(二) The question of abortion is a hotly debated one. Where there are those who claim it is wrong under
any circumstances, there are an equal number who argue that it should be allowable at least under certain
circumstances, such as when the mother’s life is endangered during pregnancy. The problem then becomes,
who will determine if the mother’s life is actually in danger, and can mental danger be allowable if for
some reason the woman suddenly feels incapable of coping with a new young life? And what about rape?
On the rare occasions when a woman becomes pregnant as a result of a rape, should that be allowable
grounds for abortion? Is there a point at which the unborn fetus becomes a live human being, or does it
qualify as such from the moment of conception?
There are many ideas proposed to put a stop to the need for abortion. One of the strangest, but one
that is, nevertheless, seriously proposed, is that people should be licensed before they can have a baby. The
idea is that to be eligible for a license, the parents would have to undergo a variety of tests to find out such
things as physical health, emotional stability, and readiness for the responsibilities of parenthood. Those
who favor these licenses believe that if people underwent tests to determine their suitability for parenthood,
there would be no need for abortions. They also maintain that if people knew that having a baby without a
license would result in a stiff penalty or even a jail sentence, both men and women would develop a much
more responsible attitude toward parenthood, and this would have a beneficial effect on society as a whole.
There are, however, obvious drawbacks to this proposal. Quite apart from the fact that it is not ethical, to
say the least, there are practical questions such as who would be the judge of who was suitable and who
was not? If a woman did become pregnant without permission, what would happen to the child? Training
for parenthood is one thing; licensing for parenthood is quite another. 【題組】50. What does the author think about granting people license so they can have babies?
(A)Ethical and practical.
(B)Ethical but impractical.
(C)Unethical but practical.
(D)Unethical and impractical.