A hypothetical ethical dilemma question on incest, abortion, and adoption?

briefly the story is this
a young teen girl 13, impregnated by her older brother
shes 6 mos preg and doesnt want to keep the baby
either she can choose to do this or choose to give the baby for adoption
what do YOU think she should do keeping in mind the complexities of either choice
can u briefly justify your decision also.

just so u know im not a 13yr old girl this story isnt about me or anyone I know b/c yahoo answerers have a tendency to relate the story to the writer it is a dilemma for a seminar i am in as an RN student. I just wondered what people thought

I believe under those and certain circumstances that is ok! Incest brings a much larger chance of mental and physical disability! Plus she's 13 and probably didnt choose to have sexual contact with him!

In the USA this is wrong but other cultures are different

Read books written by other cultures and you will be shocked how some are almost polar to what we consider taboo and accepted norms.

6 months is too late for an abortion. NOBODY would do it anyway....NOBODY....

so the question is moot. She has to give it up for adoption.

I can't imagine this really happening. Seems like family or counseling or someone would have interceded long before 6 months.

But presuming it could happen, she has no choice unless she tries to kill the baby herself.

I'd certainly keep her on suicide watch, that's for sure.

And of course, her brother should be in prison by this time.

The baby should be born. However if the girl does not want it she should not have to keep it. She could give the child up for abortion, or she feels comfortable she could try and give the custody to the father, or, her brother. Also, after having the child, she may choose to keep it after becoming emotional attached to it.

On a further note, if the girl was forced into having intercourse with her brother, and she didn't want to have sex with her brother she could file for rape charges.

Ultimately, do not destroy the babies right to live. If the girl did indeed get raped, two wrongs don't make a right.

Chances are if she kept the baby she would have a great deal of animosity. Abortion is ALWAYS a personal decision, but at the young age of 13, still being a child herself, how much of a "decision" can be made by her? Adoption is an option, but for a 13 year old, carrying to term is an issue. Partial abortion IS legal in the U.S. But what psychological issues will that leave her with? Hopefully the brother and any other family member that was "aware" this was going on will be dealt with accordingly. This brings me to something TOTALLY different: I love the U.S.A.; HOWEVER, if we dealt with these assholes the way other countries do, we would not have this sexual crisis on our hands! Most countries would give him a "fair trial", then take him and hang him. Castration does NOT get rid of these sic thoughts and practices! (And, speaking as an R.N. of 19 years, this will not just be a "hypothetical ethical dilemma" for any up and coming Nursing Student.) It will be a reality that will be in your face more times than you will want to count! Good luck!

There are more factors to consider than the ones you present. However, I'll take a wild guess . . .

My sense is the emotional trauma of an abortion at 6 months would have longer range ramifications for the emotional health of the mother than giving the child up for adoption. Although the living child might be a painful reminder to her, the fact that the child is alive lessens the negative emotional impact later on in life.

Of course a lot depends on the emotional state of the mother at the present time.

six months is too late for an abortion, but even if it was earlier in the pregnancy, I still think adoption is the way to go. There are so many childless couples who could give the baby a good home, that if she can think of this as a generous act at least some good might come from this tragic situation.

The fact that her brother is the father of the baby means that, unlike most 13 year olds, she is having her baby in a stable environment. A strong family relationship already exists between her brother and her. So I think she should discuss with her brother whether the two of them, with help from their parents of course, can possibly bring the baby up.

Otherwise an abortion is probably going to be less distressing for the poor girl than having the baby and then giving him/her away for adoption.