Right to a child

Question 1

why is a child a gift for Christians and followers of natural law

Answer 1

as life begins at the moment of natural conception . the child would not be conceived unless god willed it to be so. as it is a valuable and sacred human being it is a ‘gift’ from god to the parents

Question 2

what are the problems with scientists creating children in labs

Answer 2

they are ‘playing god’ - only god has the right to give life to that child (eg IVF is not natural so they think it’s wrong)

Question 3

what responsibility do we have if a child is a gift and life is a gift

Answer 3

to preserve life

Question 4

what does utilitarianism imply

Answer 4

that each of us have a right to be happy and experience pleasure over pain

Question 5

do utilitarians agree with ‘un-natural’ methods of conception such as IVF? and why

Answer 5

yes- if creating a baby using un-natural methods means that we will be happy and the baby will be happy, then we should make a law that grants us a right to a child

Question 6

what exceptions would the IVF law have to have according to utilitarians

Answer 6

allow for exceptional cases because sometimes fertility treatment could cause unhappiness to the parents or chil. in which case the woman would not have a right to the child

Question 7

example of when IVF would not be allowed (for utilitarians)

Answer 7

if the woman is really old, so would be unfit to look after the child and meet it’s needs