person to develop more social contacts as and involve them in your daily activities. Establish an effective role in helping them. Try not to reprimand them. You should remind that person of the realities of life, but also offer encouragement. You should seek professional advice if you find that this is becoming too difficult for you. 
  • A very important part of the recovery process is helping the patient to find treatment. The treatment should be continued until the symptoms have improved. If you do not see any improvement after a certain type of treatment, it is best to try another kind.
  • Another thing which can speed up the recovery of the patient is emotional support. You must display patience, understanding, encouragement and affection. Nevertheless, make sure that you do not demand too much from them. Doing so could cause them to lapse back into depression.
  • If the patient seems to be lapsing back into depression, there could be changes that indicate an increase in the levels of depression. The best way to help someone who is depressed is to encourage them to continue seeking treatment. 
  • 5 Someone who is depressed appreciates your help, although they may not say so. This is why you should not distance yourself from the individual as it could cause them to feel isolated and cause disintegration in their social system.
  • You must try to motivate the patient; this will help reduce feelings of hopelessness. Often people suffering from depression find it hard to visit with a therapist and follow a set routine. You should try to help the person make lifestyle changes such as eating healthier foods, or developing an exercise routine.
  • It might be necessary to accompany the patient in his/her therapy sessions in order to help them maintain a routine.
  • Depression therapy from a psychiatrist/psychologist is important. It will help the patient to understand where their psychological problems are coming from, and also help them to resolve these problems. A psychiatrist or psychologist knows which kind of therapy will be effective in helping the individual. 

 

Finally, a good tip is to ask the person suffering from depression what they would enjoy doing. Maybe you could do things that make you happy or that make you laugh. Even if it is only for a short while, it will go a long way in helping them. 

 

Once again, remember that it is possible for people to recover from depression. In addition, they go on to lead happy worthwhile lives. Do not be afraid to seek help.



Monday 6 December 2021

Cellulite Treatment Methods


There are very few people who have cellulite free bodies, and for some who do have cellulite, they are able to hide it well. However, there are many people who are unhappy with their body image and want to do something about it. Sure, everyone wants to be able to find the perfect miracle cure, one that’s free of pain, quick, and removes all that unsightly cellulite. 

 

There isn’t really any such cure, but there are ways to help alleviate some of the problem. With new technology and extensive research, new products and procedures are available today that can help to reduce cellulite’s appearance, improve the tone of your skin, and also possibly help you shed an inch or two.

 

The first cellulite treatment available is called advanced keymodule endermologie. Considered to be an anti-cellulite treatment, AKE will supposedly help to smooth your skin while giving you a slimmer figure.

 

During this cellulite treatment you will be given special, stretchy, cotton clothing to wear. After you put it on, cylindrical rollers will then be placed on your skin and gently rolled over your body. It isn’t considered to be a painful treatment, in fact, it has been said that the suction effect actually feels like a wonderful massage. 

 

AKE’s idea is that the process helps to restructure your skin’s connective tissues, while stimulating your blood and lymph circulation and helping to eliminate any toxins. It is also said to trigger your body’s regular process for eliminating excess fat to help tone, firm, and smooth your skin.

 

The process is inexpensive and monthly sessions are usually suggested in order to maintain any results.

 

The next cellulite treatment is called vacunaut, or vacuum therapy. This process, developed by a sports scientist in Austria, supposedly promises to rid you of the excess fat around your stomach known as a spare tire. It also claims to be the only process found in the world that is able to achieve very effective, and just about effortless, abdominal workout.

 

During this treatment you will have to wear a suit specially designed for the procedure, while walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes. The machine is controlled by computerized pumps that change internal pressure, forcing your blood directly to the fatty tissue surrounding your stomach. 

 

The blood will absorb the fat that surround your stomach, using it to help power your muscles. In addition, this fat-enriched blood will be steadily moved over and over again to your working muscles.

 

The downfall to this procedure is that anyone with medical conditions such as those that are related to the heart, circulatory, or metabolic, are not able to use this machine. Also, it takes several months to see an improvement, and it works best when used together with a healthy diet.

 

The last of the cellulite treatments is the ionithermic body treatment. This process claims to be perfect for any person who has successfully lost weight, but still help toning and firming.

 

During this treatment, you will receive a body scrub as well as a pressure point massage. Any area that needs to be treated will be covered with thermal clay, as well as essential oils and pads, that emit a rhythmic electrical pulse.

 

IBT will work the areas by using a gentle action the combines faradic and galvanic stimuli, while also using the thermal clay and natural ingredients that are biologically active.

 

This treatment claims to promote the loss of inches, fat reduction, and also firming and toning your body.



