Applying ethical theories to abortion

Year 12

Natural Law

• Does not look at the people involved in a decision about abortion, or the consequences of the action, instead, Natural Law considers the act of abortion itself.

• Reproduction is a primary precept and abortion goes against this, as it stops the purpose and outcome of procreation.

• If you consider the foetus to be a human person from conception, then abortion also goes against the primary principle to preserve innocent life.

• From Primary Precepts you derive Secondary Precept. This is a rule to follow in life. In regards to the issue of abortion, a likely secondary precept that could be derived would be –

• “Do not commit abortion.”

• Kantian Ethics – the categorical imperative: universal

maxims; treating others as ends in themselves and living in a kingdom of ends.

• Kant argued that reason enables people to impose such laws upon themselves and when

the categorical imperative is applied to abortion there are immediate difficulties.

• Abortion would be hard to universalise, as there are so many different situations and motivations for obtaining an abortion – all consideration of emotions is to be disregarded and yet abortion is an emotional decision.

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• Kant would also take no account of the stage of pregnancy at which the abortion is to take place.

• There is also emphasis on treating people as ends in themselves and not as a means to an end – abortion would go against this if the foetus is considered to be a person.

• Kant’s stress on acting out of duty alone, with no account taken of compassion or love, means that all consequences are ignored whatever they may be.

 

• You could argue that abortion is unacceptable in the above case because it concerns the consequences of an action.

• If murder is always wrong then some might argue that you should follow this rule because it is your duty to do so! However, the problem arises of conflicting duties such as protecting the well being of the mother (rape etc)?

• The question is does the foetus have the status of a rational being who should be treated with the dignity this affords? If a foetus is then treated as a non-person because it cannot reason then abortion would be justified.

• On the other hand a foetus has the potential to become a rational person and such be treated as such.

Conclusion

• Using 1st formulation of CI you could not universalise this argument because it would not make sense for everyone to do it!

• Overall then, it appears difficult to allow abortion using Kantian Ethics.

• Utilitarianism – the greatest good for the greatest number.

• Doesn’t accept the principle that human life has absolute value and that this should be upheld whatever the consequences but attempts to assess each individual situation on its own merits to promote the greatest happiness for those concerned.

• Only works if it is actually possible to assess the results of an abortion and decide whether they favour all concerned.

• Cannot predict all consequences – mother may not be able to have any children after the abortion.

• Preference Utilitarianism might be a better approach – considers the preferences of the mother, the harm to other family members and so on.

The Right to a child

• Louise Brown – the first ever test tube baby – 1978.

• Discussions about the right to a child covers issues such as whether a child is a gift or a right, whether it is right to obtain sperm samples by masturbation, whether it is right to pay someone to carry a baby and what the moral status or the foetus is on the journey from zygote to newborn baby. The process of IVF also raises ethical questions as many more embryos are made than are neededWhat is artificial insemination?

What is in-vitro fertilisation? (IVF)

What are the ethical questions IVF raises?

Ethical questions raised by IVF

When does human life begin and what is the status of the foetus? Remember the egg is fertilised before it is implanted in the woman’s uterus.

IVF is for treating infertility, what about the spare embryos that may be kept for up to 14 days for experimentation?

The screening of embryos before implantation means any imperfections can be weeded out – will parents remove undesirable traits? What’s an undesirable trait?

India already allows sex selection in IVF clinics – designer babies?

Older women past child bearing age can have menopause reversed and are able to have children.

Embryos are treated as properties.

IVF is not very successful. It’s expensive and requires the woman to take a lot of hormone drugs which can be really dangerous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DydpBH7oLX4

….. But does an individual have a right to have a child?

• UN declaration of human rights states: “… a right to marry and found a family free from constraint.”

• This does not clearly state that there is a right to reproduce. This right seem to have followed the technological advances in assisted reproduction.

• It could be argued that reproduction is fundamental to our freedom to act – but society already places restrictions on this; for example, incestuous reproduction.

• It could also be argued that that the right to reproduce is simply a basic need or desire – or do we just have a basic sexual drive rather than a need to continue the human race with our own genes?

Who has the right to a child?

• Married couples and possibly unmarried couples?

• However… what if the couple divorced or separated or, as in the case of Diane Blood (pictured right), one partner died? Does the right then no longer exist?

• The question is made even more complex when surrogate motherhood is considered. Who is the ‘real’ mother?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1809296.stm

Approaches to IVF and the Right to a Child

Nine years after the birth of Louise Brown the Catholic Church published a document Donum Vitae.

Louise Brown was welcomed as a gift as a unique person, but expressed doubts about the process of IVF and the resulting science of embryology.

Catholic Church sees human life as sacred, with the parents as co-creators of new life. IVF takes the new baby

away from that expression of love and becomes simply part of the process.

Catholic Church does NOT approve of IVF, nor of the destruction of human embryos nor of the freezing of them.

Approves of experimentation if it will assist the embryo to overcome the effects of disease.

Protestant Ethics

Some Protestants may follow Joseph Fletcher and his concept of Situation Ethics……..

• He was not negative towards IVF.

• His situation ethics was person-centred and love-centred.

• As Situation Ethics is relative, then it is possible that IVF treatment might, in some circumstances, be the most loving thing to do.

All Protestants will use the Bible to make decisions however. It does state in the Bible “Be fruitful, and multiply.” Could this mean IVF is acceptable?

Natural Moral Law• Problems with IVF

• Problem with the masturbation to obtain the necessary sperm – this would be a misuse of genitalia and not following the natural function. All sexual acts should include the possibility of procreation.

• IVF results in destruction of embryos – this goes against the first primary precept (preservation of life)

•Natural Law has a strong belief in Sanctity of life.

• Absolutist theory – outcomes are irrelevant.

Utilitarianism

• Consider the pleasure/pain principle and measure the pain of the unused embryos against the pleasure of the parents and the baby that was created.

• Utilitarianist would also consider the low success rate and the effect this may have on the happiness of the couple, their family and friends.

• Does not protect the right of the embryo – nor does it see it as sacred in any way.

• In considering the population problems the world is facing and the resulting poverty, a utilitarian would ask whether it is ethical to spend money on assisting reproduction for a few and so adding to the population of the world and the pain of the many.

Kantian Ethics• Categorical Imperative – people are treated as ends in themselves.

• If an embryo is considered a person, a follower of Kantian ethics would need to ask whether the destruction of so many embryos in order to create one life is justified.

• Danger of treating the creation of a human life as just another consumer good.

• Selecting an embryo as a genetic match to cure another sibling could also be seen as using the embryo as a means to an end, as would using a surrogate mother.

Characters for debate on abortion and IVF

• Immanuel Kant – Tom• Joseph Fletcher - Matt• Thomas Aquinas – Emily• 15-year-old pregnant teenager (she wants an abortion) Sam Marston• Her 15-year-old boyfriend (who wants her to keep the baby) - Robbie• Catholic mother of 6 - Simrit• Father of a child with severe disabilities - Beth• Abortion doctor – Christian but not Catholic – Sam Burdett• Chat show host – Amee• Members of the audience – Sonia, Ramandeep and others who aren’t

in character at the time can join in. Some audience members might want to be pro-choice or pro-life….

• Your task is to research you character. What’s your stand on abortion. If you’re a philosopher look back through your notes. If you oppose abortion you’ve got to say why, if you agree with abortion equally you have to say why.

• You MUST come in character AND costume!!!!!