OP-ED: Supporting Pro-Choice Movement Based on Ethical and Legal Principles: Mathematics & Economics Essay

Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Code/Title
Instructor
Date
OP-ED: Supporting Pro-Choice Movement Based on Ethical and Legal Principles
When we debate on the legality and morality of abortion, phrases such as “pro-life” and “pro-choice” largely come into our minds. In a landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on January 22, 1973, the Roe v. Wade case effectively legalized that the Constitution should protect pregnant women to exercise their freedom to seek an abortion devoid of excessive authority from the government. This ruling has since sparked two antagonistic movements with opposing views about the morality and legality of abortion. The anti-abortion movement, also known as Pro-Life, advocates against abortion and considers the termination of pregnancies to be not only immoral but also illegal. Those in the Pro-Life movement consider abortion as murder, which is a wrongful action before God and against the laws of the land. The other group is made of Pro-Choice proponents in the abortion-rights movements advocating for women's access to legalized abortion clinics. While listening to the two sides of the arguments provided by the Pro-Life and Pro-Choice movements, you might find it difficult to point out the group that gives compelling reasons in their support. However, using the concept of game theory, which is widely adopted in the decision-making process in many successful organizations, we can make informed decisions about why supporting the Pro-Choice movement serves to satisfy the interests of a majority.
The ethical principles of utilitarianism, coined by Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, and Henry Sidgwick, favors the Pro-Choice movement. utilitarianism is a school of thought that seeks to advance the maximization of the well-being and happiness of the majority. Considering the game theory, unlike the Prisoner’s Dilemma, the Deadlock game is applicable in recommending actions that have the greatest mutual reward. The prisoner’s dilemma refers to a paradox in analyzing decisions, where two parties who act in their interest fail to produce optimal results. Contrary, deadlock refers to a game in which a mutual action that is most valuable is also overriding. By defining abortion, we should be able to make decisions on whether the action is mor...