Causes Of Stretch Marks


Stretch marks are fine lines of thin stretched tissue that may appear on the body, often during rapid weight gain or pregnancy. Naturally, our skin is very flexible. However, during rapid growth, the production of collagen is disrupted (collagen is a protein found in our skin that makes up most of the connective tissue giving it a smooth texture). This leads to reddish lines on your skin with a rough texture that will eventually turn greyish or white before fading. Stretch marks can affect both men and women, however, they are more prevalent in women, especially during pregnancy.

 

Apart from pregnancy, often times people who are obese, people how have excess amounts of body fat, or even body builders can both develop stretch marks as a result of the rapid bodily changes that occur. Heredity can also play a role in the development of stretch marks. Some people are naturally born with dry skin that is less elastic than that of other people. In these instances, it will require less body change in a short period of time to develop stretch marks. Also, many steroids which are taken through contact with the skin can cause stretch marks in one’s body. 

 

Stretch marks will eventually fade over time, although they will never naturally be removed from your skin. There are a few medical operations and products that you can use to help remove the stretch marks from your body, ranging from surgery to a variety of creams available which claim to help remove stretch marks. These operations and creams are very expensive and most of them are not very good or dangerous, so it is best to help reduce your chances of developing stretch marks in the first place.

 

This can be done by insuring that you are drinking a sufficient amount of water daily. It is also important not too drink excessive amounts of caffeine found in coffee, soda, and other drinks, as caffeine will help weaken the dermis, the layer of skin which gives it elasticity. Research has also shown that a healthy balanced diet helps reduce the chances of stretch marks.

 

Make sure that your diet includes protein rich food such as eggs, chicken, turkey, fish, milk, yogurt, and other dairy products. Zinc rich foods such as fish, as well as foods rich in vitamins will also help. A proper intake of fruits, vegetables, dairy and grain foods can all help reduce your chances of developing stretch marks.

 

Stretch Marks are a truly unfortunate condition. It is best that you make all attempts at avoiding them if possible. Try to be sure to maintain a healthy balanced diet and have a sufficient intake of water. There are certain times in your life where the chances of stretch marks are high and it is not feasible to avoid these because of circumstances, such as pregnancy. In these cases talk to a dermatologist (skin doctor) to determine what treatment is best for you if they do develop on your skin.



Can You Gender Test Your Unborn Child?


With only a few drops of your maternal blood you can find out if baby’s sex is male or female. And you can do it as early as five weeks after conception with the newest technology in the area.

 

The technology has been tested for the last 14 years - and it works! I am amazed that it is possible. When I was pregnant the last time I got the test - which was very easy to understand and perform. The result came within less than 48 hours, and my husband and I was very happy to learn that I was carrying a baby girl. Our two sons were delighted about their baby sister to come. When the baby girl was born, we had made everything ready for her. No worries about getting pink or blue clothes.

 

The test is done with cutting-edge, patent-pending technology to attain the earliest gender detection with unprecedented sensitivity and unsurpassed accuracy.

 

The technique traces the amount of active genetic foetal chromosomal DNA in the maternal blood to determine gender. It is proven, well-documented scientific fact that your baby releases its DNA into your blood plasma. In a lab it is possible to determine foetus-originated-specific chromosome sequence detected in the maternal blood stream.

 

If there is foetus-originated Y-specific chromosome sequence detected in your blood, you are currently carrying at least one baby boy.

 

If foetus-originated X-specific chromosome sequence is detected in your blood, you are currently carrying at least one baby girl.

 

If there is a substantial amount foetus-originated Y-specific chromosome sequence detectable in your sample, indicating that you are carrying at least one baby boy and there is a substantial amount of foetus-originated X-specific chromosome sequence detected in your blood, indicating that you are carrying at least one baby girl. Then you are currently carrying at least one baby girl and boy at this time.



Burn Baby Burn: Getting Rid Of Your Baby Fat (After Pregnancy)


One of the joys of conceiving becomes quite obvious as the months go by, and that’s showing off your bulging baby bump, a trend being made ever so popular by Hollywood’s hottest expecting leading ladies.

 

But, unless you're one of the Hollywood hotties, you may not be able to shed that baby bump so quickly after delivery. In fact, if you’re over 25 and certainly over 30, losing the baby weight may seem like a losing battle. 

 

Not only has our body packed on the pounds during pregnancy, but along with age, comes a natural tendency to favor fat and gain weight. Once a certain fat level is reached and maintained for an undetermined but specific amount of time, the body accepts this (level) as normal and works at conserving it.

 

So, as you start to purge those extra pounds, other physiological systems kick and foster.

 

Re-gain. Hormones and neurotransmitters that control your activity level, your hunger level and how you metabolize food are also affected in ways that encourage fat to make its way back.

