Abortion And Embryo Research Flashcards
Abortion def
the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy
UK law: abortion allowed if two doctors agree mothers life/ health at risk, child will be severely handicapped and there ill be serious effects on other children in the family.
Catholics and peter singer
Catholics believe personhood = conception - Jeremiah “ i knew you before you were formed’
Singer: criteria of personhood should replace sanctity of life, there’s qualities that compromise personhood and foetuses cannot exhibit them - rational, self consciousness, sentient, communicate etc - establishes diff bet person and human
Nml and abortion
Direct abortion contravenes NML, pope john Paul ‘a grave moral disorder’
Goes against primary precept of worship god (he alone is creator and humans = imago die - god given soul at conception), preservation of life and orderly society (disc. Against vulnerable)
Only if doctrine of double effect is fulfilled then allowed e.g. hysterectomy to preserve mothers life, must be morally neutral, bad effect is foreseen but not intended etc.
Nml eval
Fair:need reason for abortion e.g. sae mothers life, cannot be without reason
What if woman was raped? Seen as bad to have abortion even though it’s not
SE and abortion
Fletcher states interests of actual person outweigh potential person (embryo)
agape is sole intrinsic good and only binding law
‘Pregnancy when not wanted is a disease’ - ethical aspects of genetic controls
No unwanted child should ever be born
persuasive as takes into account whole situation and unwanted child = low qual of life
VE and abortion
Ari. Stated abortion is ‘before sense and life have begun’ (suggests acceptable up to 14 days but woman wouldn’t know they’re pregnant) and should take place when too many children
Rightness/wrongness is unrelated to status of embryo or law, whether person acting virtuously or not- if bad qual of life then abortion is permissible but if pregnant due to accident then not acceptable as irresponsible
Fair:if intentions of qual of life etc places then right but if down to irresponsibility then not okay
But some believe life is at conception and others believe when feoutus is viable outside mother - mixed views, no clear ans
Embryotic cloning
UK laws allows experimentation of embryos up to 14 days - point where embryos dev. When ind. person starts to develop but some want law extended to 28 days.
Embryo research = scientists extract ‘embryonic stem cells’ (cells from which human tissue originate) from human embryos, mainly those left from IVF
Undertaken because animal embryos aren’t sufficiently comp with human research
Aim is to find cures for diseases that affect humans e.g. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Designer babies
Result of editing DNA cells of embryo
Embryos made with IVF, in 5 days a single cell is removed and genetically testes
If parents go further, implanted into mothers womb or destroyedd
Process of genetic selection of embryo is called pre- implantation diagnosing, doctors check for conditions e.g. Down syndrome etc
Info can be used to select sex of child, to treat sick sibling and possibly engineer intelligence
Ethical considerations: further division bet. Rich and poor - only available to rich
Could affect human evolution, reduce suffering as eliminating disease would eradicate some human traits
Made in gods image- not meant to change it - taking gods role as creator
Value of child based on personal pref - conditional love for child
Create super human trans race
Nml and embryo research
Rejects all
Abandons usual methods of procreation, seen as failure to worship god and reproduction
And precept of orderly society as can break apart marriages
Jeremiah 1:5 ‘before i formed you in the womb i knew you’ - genetic blueprint of humans is present at conception, rule that allows research up to 14th day breaks commandment ‘do not murder’
Designer babies - made in imago die not meant to tamper with God’s intentions and vio. Orderly soc as bigger gap bet. Rich and poor.
True that designer babies may impact soc. neg. But embryo research and cloning do lead to reproduction and arg. Strengthen marriage not break esp those who struggle with pregnancy and support precept of preserve life as get rid of diseases
VE and embryo research
Impossible to now from Ari. Himself
Key virtue involved is compassion fro modern ethicists should focus on those who are infertile of have genetic disorders
Callous not to use POD to prevent birth of child with painful or limiting life disorder e.g. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
Wisdom needed to enable Inds. To know when procedures needed and not
Two tiered Soc. may lead to injustice - those not designed are disadvantaged
Stem cell research takes away conditions, help achieve Eudaimonia as more likely to have happy life
SE and embryo research
Fletcher: personhood conferred rights and is self awareness and communication - embryo only potential person so no moral concerns shown.
Supported all techniques proposed asa proper controls in place, humans in control of reproduction, acknowledges risks but not ethical they’re political
‘Man is a maker and a selector and a designer’
Doesn’t work for religious ppl. and changing gender or appearance or ability of child not most loving, demonstrated conditional love
