Taking the Deontological and utilitarian theories we looked at the seven different scenarios that Miss Matthews could face and argued both the pro-choice and the pro-life stances. The following are seven different scenarios that Mrs… Matthews may encounter: 1 . Suppose her husband,’boyfriend does not want her to have an abortion at this time and offers to help raise the child. 2. Suppose the husband/boyfriend wants her to have an abortion but Miss M has second thoughts about it. 3. Suppose she finds that the pregnancy is eight weeks along. 12 weeks? 16 weeks? 20 weeks? 25 weeks? 0 weeks? 34 weeks? 4. Suppose that Miss M learns, from prenatal diagnosis, that the baby would probably have Down Syndrome. The baby would have Truisms-13, which is lethal within the first year. 5. Suppose 6. What are the reasons that Miss M should or should not consider adoption instead? 7. Would It be morally acceptable for her to contract with a couple willing to compensate her if she gave the child to them after it was born? Would this be belated surrogate pregnancy, pre-adoption, baby marketing, or something else? For the purposes of argument, we decided that Mrs…
Matthews and her husband ere using some form of birth control while engaging In sexual actively and her pregnancy was due to failure in birth control, not due to irresponsibility on her and her husband’s behalf. Ultimately we will provide enough information to show that the pro-life options available to Mrs… Matthews override the pro-choice options. According to the Association of Profile Physicians, life begins at fertilization (SITE). The APP sites “a scientific textbook called ‘Basics of Biology” that gives five characteristics of living things.
This definition states that living things are highly organized, have an ability to acquire materials and energy, the ability to respond to their environment, the ability to reproduce and the ability to adapt (SITE). From the moment of fertilization a life has begun to exist. In looking at Mrs… Matthews various situations we used the deontological theory to support the pro-life stance. Deontological ethics are split into Kantian and Natural Law. The opinions of the pro-life community coincide with that of the theory of Natural Law.
In Natural Law the belief Is that all that is natural is good. In viewing the debate on abortion, pregnancy is a natural recess and therefore is good. The termination of a baby is unnatural and therefore is bad and/or wrong. This would make abortion wrong in all cases, with the only exception being the law of double-effect. If there Is a threat to the woman carrying the child and she would lose her life, mental and physical, In order to give birth to a FIFO be preserving what is natural, that is the life and health of the mother and still in accordance with Natural Law.
Jason Dulled, a pro-life supporter, also agrees with the idea that the only exception should be if there is a threat to the mother’s life, saying hat If I was faced with the mother-or-the-baby decision I would personally save the life of my wife since there is more of an emotional attachment between her and l, and because she has an irreplaceable role in the family as my help-mate and the mother to our other children (assuming we had other children). I think it would be wrong to deprive my children of their mother because of the damage this would have on the rest of their lives.
Due to these practical and emotional considerations I would argue to save the mother. If someone chose the child, however, I could not argue that they eave made an immoral choice (SITE). Mrs… Matthews does not have other children and is not facing any life threatening situations during her pregnancy, but she is facing the seven scenarios listed before. In all seven of the scenarios Mrs… Matthews would have to continue her pregnancy as there would be no threat to her life. In viewing Mrs… Matthews situation from the pro-choice standpoint we used the Utilitarian theory.
The pro- choice movement refers “to the political and ethical view that a woman should have complete right over her fertility and that she should have the freedom to decide whether she wants to continue or terminate her pregnancy’ (SITE). This coincides with the Utilitarian view on abortion where there is no general rule on abortion and things are decided on a case-by-case basis. This decision is not a public but a private decision. In Utilitarian theory, the outcome matters more, while in deontological theory there are no consequences.
The Pro-choice community believes that “life begins at birth” (SITE). Ultimately, the choice is up to the mother and the scenario that she faces. In the seven scenarios that Mrs… Matthews faces she has a number of different options. In Utilitarian theory decisions are made based on doing the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people. What is good can be defined as what is beneficial, promoting or enhancing well-being. If continuing the pregnancy and having the child will benefit Mrs…
Matthews and her husband, promote happiness or enhance their overall well-being then they should continue with the pregnancy. If having a child is deemed to be not beneficial, cause unhappiness or harm their well-being then they should not continue the pregnancy. The other option is to continue the pregnancy and give the child up for adoption if peeping the child after birth would not cause the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people. In thinking of the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people, the people that are concerned are the ones already living.