 

But, experts assert that there is hope, it just may take more time and conscious effort. And, they add, that it should be viewed and treated as a lifestyle change, and not a ‘temporary’ diet plan geared at simply shedding some extra pounds.

 

Among the key factors to dropping the weight and keeping it off is the amount of exercise you do over the long haul. Experts suggest a few times a week if possible, but even that may not be enough. In fact, the ideal amount would amount to about 30 minutes per day, even if it’s done at intervals, which is also a great way to help you not only maintain a healthy weight, but stay healthy as well.

 

Furthermore, studies show that losing weight and keeping it off may mean up to 60 to 90 minutes of moderate exercise daily (for most), and they again suggest breaking it into intervals. You can also incorporate exercise into daily activities such as walking instead of driving, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. And, they caution those who are or may be out of shape to start off slow and take it easy and build up gradually.

 

Overall they suggest sticking within your (daily) calorie and exercise range and finding a program that’s practical and easy for you to commit and stick to. And they suggest making small, achievable goals that will enable you to see results, which will in turn be a motivation for you to continue on your successful path.



Breastfeeding 101: Find The Perfect Breast Pump For You


Breast feeding is said to be the best nutritional choice for feeding your new new-born baby, but it also has proven health benefits for moms as well. You can lose that pregnancy weight quicker by breastfeeding because it burns extra calories and lowers your body fat content - without exercise! Breastfeeding also releases a hormone called oxytocin which will cause your uterus to contract and return to its normal size more rapidly. It reduces the amount of postpartum bleeding and also improves the storage of minerals in your bones which lowers the risk of osteoporosis. Breast feeding can also help in preventing ovarian and breast cancers. And of course, it’s a wonderful way to bond with your new baby.

 

So if you are a new mom, or mom-to-be who has chosen breast feeding instead of the prepared formula method, you are probably interested in using a breast pump. Breast pumps are especially great for moms who work outside the home or who can’t be available at every feeding time for their new-born. They come in several designs and the two options for usage are either manual or electric.

 

As in most situations, there are pros and cons each method. Following are some details on these two types of breast pumps to help you make an informed decision and prepare before you buy - or rent.

 

Manual pumps are preferred by lots of new moms who say that they appreciate the convenient size. They are simple to use because you control the suction manually. Hand pumps are also more affordable, lighter and quieter than electric pumps, and many new mothers say it is a more natural feeling - closer to how it feels when the baby is feeding directly from your breast. 

 

For busier and working moms, an electric pump might be a better choice than the manual kind because they are much faster at pumping and some models even have the option to pump both breasts at the same time. 

 

Breast pumps are widely available for purchase and you might also like to know that many hospitals offer the option of renting a top-of-line model directly from them. You’ll have to estimate the cost per day in comparison to the price you would pay if you purchased your own though to make sure that it will work out for you financially.

 

Being a new mom can have its share of challenges, so be nice to yourself and look for a breast pump that best suits your lifestyle. By comparison shopping online or polling some moms who have been though the experience, you’ll save yourself both time and effort that you’ll be able to share instead with your new bundle of joy.



Are You Aware That You Suffer From Endometriosis?


Women often suffer from endometriosis that leads innumerable reproductive problems and painful infections.

 

Many women suffer from painful heavy, irregular flow in different form of reproductive disorders is a sign of endometriosis. You may face pain from the onset of your menstrual cycle and shall end after the lapse of the menstrual cycle. The problem here is that this sends most of the women with endometriosis to their doctors with chronic pain in their pelvis.

 

Other possible signs of endometriosis include diarrhoea and painful bowel movements during the menstrual cycle. However the only symptom may be the tenderness of the abdomen most of the times in any particular spot. 

 

Endometriosis is most commonly related to the menstrual cycle however it is not cancerous in about 95 percent5 of cases. In endometriosis, a layer of tissue that lines the uterus normally thickens with blood, shreds through the vagina as the menstrual period arrives. However, this tissue is found outside the uterus attached to or embedded in the body tissues. 

 

In such condition, fragments of endometrial tissue appears almost anywhere in the body except within the ‘uterus’. Most often, the ovaries, fallopian tubes between the ovaries and uterus, the vagina and the uterine wall followed by the abdomen, intestine, bladder, and kidney is the most affected. In some rare cases endometrial tissue is even found in the lungs, skin, surgical scars, certain nerves, the brain and the lymphatic system. 

 

It develops outside the uterus and appears to be normal and stimulated by the oestrogen hormone continues to perform its normal function selling to accept a fertilized egg, disintegrating when conception does not occur and sloughing off in preparation for the next cycle. During each menstrual cycle, the tissue bleeds just as the endometrial does. The trouble here is that the tissue is longer in the uterus where it belongs but anywhere else in the body. The bloody debris formed by the breakdown of the misplaced tissue has no way to escape. These tissues when accumulate produces irritation, inflammation and pain that could continue period after period. If left unchecked, the bleeding may create scar tissue that could even spread through the pelvis, twisting and attaching organs to each other thereby interfering with their proper function, filling the entire cavity and later producing a tumour like mass. 

