1
Q
abortion
A
the deliberate termination of a pregnancy before the foetus is 24 weeks old (except in exceptional) circumstances
2
Q
Conciousness
A
- A state of awake, or aware of, or sensitive to one’s surroundings
- Has been argued this is when life begins. The person or organic matter with the potential for personhood becomes sentient
–> Criticized as animals are sentient too, but are not people
3
Q
Double effect
A
- The good and bad effect of an action, compared according to a principle which seeks to justify the action if the bad effect, though forseen, is outweighed by the good effect
- Medical procedure to save mother indirectly and inadvertantly kills the child
4
Q
Ectopic pregnancy
A
-A pregnancy in which the foetus develops outside the uterus
5
Q
Embryo
A
- An unborn embryo in its first 8 weeks after fertilisation before its organs have developed
6
Q
Ensoulment
A
-The process is Christian belief, by which a body is endowed with a soul
7
Q
Foetus
A
-Unborn human baby after 8 weeks
8
Q
Hippocratic oath
A
An oath stating the duties and proper conducts of doctors
9
Q
Image of God
A
The belief that human beings are created in the image of God
10
Q
Personhood
A
The ethical quality or human condition which denotes a morally significant or valuable human being
11
Q
Primitive streak
A
The faint streak which is the earliest trace of the embryo in the fertilised ovum, generally regarded as day 14
-Until then unclear how many individuals ect. Organisation of embryonic structures. Some cells become placenta
12
Q
Sanctity of life
A
The belief that human value has a sacred and holy value
13
Q
Self-determination
A
The process by which a person controls and directs their life
14
Q
Viability
A
The point at which a foetus becomes capable of living outside the womb. Viable zygote/embryo is one with the potential to develop into an adult organism
- -> However, technology means viable point is earlier and earlier. Personhood can’t be determined by technology?
- -> People on life support can’t survive alone, still people?
15
Q
Womens’ rights
A
-Freedoms and liberties guaranteed to women by law
16
Q
Zygote
A
-The name given to a fertilised egg
17
Q
How many countries have prohibited abortion?
A
- 50
- Includes Kenya, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Philippines
18
Q
John Griggs on life from conception
A
“To my mind life begins at the moment of conception…Conception is the magical moment”
19
Q
Pope Pius XI on abortion
A
“What could ever be a sufficient reason for excusing in any way the direct murder of the innocent?”
20
Q
Dee Wells on life beginning at birth
A
I believe life beings at birth. Or more technically, when a foetus is sufficiently developed to be capable of living if removed from the mother’s womb
21
Q
Conception
A
- Unique selection of genetic material is present, continuing uninterrupted it will form a human being
- Pope Pius IX said a foetus is a person from conception, basis of Roman Catholic belief
22
Q
Judith Jarvis Thompson, counterargument to conception standing
A
- Continuous development, but a point where it is not human
- An acorn becomes an oak tree, but it is not an oak tree initially
23
Q
Characteristics that may indicate personhood?
A
- Being sentient? –> Animals can be, but aren’t people
- Being Rational? –> Monkeys can be rational
- Being self conscious? –> Babies are not self-aware in the sense that they understand their past and future, but one cannot justify murdering a child
24
Q
Potentiality
A
- Foetus is a potential person. Left alone it will develop into a full person and therefore it is as important as a person is
- However doesn’t necessarily imply full legal status should be imposed on hypothetical person…potential victory is not equivalent to victory
25
Mary Anne Warren on Birth
"Birth, rather than some earlier point, marks the beginning of true moral status"
26
Birth
- When the foetus leaves the body and comes into the world. Recognised as an individual
- Clear boundary
--> Babies/foetus' very similar. Seems wrong to place moral value on a foetus who we recognise to be independent when it could have been independent had it been born early
27
Joseph Stelling's standing in 'The Human Person'
-If a being qualifies as a person, it has a moral standing, rights, and others have a duty towards it
28
The effects of pregnancy on the mother
- Hugely demanding physiological and emotional changes
- Trauma: Rape babies, ex partner, handicapped baby?
- Very demanding physically: morning sickness, cramps, supporting another parasitic life
- Prominent cause of death in LEDCs and MEDCs
29
Mother VS Baby conflict of interests
- Ectopic (foetus outside uterus) pregnancy will kill mother and child if it is left uninterrupted.
- Pregnancy may aggravate already harmful health problems such as high blood pressure
- Mother needs medicine that may have a harmful effect on the child
30
Thompson on Abortion: The rights of the mother vs child
- Abortion is self defensive measure: cardiac condition worsening with the progression of a pregnancy. Baby threatens mother so abortion is defensive
- Can you justify killing an innocent in self defense? You cannot sit and wait for death too risky ie running into burning building to save child
- Minimally decent samaritanism, dont do what threatens you, but what helps others should be done
31
Rights of mother vs rights of child - Rights to body
- Right to bodily integrity or ownership
- By extension, right to use body as she wants, includes abortion
- Violinist example: Plugges into violinist keeping him alive, no consent. But he has right to life so can you unplug him, or must you remain strapped to him for the remainder of your life?
-->However, if she did not use contraception she has assumed responsibility for her child and should care for it. If she has it isn't her fault
32
Rights of mother vs rights of child - Rights to Privacy
- Christine overall - Morally wrong to ignore private wishes of the mother if she wishes to kill the foetus
- Mother has reproductive autonomy
- Making her keep the unwanted baby is an intrusion into her privacy
33
Mary Anne Warren against abortion
- Should be legalised
- Wider effects of need for backstreet abortions would be detrimental
- Strain on society
- WHO: unsafe abortions kill 200 000 per year
34
Ethical issues involving legislation about abortion - Can killing an innocent ever be justified?
