Kantian Ethics & Utilitarianism applied to abortion & the right to a child
Approaching abortion
- Act - looks at the circumstances and chooses outcome with greatest amount of pleasure, pleasure of parents outweigh that of foetus
- Rule - looks at quality of pleasure, which pleasure is better, that of foetus or parents? Rules of justice & rights (life, liberty & property) must exist for general happiness
- Preference - considers preference of mother and harm to other family members
- No blanket answer - looks at each individual situation
Approaching the issue of abortion
Utilitarianism
Approaching the right to a child
Act - measure pain of unused embryos & pleasure of parents & baby created. Considers low success-rate & effect this would have on happiness of couple
Rule - Rules of justice & rights (life, liberty & property) must exist for general happiness - right to child
Preference - Considers preference of couple
- No protection of rights of embryo or see it as sacred
- Question of funds being spent for better use - saving more lives & increasing happiness of majority
- Is it worth adding to the population for the pleasure of a minority
- Abortion would be difficult to universalise - so many different situations & motivations for an abortion
- No account for emotion, but abortion is an emotional decision
- Abortion goes against teaching of treating others as ends and not means if foetus is considered person
- All consequences ignored
- Act (Bentham) - Consequentialist, subjective, teleological. The greatest good (pleasure) for the greatest number. Focused on needs of individual. Quantitative - hedonic calculus
- Rule (Mill) - The greatest happiness for the greatest number. Universalistic - for the common good. Qualitative - higher & lower pleasures
- Preference (Singer) - looks at preferences of individuals involved to achieve greatest good
How effective is this approach
Kantian Ethics
I think that a Utilitarian approach to these issues more effective as it looks at each situation individually before reaching a judgement, which I think is necessary especially under extreme circumstances. Also with issues like abortion and the right to a child, every situation is different and deserves individual attention.
Basic principles: - Deontological and objective - looks at action rather than consequences or intentions
- Emphasis on duty
- Categorical Imperative - Universalisation, treating people as ends and live as if in Kingdom of Ends
How effective is this approach?
I believe that a Kantian approach to the issues of abortion and the right to a child isn't very effective as Kantian Ethics is quite cold with no regard for emotions and both of these issues require a emotional response. Also Kantian Ethics does not look at the circumstances surrounding an issue and in the issues surrounding abortion and the right to a child, the surrounding circumstances are very important factors that need to be counted
Approaching the right to a child
- If embryo is considered a person - would the destruction of so many embryos be justified?
- Danger of treating human life as another consumer good
- Using a surrogate would be using someone as a means rather than an end - same with genetic match siblings
- Question of universalisation - is IVF to be offered to everyone?