...with choices? How is a decision determined to be right or wrong? These are some of the questions that summarize the concept of the book My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Anna, the protagonist, files a law suit against her parents, Brian and Sara, because they forced her to make medical decisions that were not her own. Anna is sympathetic with her sister’s condition and has given all she can to ensure Kate’s recovery from leukemia. Yet the discovery of the purpose of her being conceived through vitro fertilization was for the intention to possible spare Kate’s life. Anna claims that her parents’ (Sara and Brian Fitzgerald) push for her to donate her kidney unwillingly is an infringement of her “right to life”. She also claims that she is being denied the right to make decisions as regards her own body. While Anna believes that such an action would be very wrong, her parents emphasize that it is the right decision if saving Kate’s life is the ultimate goal. This book covers this life of this family during the trial period. It focuses on the tension that the family undergoes in a bid to keep one of them Kate, alive. The emotional tenacity of this book brings a different notion of health communication. An analysis of the events in this novel reveals that indeed right and wrong is subjective. This paper examines the different characters and events in My Sister’s Keeper and tries to analyze the theme of what choices are right or wrong and how those choices are situation based. ...
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...To take a human life may not always be right, although certain circumstances may lead to the act to be more beneficial than detrimental to a community’s survival. Ethical subjectivism holds the argument that the morals applied to taking a human life is only in the opinion of the individual. This means that the feelings behind taking a human life are determined by the individual judging whether it is correct or not. In contrast to this, Utilitarianism holds the opinion that if something is deemed ‘correct’ it will lead to the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people as a result. This train of thought does not have the individuals’ sense of morals included only the majorities sense of ‘happiness’. “Utilitarianism is a modern nineteenth...
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...of moral rights, with reference to the topic you have investigated The term personhood is often used to describe the point when life becomes an individual human that is entitled to rights. A person is a being that has certain qualities or abilities establishing personhood, which is otherwise defined by different authors in different scriptures and by different cultures. For a person to have rights means that they have a voice. Abortion is a controversial subject and to this day is still argued on whether or not it’s morally right to terminate pregnancy. Some people believe that abortion is right if the mother’s life is at risk or if there is a range of circumstance like the foetus becoming handicapped and others claim that it isn’t morally right no matter the situation because the bible forbids murder ‘Thou shalt not kill’ (10 commandments). Majority of people strongly agree that it is wrong to kill a person which is usually called a murder/homicide. Though others that oppose abortion generally try to argue that the foetus/embryo is in fact a human person. But how can one decide if human life is the same as a human person or in fact a human at all? Well a human is thought to be a man, woman, or child of the species Homo sapiens, distinguished from other animals by superior mental development, power of coherent speech, and upright posture. A person is an individual with a personality. Human life is simply a sperm and egg. If people feel as if abortion is wrong, then they...
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...while justifying if the act is good, bad, right, wrong or stays neutral. Deontology focuses on the duty and obligation you have to act in the right manner and not focus on the consequence of your action. According to deontology those that are in danger of loss of life they should not pull the plug or remove ones self from life support equipment because the morality of the decision will be judged on the morality of the action not the consequence. When applying deontology end of life medical issues then there is only a right or a wrong action, there is no middle ground. Removal of life support is therefore either right or wrong. Absolute deontologists would sat that a good way to look at this act would be to not focus on intentions or consequences but instead only focus on the act itself. The act of terminating life support or pulling the plug and euthanasia ends a life. Ending a life is called murder whether it was voluntary or not. It is the act that is judged not the intentions or consequence. If a person tries to end their own life via whatever means they choose is still murder but its called suicide. Murder and suicide and even attempted suicide are all bad words that have no good things stemming from them no matter how you could twist the definition. These words are considered bad because they are and it takes an act to make them real. Terminating a human life is wrong according to deontology and not ethical. It is wrong no matter what the consequence, intention...
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... professions A branch of applied ethics Introduction to ethics. I. II. To what extent is reasoning possible in ethics? One assumption: ethics is subjective A. If subjective then no disagree: Paul I like my coffee sweetened, Helen unsweetened: no disagreement B. If Paul “drs should sometimes assist their patient’s death, Helen: No (then real disagreement) C. There is a point here about disagreement A characteristic of ethics and ethical argumentation consistency: A. It is always wrong to kill a human being B. Abortion is not always wrong C. I am committed to holding that abortion isn’t always the killing of a human being a. This sets a limit on the subjectivity of ethics b. Another such limit: factual accuracy c. One can enjoy a taste without knowing what it is d. In ethics we have to understand the facts of the matter: patient’s prognosis, wishes etc in regards to resuscitation (2) Ethical relativism A. Similarity to subjectivism: B. Ethics depends upon a group, a culture etc. a. Darius: eat or ...