 

For more information, visit our recommended website www.womensreproductivehealth.info.



Advice On Buying Maternity Wear


Just because you are 8 months pregnant with a stomach out to there, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t still care about your appearance. In fact, when you’re feeling hormonal and down in the dumps, a good shopping trip for stylish maternity wear may be exactly what you need.

 

General advice

 

The first instinct pregnant mothers have when shopping is to go directly for something that is large and baggy. Please avoid this as maternity clothing that is layered or has bold prints or horizontal stripes will only make you seem bigger. Everyone knows that black is slimming so if you want to appear smaller, go for maternity clothing in one solid colour. Don’t compromise your style. If you find maternity clothing too plain, try going to plus size stores or shop at your usual haunts but buy a bigger size. This will allow you to go for styles that you would normally have preferred pre-pregnancy.

 

Maternity wear budget

 

Be careful with your budget though, as you have to remember you won’t be that big for that long! If you want to save money, borrow other people’s maternity clothing. Most mothers’ keep their maternity clothing in case of future pregnancies or as a keepsake and they’ll probably be happy to let their used maternity clothing be used by you. Or, you could try yard sales or consignment shops for a good bargain.

 

Shoes

 

If you are well into your pregnancy, you don’t want to buy high heels. Flat shoes or flip flops are the best way to go. If you must have heels in your shoe, try kitten heels as they are not that high and will be comfortable to wear.

 

Maternity formal wear

 

The best kind of formal wear won’t hide your shape. Be proud of your new pregnant shape and show it off. Formal wear for expectant mothers can be found in suits or dresses. The most common colours are black or midnight blue as it is one solid colour that is slimming to all shapes. The best maternity dresses are empire cut, which means it is cut right under the bust, to provide maximum room for movement of your growing belly. Maternity suits are also alternative and very flattering to those who are four to five months pregnant.

 

Maternity swim wear

 

If you are only four to six months pregnant, you can probably get away with going to plus sized stores and purchasing larger swimsuits as maternity swim wear. In this way, you will get a greater range of swim wear to choose from without having to change your style. Maternity swim wear is not readily available all year round so make sure to head straight to your favourite maternity clothing store when the sun comes out if you’re planning a tropical holiday during the winter.

 

Whatever your shape or size, you are bound to find maternity wear for any occasion! Don’t just stick to the boring styles you often see in maternity stores; be inventive when mixing and matching to create your own maternity wear style!

 


Abortion and the Right to Life


Abortion and the Social Contract

 

See the Appendix - Arguments from the Right to Life

 

The issue of abortion is emotionally loaded and this often makes for poor, not thoroughly thought out arguments. The questions: "Is abortion immoral" and "Is abortion a murder" are often confused. The pregnancy (and the resulting foetus) are discussed in terms normally reserved to natural catastrophes (force majeure). At times, the embryo is compared to cancer, a thief, or an invader: after all, they are both growths, clusters of cells. The difference, of course, is that no one contracts cancer willingly (except, to some extent, smokers - but, then they gamble, not contract).

 

When a woman engages in voluntary sex, does not use contraceptives and gets pregnant - one can say that she signed a contract with her foetus. A contract entails the demonstrated existence of a reasonably (and reasonable) free will. If the fulfilment of the obligations in a contract between individuals could be life-threatening - it is fair and safe to assume that no rational free will was involved. No reasonable person would sign or enter such a contract with another person (though most people would sign such contracts with society).

 

Judith Jarvis Thomson argued convincingly ("A Defence of Abortion") that pregnancies that are the result of forced sex (rape being a special case) or which are life threatening should or could, morally, be terminated. Using the transactional language: the contract was not entered to willingly or reasonably and, therefore, is null and void. Any actions which are intended to terminate it and to annul its consequences should be legally and morally permissible.

 

The same goes for a contract which was entered into against the express will of one of the parties and despite all the reasonable measures that the unwilling party adopted to prevent it.  If a mother uses contraceptives in a manner intended to prevent pregnancy, it is as good as saying: "I do not want to sign this contract, I am doing my reasonable best not to sign it, if it is signed - it is contrary to my express will". There is little legal (or moral) doubt that such a contract should be voided.

 

Much more serious problems arise when we study the other party to these implicit agreements: the embryo. To start with, it lacks consciousness (in the sense that is needed for signing an enforceable and valid contract). Can a contract be valid even if one of the "signatories" lacks this sine qua non trait? In the absence of consciousness, there is little point in talking about free will (or rights which depend on sentience). So, is the contract not a contract at all? Does it not reflect the intentions of the parties?