- Child is an innocent life
-Never asked for life, entirely innocent
HOWEVER
-Could argue self defense, so not innocent
-Mother threatened by worsening condition?
-C. Overall, rights to own body are violated, relationship parasitic therefore justified. Use Thompson's violinist scenario
-Utilitarian view: needs of many over needs of one
35
Ethical issues involving legislation about abortion - Can killing a viable child every be justified?
-Legal up to 24 weeks in the UK which is considered the point when a foetus is VIABLE
- However some have survived at 21-22 weeks so abortion here is murder?
- Some abortions allowed after 24 weeks to save life
BUT
-Survival rate at 24 weeks is only 40%
- less than 1% aborted past 24 weeks
- 2 doctors would have to give consent at 24+
- Necessary to keep it at 24 weeks to save mother
36
Ethical issues involving legislation about abortion - Can condemning a child to life be justified?
- Child may be born handicapped or terminally ill
- Low quality of life, not independent or able to life life fully
- Will not lead a fulfilling, dignified life?
-Long term challenging and expensive care for family
-States that abortion may be justified if there's a chance the child will be born severely handicapped
BUT
-Severely handicapped is subjective, open to abuse
-Ie Joanne Jepson: handicapped woman who argued those like her could live fulfilling life. Sued parents of baby aborted at 27 weeks for cleft palate, argued illegal and lost
37
Ethical issues involving legislation about abortion - Utilitarian POV
- Utilitarians may wish to make abortion illegal
- Short/long term unhappiness for mother due to emotional and physical trauma
- Unhappiness for family due to long term expensive care commitments
- Unloved and handicapped child may bring further unhappiness
- Must consider child: could be unloved, could be loved/happy - HARD TO PREDICT
- Could make society more cautions about sex, BUT could lead to more backstreet abortions
38
Christian view on abortion
- Murder, thou shalt not kill
- Pope John Paul II "The human being is to be respected and treated as a person from the moment of conception"
- David Smith: "Life begins at conception, , abortion at any state is murder of an innocent, humans have no right to take life..."
- COE: decision of persons, some exceptable circumstances (double effect) ie ectopic, remove tube
- -> However, lasering, directly attacks foetus, not side effect
- Liberals: some circumstances (rape babies)
39
Hindu perspective on abortion
- Ahimsa 'no harm' principle is violated
- Reincarnation, ensouled from conception, abortion would deprive it of karma hindering soul
- Duty to produce children
BUT
- Acceptable when mother's life is threatened. Ahimsa from utilitarian POV
- Baby will reenter cycle so not as bad
40
Utilitarian perspective on Abortion
- Consequences: Greatest happiness for mother as no physical and mental trauma + for child, not unloved
- Handicapped: no low quality life for child, no care for family
- Abortion is not wrong on sanctity of life grounds as the greatest happiness determines the right/wrong
-Mill: Autonomy is higher pleasure
BUT
-Consequences hard to predict. Joanne Jepson handicapped and had happy life
- Negative consequences for society (backstreet abortions) if made illegal
- Extinguishes any further happiness
41
Situationist perspective on abortion
-Only love intrinsically good so neither good nor bad, only actions determine
- Loving, compassionate to help mother and family
- Child may not know love, or have low quality of life, so compassionate to abort
- If mother endangered then as more developed person it would be right to abort, people reliant on her. DOUBLE EFFECT
BUT
-Child may be loved in due course
- Not loving to kill, violates Xn teaching
- Love wills the neighbours good, so wills child to live?
- Attitudes to child may change, may be loved
- Consequential and hard to predict
42
Does the definition of Human life stop abortion being murder?
YES
- Life starts at birth so not murder "For me, birth, rather than some earlier point, marks the beginning of a true moral status".
-Legal status as independent person begins at birth
- Illegal pre 24 weeks as viable point is when life begins
-Human life pre birth treated differently, miscarried foetus not buried ect so cannot truly be murder?
NO
-Life begins at conception (pius XI) and John Paul: "Person from conception" under natural law should be treated as person from then
- Potentiality: potential to be fully formed human being, ending that potential life is tantamount to ending life
-Evangelical protestants, david smith: life begins at conception, always murder, no right to take life
- Not murder if self defense at any time (rights of mother)
43
Can abortion ever be good?
NO
-Intrinsically evil always, sanctity of life
- Violates absolute Xn law (do not kill) so no
- "From the first moments of his existence, a human being must be recognised as having the rights of a person
YES
-Can't be intrinsically wrong for situationists
- Self defense of mother, saves life (double effect)
- Welfare of potential child (wont be loved/will e handicapped ect)
- Effect on society (without it, backstreet abortions)
-Allowing people personal autonomy (mill)
44
Do humans have a right to life?
YES
-No murder
-Sanctity of life, God given
-Evangelical Xns "God is the supreme lord of life"
Human rights: most basic right, protected in wartime
-Abortion illegal from 24 weeks as then, independent, recognised as person with own rights and RIGHT to life
BUT
- Foetus not yet a person, no person=no right
- Viability: exceptions to the rule (self defense)
- Some foetuses are less developed than primates, fewer rights, some would argue not HUMAN
45
Stats
- 87% of abortions in first 12 weeks
- <1 % at 24+
- 189 000 2011 UK
Religious studies
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