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...The human rights activists are against this type of punishment I believe in second chances. The Disadvantages of Death Penalty * Though there are scientific methods available to investigate the crime, nothing is guaranteed. You cannot remove the chances of punishing innocents completely. * The cost involved on the death penalty prosecution is greater than the expenses occurred in the life imprisonment of the accused. The appeals against such capital punishments take too long to decide, and often it takes years to decide the fate of the death penalty. All these things make the death penalty an expensive option for the governments who spend millions of the dollars of the taxpayer money on death penalty prosecutions. * It is reported that some of the jury members are not completely impartial as they decide the penalty on racial or religious basis. * Some of the accused are mentally ill, and it is ethically wrong to put mentally ill patients to the death. * In most cases people who can afford to hire the expensive lawyers often survived from such kind of capital punishment. People who are poor, and cannot afford to get a quality legal assistance becomes the victim of this penalty. * Some of the experts believe that life prison is a more effective punishment to control crimes as compared to the death penalty. The countries where the death penalty is banned have less capital crime rate as compared to those countries where the death penalty is practiced. ...
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...Ethics, Natural Rights Theories, and Religious Ethics A “utilitarian” argument, in the strict sense, is one what alleges that we ought to do something because it will produce more total happiness than doing anything else would. Act utilitarianism (AU) is the moral theory that holds that the morally right action, the act that we have a moral duty to do, is the one that will (probably) maximize “utility” (happiness, welfare, well-being). AU is not to be confused with egoism. The egoist really only cares about his own happiness. AU says that everyone’s happiness counts equally. Suppose that executing Joseph would in the long run produce more total happiness than letting him live would. Then according to AU, we ought to execute Joseph. Now if Joseph is a convicted serial murderer who would probably escape and commit more murders if we tried to incarcerate him, then it’s reasonable to think that executing him would be the right thing to do. But what if he has committed no crime? What if he is simply an extremely irritating person with no friends or loved ones, and the many people with whom he has contact in his life are very sensitive and dislike him intensely? Since more total happiness is produced if Joseph dies (the increased happiness of the many who no longer have to endure him outweighs his unhappiness about dying) than if he lives, AU says that it’s right to kill him. This example illustrates what is probably the main objection to AU: it tells us to violate rights/commit injustices...
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...Relativism and Morality In this article, “Some Moral Minima” by Lenn E. Goodman, he expresses his views about situations that he feels that are wrong. He explains and argues the wrong in murder, terrorism, hostages, slavery, rape, polygamy, and incest. He provides detailed examples of why he believes these things are wrong. I agree with him on these issues that are proven to be wrong morally. I do not believe that any one should take advantage of another person in any way i.e. discriminating or taking their life because it is unmoral in my opinion. One of the main points that the author wrote about was murder. Murder is a wrong and unmoral act and I do not feel any individual should have the right to end someone’s life for no reason at all or even if there is a reason. Who has the right to take a life? Goodman states “Murder is wrong because it destroys a human subject”. (pg.88 par.9) In Genesis 9:6 the Bible states “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed” and the only time I feel someone should be killed is if they are in the process of harming another individual’s life or if they have taken someone’s life. For example, if a person is in danger it should be a giving right for them to defend themselves and if someone kills another person they should be persecuted and put to death. In his article one of the types of murders he talked about was genocide. Genocide is type of murder that targets individuals as members of a group, seeking to destroy...
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...("Status of Abortion in America"). In the Roe v. Wade case, Roe (Norma McCorvey), had claimed she was gang raped and attempted to have an abortion in Texas. ("Roe and Doe"). After hearing the case, the Supreme Court ruled that an American’s right to privacy included the right of a woman whether or not to have children, and the right of a woman and her doctor to make that decision without state interference, at least in the first trimester of pregnancy. ("Celebrating 25 Years of Reproductive Choice"). The moral issue of abortion—whether or not it is murder—has been debated since it was legalized in 1973. Roe v. Wade has been one of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions of the 20th century. ("Roe No More"). More than two decades since the Supreme Court first upheld a woman’s right to abortion, the debate over the morality and legality of induced abortion continues in the United States. ("Abortion," Encarta 98). Abortion is one of the most divisive and emotional issues facing United States policy makers today. ("Economics of Abortion"). The people who are in favor of the Roe v. Wade decision and the right to have an abortion are called "pro-choice." They believe that the government does not have the right to interfere on a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, "Forty-nine percent of pregnancies among American women are unintended; one half of these are terminated by...
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...worldview can be influenced by many things including family, friends, educations, and media. Weider breaks down what a worldview is into three easy points “a person’s philosophy of life, a framework a person brings to decision-making, and a filter or lens that a person uses to interpret life and the world around them” (59). People may claim that they don’t have a worldview but that isn’t true everyone has a worldview whether they know it or not. A person’s worldview helps them deal with everyday issues. 106 Part II. There are three types of worldviews that can help answer the five questions of origin, identity, meaning/purpose, morality, and destiny. The three types of worldviews are naturalism, pantheism, and theism. The question of origin, how did life begin? And how did mankind come into existence? According to theism everything is in existence because of God, that he is the creator of everything in life including human life. The bible supports this belief, as shown in Genesis 1:1 and in Jeremiah 32:17 both referring to how God alone created the heavens and the earth and that nothing was too great for him. I think that most Christians believe the theist approach of answering the questions of origin because the scripture teaches you that everything including the heavens, the earth, and human life was all created by God. Also the apostle’s creed backs up the belief that God was the creator of everything from the beginning. The question of Identity, what does it mean to be...