 

The answer is in the negative. The contract between a mother and her foetus is derived from the larger Social Contract. Society - through its apparatuses - stands for the embryo the same way that it represents minors, the mentally retarded, and the insane. Society steps in - and has the recognized right and moral obligation to do so - whenever the powers of the parties to a contract (implicit or explicit) are not balanced. It protects small citizens from big monopolies, the physically weak from the thug, the tiny opposition from the mighty administration, the barely surviving radio station from the claws of the devouring state mechanism. It also has the right and obligation to intervene, intercede and represent the unconscious: this is why euthanasia is absolutely forbidden without the consent of the dying person. There is not much difference between the embryo and the comatose.

 

A typical contract states the rights of the parties. It assumes the existence of parties which are "moral personhoods" or "morally significant persons" - in other words, persons who are holders of rights and can demand from us to respect these rights. Contracts explicitly elaborate some of these rights and leaves others unmentioned because of the presumed existence of the Social Contract. The typical contract assumes that there is a social contract which applies to the parties to the contract and which is universally known and, therefore, implicitly incorporated in every contract. Thus, an explicit contract can deal with the property rights of a certain person, while neglecting to mention that person's rights to life, to free speech, to the enjoyment the fruits of his lawful property and, in general to a happy life.

 

There is little debate that the Mother is a morally significant person and that she is a rights-holder. All born humans are and, more so, all adults above a certain age. But what about the unborn foetus?

 

One approach is that the embryo has no rights until certain conditions are met and only upon their fulfilment is he transformed into a morally significant person ("moral agent"). Opinions differ as to what are the conditions. Rationality, or a morally meaningful and valued life are some of the oft cited criteria. The fallaciousness of this argument is easy to demonstrate: children are irrational - is this a licence to commit infanticide?

 

A second approach says that a person has the right to life because it desires it.

 

But then what about chronic depressives who wish to die - do we have the right to terminate their miserable lives?  The good part of life (and, therefore, the differential and meaningful test) is in the experience itself - not in the desire to experience.

 

Another variant says that a person has the right to life because once his life is terminated - his experiences cease. So, how should we judge the right to life of someone who constantly endures bad experiences (and, as a result, harbors a death wish)? Should he better be "terminated"?

 

Having reviewed the above arguments and counter-arguments, Don Marquis goes on (in "Why Abortion is Immoral", 1989) to offer a sharper and more comprehensive criterion: terminating a life is morally wrong because a person has a future filled with value and meaning, similar to ours.

 

But the whole debate is unnecessary. There is no conflict between the rights of the mother and those of her foetus because there is never a conflict between parties to an agreement. By signing an agreement, the mother gave up some of her rights and limited the others. This is normal practice in contracts: they represent compromises, the optimization (and not the maximization)  of the parties' rights and wishes. The rights of the foetus are an inseparable part of the contract which the mother signed voluntarily and reasonably. They are derived from the mother's behaviour. Getting willingly pregnant (or assuming the risk of getting pregnant by not using contraceptives reasonably) - is the behaviour which validates and ratifies a contract between her and the foetus. Many contracts are by behaviour, rather than by a signed piece of paper. Numerous contracts are verbal or behavioural. These contracts, though implicit, are as binding as any of their written, more explicit, brethren. Legally (and morally) the situation is crystal clear: the mother signed some of her rights away in this contract. Even if she regrets it - she cannot claim her rights back by annulling the contract unilaterally. No contract can be annulled this way - the consent of both parties is required. Many times we realize that we have entered a bad contract, but there is nothing much that we can do about it. These are the rules of the game.

 

Thus the two remaining questions: (a) can this specific contract (pregnancy) be annulled and, if so (b) in which circumstances - can be easily settled using modern contract law. Yes, a contract can be annulled and voided if signed under duress, involuntarily, by incompetent persons (e.g., the insane), or if one of the parties made a reasonable and full scale attempt to prevent its signature, thus expressing its clear will not to sign the contract. It is also terminated or voided if it would be unreasonable to expect one of the parties to see it through. Rape, contraception failure, life threatening situations are all such cases.

 

This could be argued against by saying that, in the case of economic hardship, f or instance, the damage to the mother's future is certain. True, her value- filled, meaningful future is granted - but so is the detrimental effect that the fetus will have on it, once born. This certainty cannot be balanced by the UNCERTAIN value-filled future life of the embryo. Always, preferring an uncertain good to a certain evil is morally wrong.  But surely this is a quantitative matter - not a qualitative one. Certain, limited aspects of the rest of the mother's life will be adversely effected (and can be ameliorated by society's helping hand and intervention) if she does have the baby. The decision not to have it is both qualitatively and qualitatively different. It is to deprive the unborn of all the aspects of all his future life - in which he might well have experienced happiness, values, and meaning.

