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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?
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