The ethical issue in this case is only that the abortion was performed in the 19th week of gestation.
The immediate factor having the most bearing on the decision in this case was that the mother had just been diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome, which carries a very high risk or mortality with pregnancy, and the disease is hereditary.
The mother is the main claimant in this case, since it is her life that is at stake. The father of the child would be a claimant, but he is not discussed in the paper, so it is not known if he objects to the abortion, but it is unlikely since the mother's life is at stake.
The mother asked for the abortion, so there is no doubt what she wanted. She was counseled prior to making the decision on what her options were. The father would most likely agree to the decision, particularly if the two are married, and the fact that neither of them knew the woman had the condition prior to initiation of the pregnancy.
A) The mother could go ahead and have the child, but there is a good chance she would die doing so, and the child would most likely inherit her disease. The mother may well be harmed by this decision, and could lose her life. The child, if it survived pregnancy, may die prematurely from complications of the disease. Honoring any ideal/value would not justify the mother losing her life - she was only 26 years old. There are no rules invalidating this alternative.
B) The mother could go ahead and have the abortion. She may have problems due to the abortion, but would most likely survive with proper medical attention. No one would be harmed by this choice, except the mother may suffer some medical complications. Religious beliefs might cause someone in this situation to refuse this course of action, but this mother was not deterred by any such beliefs or any ideals/values. There were no rules in place at the time of this abortion which would invalidate this decisio...