 

The questions whether the foetus is a Being or a growth of cells, conscious in any manner, or utterly unconscious, able to value his life and to want them - are all but irrelevant. He has the potential to lead a happy, meaningful, value-filled life, similar to ours, very much as a one minute old baby does. The contract between him and his mother is a service provision contract. She provides him with goods and services that he requires in order to materialize his potential. It sounds very much like many other human contracts. And this contract continue well after pregnancy has ended and birth given.

 

Consider education: children do not appreciate its importance or value its potential - still, it is enforced upon them because we, who are capable of those feats, want them to have the tools that they will need in order to develop their potential. In this and many other respects, the human pregnancy continues well into the fourth year of life (physiologically it continues in to the second year of life - see "Born Alien"). Should the location of the pregnancy (in uterus, in vivo) determine its future? If a mother has the right to abort at will, why should the mother be denied her right to terminate the " pregnancy" AFTER the foetus emerges and the pregnancy continues OUTSIDE her womb? Even after birth, the woman's body is the main source of food to the baby and, in any case, she has to endure physical hardship to raise the child. Why not extend the woman's ownership of her body and right to it further in time and space to the post-natal period?

 

Contracts to provide goods and services (always at a personal cost to the provider) are the commonest of contracts. We open a business. We sell a software application, we publish a book - we engage in helping others to materialize their potential. We should always do so willingly and reasonably - otherwise the contracts that we sign will be null and void. But to deny anyone his capacity to materialize his potential and the goods and services that he needs to do so - after a valid contract was entered into - is immoral. To refuse to provide a service or to condition it provision (Mother: " I will provide the goods and services that I agreed to provide to this foetus under this contract only if and when I benefit from such provision") is a violation of the contract and should be penalized. Admittedly, at times we have a right to choose to do the immoral (because it has not been codified as illegal) - but that does not turn it into  moral.

 

Still, not every immoral act involving the termination of life can be classified as murder. Phenomenology is deceiving: the acts look the same (cessation of life functions, the prevention of a future). But murder is the intentional termination of the life of a human who possesses, at the moment of death, a consciousness (and, in most cases, a free will, especially the will not to die). Abortion is the intentional termination of a life which has the potential to develop into a person with consciousness and free will. Philosophically, no identity can be established between potential and actuality. The destruction of paints and cloth is not tantamount (not to say identical) to the destruction of a painting by Van Gogh, made up of these very elements. Paints and cloth are converted to a painting through the intermediary and agency of the Painter. A cluster of cells a human makes only through the agency of Nature. Surely, the destruction of the painting materials constitutes an offence against the Painter. In the same way, the destruction of the foetus constitutes an offence against Nature. But there is no denying that in both cases, no finished product was eliminated. Naturally, this becomes less and less so (the severity of the terminating act increases) as the process of creation advances.

 

Classifying an abortion as murder poses numerous and insurmountable philosophical problems.

 

No one disputes the now common view that the main crime committed in aborting a pregnancy - is a crime against potentialities. If so, what is the philosophical difference between aborting a foetus and destroying a sperm and an egg? These two contain all the information ( = all the potential) and their destruction is philosophically no less grave than the destruction of a foetus. The destruction of an egg and a sperm is even more serious philosophically: the creation of a foetus limits the set of all potentials embedded in the genetic material to the one foetus created. The egg and sperm can be compared to the famous wave function (state vector) in quantum mechanics - the represent millions of potential final states ( = millions of potential embryos and lives). The foetus is the collapse of the wave function: it represents a much more limited set of potentials. If killing an embryo is murder because of the elimination of potentials - how should we consider the intentional elimination of many more potentials through masturbation and contraception?

 

The argument that it is difficult to say which sperm cell will impregnate the egg is not serious. Biologically, it does not matter - they all carry the same genetic content. Moreover, would this counter-argument still hold if, in future, we were be able to identify the chosen one and eliminate only it? In many religions (Catholicism) contraception is murder. In Judaism, masturbation is "the corruption of the seed" and such a serious offence that it is punishable by the strongest religious penalty: eternal ex-communication ("Karet").

 

If abortion is indeed murder how should we resolve the following moral dilemmas and questions (some of them patently absurd):

 

Is a natural abortion the equivalent of manslaughter (through negligence)?

 

Do habits like smoking, drug addiction, vegetarianism - infringe upon the right to life of the embryo? Do they constitute a violation of the contract?

 

Reductio ad absurdum: if, in the far future, research will unequivocally prove that listening to a certain kind of music or entertaining certain thoughts seriously hampers the embryonic development - should we apply censorship to the Mother?