As a baby is not alive until it is born, it is not included in the people who are experiencing the greatest amount of good. For example, if Mrs… Matthews’ baby during prenatal diagnosis has the probability of having Down Syndrome, it would be that the greatest amount of good would be to terminate the pregnancy. If Mrs.. Matthews plans to stay in school and work, and her husband is working, caring for a child with Down Syndrome would be very difficult. Children with Down Syndrome themselves” (SITE) and have “impulsive behavior, poor Judgment, short attention span[s], and slow learning”(Shoeshine).
Caring for a child with Down Syndrome would be very difficult and would require one of the Matthews to stay at home with the child 2417. If they both decided to continue with their careers the burden of childcare would be put on someone else, maybe a close relative. The greatest amount of good n this situation would be for them to terminate the pregnancy. The other side of this would be the situation where Mr… Matthews does not want his wife to terminate the pregnancy and offers to help raise the child. Mr…
Matthews makes ask a year and has the financial means to support his wife and child. The average range “of basic family budgets for a two-parent, two-child family is $31,080 (rural Nebraska) to $64,656 (Boston, Massachusetts). The median family budget of $39,984 is well above the $19,1 57 poverty threshold for this size family. ” (SITE). The Matthews live in North Carolina and with Just Mr… Matthews working, they could easily support their entire family and live comfortably. Mrs… Matthews would be able to go to school and care for her child, but would have to give up her Job.
She might also need assistance caring for her child as she is in graduate school and her workload would be enormous. Though Mrs… Matthews would have to put her career on hold until her child was old enough to go to school, the greatest amount of good here would be for them to continue with the pregnancy and have the child. Since life begins at fertilization, looking at this argument from the pro-choice dance, the child should be included in the people experiencing the greatest amount of good. In the case of Mrs… Matthews child having Down Syndrome, they did not factor in what was best for the child.
While it may have difficulties in growing and developing it is still a life. While Mrs… And Mr… Matthews may not find themselves able to care for a child with Down Syndrome, they could continue the pregnancy and give the baby up for adoption. There are “people who teach and have had rewarding experiences with children with Down Syndrome [and] may want to raise a child” with Down Syndrome (SITE). Adoptive parents “have many reasons for choosing to adopt a child with Down Syndrome” and are “deeply invested in what their child can be. (Sleet). The greatest amount of good here would to let the child live, take the burden of childcare away from the Matthews, and giving the child to a willing and loving couple who would find happiness from raising a child with Down Syndrome. If Mrs… Matthews was to find her child had Truisms-13, the pro-choice stance would argue that the pregnancy should be terminated, but again they are ignoring what is good for the child as well as the family. There are cases of children with Truisms-13 who can function and express wants and desires.
For example there is the case of Hannah, who has Truisms-13, and on Septet 29, 2008 she turned 8 years old. At the time she was in the “2nd grade, takes ballet and Jazz and has lots and lots of friends. ” (SITE). Hannah is an example of someone living with Truisms-13, survived past their 1st birthday and is able to live and function socially. In 2008, Lynn turned 49 years old. She is “the oldest living person with partial Truisms-13” (SITE). There is also Koala, who turned 16 in 2007, and Jimmie who turned 20 in 2008. There are known survivors of Truisms-13.
While there is only a 20% chance off child with Truisms-13 living past its 1st birthday and an 80% chance of death, there is that small of death in the first year of life from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. While only 3,000 children a year die from KIDS and though the chance of death is much is much smaller, it is still a possibility. All babies are at risk of KIDS and have the possibility of dying from KIDS. While there are risks of death within the first year of life, there is also the potential for life and a child with Truisms-13 should be given the same opportunities as any other child.
Based on the evidence gathered we can conclude that the pro-life stance is more rational than the pro-choice stance. The pro-life options available to Mrs… Matthews override the pro-choice options in all instances because she always has the option to give the baby up for adoption. Even though the scenarios that Mrs… Matthews may face vary and these factors may seem to influence her decision, it should always be to continue with the pregnancy. The real decision that Mrs… Matthews faces is whether to raise her baby or give it up for adoption, not whether to terminate it or not.
