Normative Ethical Theories - Abortion Flashcards
natural moral law and abortion (do good and avoid evil)
- evil to kill the baby, goes against the primary precept to preserve innocent life + ‘thou shalt not kill’ –> sanctity of life
- evil to make the mother have a baby she doesnt want –> preserves the physical and mental health of the mother
natural moral law and abortion (Gods purpose)
- killing the baby removes its telos and goes against gods will as potential life has a purpose
- mother had a purpose too, and having a baby might hinder this
natural moral law and abortion (primary/secondary precepts)
W,D,O
- abortion goes against gods will (do not kill) and destroys the precept of preserving innocent life and reproduction
- backstreet abortions, and equality issues may cause disorder in society
- it could be argued that R and D take precedence over O
- not having an abortion is a secondary precept
natural moral law and abortion (deontology)
- mothers have a maternal duty and have a duty to follow their religion and Gods law
natural moral law and abortion (real and apparent goods)
- apparent good is to allow a mother have an abortion if she wants (eg rape)
- innocent life has to be protected as a REAL good, and a real good is to also reproduce
natural moral law and abortion (interior and exterior acts)
- intention may be to noble for exterior action abortion is bad
- therefore one should be prepared to have a baby always
natural moral law and abortion (God)
- ‘be fruitful and multiply’ –> it is a primary precept to reproduce
natural moral law and abortion (double effect)
- abortion may have a double effect
- saving of the mothers life is the intention and takes precedence
natural moral law and abortion (reason)
- aquinas: use precepts + bible to reason, but the correct reasoning leads to no abortion
- need to use reason to determine correct actions
situation ethics and abortion (teleological)
- is an abortion leading to the most loving end result?
situation ethics and abortion (situationist as opposed to a legalist or antinominalist)
- takes rules of society to illuminate situation but law of live takes precedence
- abortion concerns those involved and circumstance to make a decision
situation ethics and abortion (agape)
- considering love for all humans: including the mother
situation ethics and abortion (four principles)
- pragmatism: practical situation, legal in the UK and can be done
- relativism: importance of considering each case individually and considering all the factors (neocausitry)
- positivism: is there evidence of Gods love –> ‘thou shalt not kill’ ??
- personalism: people are at the centre, the mother is already an existing member of society and takes precedence
situation ethics and abortion (six fundamental principles)
are abortions just?
- love only is always good: if the abortion is out of love it will always be good
- love is the only norm: do not need to consider abortion laws as love overrides those rules
- love and justice are the same: anything that is loving is just so loving abortions demonstrate justice
- they are not readily available everywhere so this is unjust - love is not liking: you do not need to like the act to accept it is the most loving action
- love justifies the means (abortion)
- love decides there and then: situational decision, not prescriptively –> circumstantial
virtue ethics and abortion (teleology)
- mother has her own purpose: an active member in society and she contributes
- abortion is bad because the foetus had potential and had a predetermined purpose, this takes it away and cannot be part of society in the first place
virtue ethics and abortion (eudaimonia)
- mother can achieve her happiness if abortion is in her best interest
- the baby will never reach happiness if dead
virtue ethics and abortion (pleasure, contemplation, honor)
- the mother can prioritize her pleasure
- the mother can demonstrate honour if she considers the babys life as well
- the mother contemplates her action
virtue ethics and abortion (reason)
- the mother must use reason to contemplate if she has made the right choice
virtue ethics and abortion (community)
- abortion can have a negative effect on community (death)
- preserving the mothers wellbeing is needed as she is an active part of the community
virtue ethics and abortion (doctrine of the mean)
- cannot be too loving to the mother and always allow abortion but cannnot absolutely ban it
virtue ethics and abortion (not numerical)
- taking into account what is the golden mean
- is courage keeping a pregnancy or going through with it
virtue ethics and abortion (moral virtues)
- through morality the mother can decide whether it is moral to abort –> courage, temperance
- allows her to develop as a moral agent
virtue ethics and abortion (intellectual virtues)
- making the decision for an abortion makes the mother employ these (knowledge, understandind, judgement)
- the baby could develop these through life (phronesis)
virtue ethics and abortion (friendship)
- mother wishes to maintain her relationships, if abortion is shunned in her community
- she can make new friends due to her experience
- but baby could have formed new friends and give happiness to others in society through their friendship