 

Should force majeure clauses be introduced to the Mother-Embryo pregnancy contract? Will they give the mother the right to cancel the contract? Will the embryo have a right to terminate the contract? Should the asymmetry persist: the Mother will have no right to terminate - but the embryo will, or vice versa?

 

Being a rights holder, can the embryo (=the State) litigate against his Mother or Third Parties (the doctor that aborted him, someone who hit his mother and brought about a natural abortion) even after he died?

 

Should anyone who knows about an abortion be considered an accomplice to murder?

 

If abortion is murder - why punish it so mildly? Why is there a debate regarding this question? "Thou shalt not kill" is a natural law, it appears in virtually every legal system. It is easily and immediately identifiable. The fact that abortion does not "enjoy" the same legal and moral treatment says a lot.

 


Appendix - Arguments from the Right to Life

 

I. The Right to Life

 

It is a fundamental principle of most moral theories that all human beings have a right to life. The existence of a right implies obligations or duties of third parties towards the right-holder. One has a right AGAINST other people. The fact that one possesses a certain right - prescribes to others certain obligatory behaviours and proscribes certain acts or omissions. This Janus-like nature of rights and duties as two sides of the same ethical coin - creates great confusion. People often and easily confuse rights and their attendant duties or obligations with the morally decent, or even with the morally permissible. What one MUST do as a result of another's right - should never be confused with one SHOULD or OUGHT to do morally (in the absence of a right).

 

The right to life has eight distinct strains:

 

IA. The right to be brought to life

 

IB. The right to be born

 

IC. The right to have one's life maintained

 

ID. The right not to be killed

 

IE. The right to have one's life saved

 

IF. The right to save one's life (erroneously limited to the right to self-defence)

 

IG. The Right to terminate one's life

 

IH. The right to have one's life terminated

 

IA. The Right to be Brought to Life

 

Only living people have rights. There is a debate whether an egg is a living person - but there can be no doubt that it exists. Its rights - whatever they are - derive from the fact that it exists and that it has the potential to develop life. The right to be brought to life (the right to become or to be) pertains to a yet non-alive entity and, therefore, is null and void. Had this right existed, it would have implied an obligation or duty to give life to the unborn and the not yet conceived. No such duty or obligation exist.

 

IB. The Right to be Born

 

The right to be born crystallizes at the moment of voluntary and intentional fertilization. If a woman knowingly engages in sexual intercourse for the explicit and express purpose of having a child - then the resulting fertilized egg has a right to mature and be born. Furthermore, the born child has all the rights a child has against his parents: food, shelter, emotional nourishment, education, and so on.

 

It is debatable whether such rights of the foetus and, later, of the child, exist if the fertilization was either involuntary (rape) or unintentional ("accidental" pregnancies). It would seem that the foetus has a right to be kept alive outside the mother's womb, if possible. But it is not clear whether it has a right to go on using the mother's body, or resources, or to burden her in any way in order to sustain its own life (see IC below).

 

IC. The Right to have One's Life Maintained

 

Does one have the right to maintain one's life and prolong them at other people's expense? Does one have the right to use other people's bodies, their property, their time, their resources and to deprive them of pleasure, comfort, material possessions, income, or any other thing?

 

The answer is yes and no.

 

No one has a right to sustain his or her life, maintain, or prolong them at another INDIVIDUAL's expense (no matter how minimal and insignificant the sacrifice required is). Still, if a contract has been signed - implicitly or explicitly - between the parties, then such a right may crystallize in the contract and create corresponding duties and obligations, moral, as well as legal.

 

Example:

 

No foetus has a right to sustain its life, maintain, or prolong them at his mother's expense (no matter how minimal and insignificant the sacrifice required of her is). Still, if she signed a contract with the foetus - by knowingly and willingly and intentionally conceiving it - such a right has crystallized and has created corresponding duties and obligations of the mother towards her foetus.

 

On the other hand, everyone has a right to sustain his or her life, maintain, or prolong them at SOCIETY's expense (no matter how major and significant the resources required are). Still, if a contract has been signed - implicitly or explicitly - between the parties, then the abrogation of such a right may crystallize in the contract and create corresponding duties and obligations, moral, as well as legal.

 

Example:

 

Everyone has a right to sustain his or her life, maintain, or prolong them at society's expense. Public hospitals, state pension schemes, and police forces may be required to fulfil society's obligations - but fulfil them it must, no matter how major and significant the resources are. Still, if a person volunteered to join the army and a contract has been signed between the parties, then this right has been thus abrogated and the individual assumed certain duties and obligations, including the duty or obligation to give up his or her life to society.

 

ID. The Right not to be Killed

 

Every person has the right not to be killed unjustly. What constitutes "just killing" is a matter for an ethical calculus in the framework of a social contract.

