Deep Ethics

I was thinking about what it's going to be like in Medical School next year, now that I have actually gotten in. One issue came up in a conversation that made me realize that I am not as philosophically sophisticated as I should be for my age, and especially my future career. I've always considered myself a pretty liberal woman; but now I realize I haven't really taken the time to sit down and deeply examine my ethical foundations. One thing that sparked all of this thinking was a conversation with one my good friends. We were talking about Obstetrics/Gynecology as a profession and then my friend asked if I was thinking about working in providing abortions. That's when I really realized that I've been pro-choice without looking at the basics; the way I feel about abortion fundamentally. I realize that it's a terrible procedure that I wouldn't want to have to do over and over again as a job.
Abortion, however, is an area that desperately needs newly trained physicians entering the field, especially in rural areas. The sociological and demographic arguments have always swayed me. Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures in the country, some say it is THE most common. There are obviously not enough resources or homes to take care of the possible huge increase in orphans that would result if all abortions stopped. With the abysmal state of sex education and knowledge regarding birth control, let alone the terrible lack of access to birth control in some areas of the country, it seems that abortion is a necessary evil.
It is obviously killing embryos and fetuses, but I've realized most people are okay with letting other children die. I know I am. You probably are also. Just think about this: how much money do you spend on new clothes, eating out, etcetera? All the money you spend on luxuries could be spent on saving some child's life. But you don't care enough to live a completely austere lifestyle just to save some other kid's life and, to be honest, neither do I. I donate money to UNICEF occasionally, but I also spend plenty of cash on things I don't need to survive. The question, then, is: what about actively killing people? This is something that only soldiers and abortion providers can answer. I think abortion is necessary, but I don't want to do it. I don't want that career. But, if everyone thought like I did, there wouldn't be any abortion providers, and women would invariably turn to brutal and arcane methods of ending their unwanted pregnancies.
There's a lot more to be discussed, but I'll leave the rest for the next post, since I have to go to work.