INDUCED ABORTION: AN ETHICAL CONUNDRUM FOR COUNSELORS
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND ABORTION COUNSELING: CONTRADICTORY CHOICES
Induced abortion is one of the most controversial moral issues in American culture, but counselor value struggles regarding abortion are seldom addressed in counseling literature. This article considers the conflictual nature of the ethical principles of autonomy, fidelity, justice, beneficence, and nonmaleficence as they can occur within the context of the counseling relationship, particularly with clients considering abortion. In addition, the authors present strategies for counselor self-evaluation, offer recommendations, and provide questions to facilitate ethical decision making.
There were over 1 million abortions in the United States (U.S.) in 1994, according to the Centers for Disease Control (1999).The U.S. leads most European countries as well as Australia and Canada in abortion rates. More than 88% of abortions
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