 

But does A's right not to be killed include the right against third parties that they refrain from enforcing the rights of other people against A? Does A's right not to be killed preclude the righting of wrongs committed by A against others - even if the righting of such wrongs means the killing of A?

 

Not so. There is a moral obligation to right wrongs (to restore the rights of other people). If A maintains or prolongs his life ONLY by violating the rights of others and these other people object to it - then A must be killed if that is the only way to right the wrong and re-assert their rights.

 

IE. The Right to have One's Life Saved

 

There is no such right as there is no corresponding moral obligation or duty to save a life. This "right" is a demonstration of the aforementioned muddle between the morally commendable, desirable and decent ("ought", "should") and the morally obligatory, the result of other people's rights ("must").

 

In some countries, the obligation to save life is legally codified. But while the law of the land may create a LEGAL right and corresponding LEGAL obligations - it does not always or necessarily create a moral or an ethical right and corresponding moral duties and obligations.

 

IF. The Right to Save One's Own Life

 

The right to self-defence is a subset of the more general and all-pervasive right to save one's own life. One has the right to take certain actions or avoid taking certain actions in order to save his or her own life.

 

It is generally accepted that one has the right to kill a pursuer who knowingly and intentionally intends to take one's life. It is debatable, though, whether one has the right to kill an innocent person who unknowingly and unintentionally threatens to take one's life.

 

IG. The Right to Terminate One's Life

 

See "The Murder of Oneself".

 

IH. The Right to Have One's Life Terminated

 

The right to euthanasia, to have one's life terminated at will, is restricted by numerous social, ethical, and legal rules, principles, and considerations. In a nutshell - in many countries in the West one is thought to has a right to have one's life terminated with the help of third parties if one is going to die shortly anyway and if one is going to be tormented and humiliated by great and debilitating agony for the rest of one's remaining life if not helped to die. Of course, for one's wish to be helped to die to be accommodated, one has to be in sound mind and to will one's death knowingly, intentionally, and forcefully.

 

II. Issues in the Calculus of Rights

 

IIA. The Hierarchy of Rights

 

All human cultures have hierarchies of rights. These hierarchies reflect cultural mores and lores and there cannot, therefore, be a universal, or eternal hierarchy.

 

In Western moral systems, the Right to Life supersedes all other rights (including the right to one's body, to comfort, to the avoidance of pain, to property, etc.).

 

Yet, this hierarchical arrangement does not help us to resolve cases in which there is a clash of EQUAL rights (for instance, the conflicting rights to life of two people). One way to decide among equally potent claims is randomly (by flipping a coin, or casting dice). Alternatively, we could add and subtract rights in a somewhat macabre arithmetic. If a mother's life is endangered by the continued existence of a foetus and assuming both of them have a right to life we can decide to kill the foetus by adding to the mother's right to life her right to her own body and thus outweighing the foetus' right to life.

 

IIB. The Difference between Killing and Letting Die

 

There is an assumed difference between killing (taking life) and letting die (not saving a life). This is supported by IE above. While there is a right not to be killed - there is no right to have one's own life saved. Thus, while there is an obligation not to kill - there is no obligation to save a life.

 

IIC. Killing the Innocent

 

Often the continued existence of an innocent person (IP) threatens to take the life of a victim (V). By "innocent" we mean "not guilty" - not responsible for killing V, not intending to kill V, and not knowing that V will be killed due to IP's actions or continued existence.

 

It is simple to decide to kill IP to save V if IP is going to die anyway shortly, and the remaining life of V, if saved, will be much longer than the remaining life of IP, if not killed. All other variants require a calculus of hierarchically weighted rights. (See "Abortion and the Sanctity of Human Life" by Baruch A. Brody).

 

One form of calculus is the utilitarian theory. It calls for the maximization of utility (life, happiness, pleasure). In other words, the life, happiness, or pleasure of the many outweigh the life, happiness, or pleasure of the few. It is morally permissible to kill IP if the lives of two or more people will be saved as a result and there is no other way to save their lives. Despite strong philosophical objections to some of the premises of utilitarian theory - I agree with its practical prescriptions.

 

In this context - the dilemma of killing the innocent - one can also call upon the right to self-defence. Does V have a right to kill IP regardless of any moral calculus of rights? Probably not. One is rarely justified in taking another's life to save one's own. But such behaviour cannot be condemned. Here we have the flip side of the confusion - understandable and perhaps inevitable behaviour (self-defence) is mistaken for a MORAL RIGHT. That most V's would kill IP and that we would all sympathize with V and understand its behaviour does not mean that V had a RIGHT to kill IP. V may have had a right to kill IP - but this right is not automatic, nor is it all-encompassing.