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...Maxwell Husband St. Joseph’s University Moral Foundations T/TR 8:30-9:45 “Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice” Abortion is and forever will be a very controversial topic of discussion. It has been debated for years whether it is morally right or wrong. Abortion is a unique subject in that it involves not only morality but also a large amount of theology, emotion, and law. It is also unique because it forces people to choose one side or the other, there is a very small gray area when it comes to this debate, and the side that I will fall on in this essay is the pro-choice side. In this essay I will attempt prove that abortion is not murdering an innocent fetus and that the arguments for pro-choice are stronger than the ones for pro-life. The main point of disagreement between the two sides is what constitutes life, when does human life actually begin? I believe to construct a sound argument this issue must be examined first. I will then go on to cover other various pro-choice points such as a women’s right to choose, the quality of life for the potential child, and the extreme circumstances that will disprove the notion that abortion is morally wrong. As stated in my opening paragraph, the key issue in the case of abortion is determining the status of the fetus in the sense of its humanity. It is my belief that a fetus does not qualify as a human. I agree with Warren when she states that “human being” is a term that is not often distinguished, she suggests that there are two...
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...Sharon Stedman case study Since begging us humans are looking for the answer about life and when and where it starts? This leads us to very controversial issue about beginning of life. Some argue that life began at the time of conception and some says birth or later. This leads us to another subject, abortion, which is also very controversial matter. In today’s word, abortion is taking place everywhere. Many of us claim that abortion is murder. Majority agrees with a fact that life start when an egg and sperm meets and fertilization starts. Since fetus have their own genetic code, it is a new life. With that said fetus is another being and have its own rights. In Sharon Stedman case it is morally and ethical wrong for her to do abortion, since she is already four-and-a-half months pregnant. One of the obvious reason that goes against abortion is that, it is ethically and morally wrong. It is morally wrong for Sharon Stedman to abort the baby for just for materialistic reasons. According to professor Dorcas in our class lecture that “Abortion is the act which a women perform in voluntarily terminating her pregnancy” (Chung). That explain that it is a deliberate act which ethically and morally wrong and against the fetus rights. When we talk about right and wrong actions, it take us to Kant’s argument. As stated by Kant, “all behaviors and actions are done by people simply because they are the right things to do. Second, people do things based on whether it is moral rather than...
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...normal functions of the heart and lungs that could disturb the complete physical, mental and social well being of individual”. (Violeta) Newborns born with this would not survive more then a few days without the extreme help of doctors and machines to keep the baby alive. Now what could happen is the newborn could be left alone and would die but not before sufficient suffering. Or the baby could be kept alive with machines that the doctors have, but the baby would also suffer and only be kept alive because of the machines. The third option is the baby could be killed quickly and painlessly, which would relieve suffering. The ethical issues that are involved in this case that are brought up by people are. 1. Nobody has the right to decide whether ones life is worth less than another’s. Thus meaning that one person cannot decide whether someone should live or die. 2. Everyone should be given a fighting chance to live. This means that maybe something miraculous happens and the baby pulls through the disease. How would you feel if this was the case and you actually thought of killing your child? 3. Discrimination against newborns with disabilities. This brings up the argument of discrimination. For example you wouldn’t kill someone just because they were Jewish but by killing this baby it is basically saying that, accept towards newborns with disabilities. People may...
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...p. 8 Religion and the Sanctity of Life The Sanctity of Life p. 12 A critique of the Sanctity of Life: Jonathan Glover p. 14 Christian perspectives: Methodists and Catholics p. 16 ‘Ensoulment’, soul, and the sacredness of life p. 18 Religious views in conflict: liberalism and conservatism p. 19 Philosophical Problems in Abortion An argument against abortion p. 20 Personhood p. 21 A ‘person’ as rational and self-conscious: Peter Singer p. 24 Moral rights: the foetus and the mother p. 26 A woman’s right to an abortion: Judith Jarvis Thomson p. 28 ‘Why abortion is immoral’: Don Marquis p. 29 Anthology of Texts Unit 2 model answers: ethics (Edexcel) ‘Why abortion challenges us all’: Rowan Williams ‘Contraception and abortion within Protestant Christianity’: Gloria Albrecht ‘Virtue theory and abortion’: Rosalind Hursthouse Appendix: sample exam questions and level descriptors Notes Pages A Modern Controversy: the Case of George Tiller Profile: George Tiller (2009) To some anti-abortionists George Tiller, who was shot dead on Sunday, was a mass murderer known as "Tiller the Killer". To his patients and many pro-choice supporters, he was a hero committed to women in need of help. For two decades, Dr Tiller spent his life looking over his shoulder. He had become a lightning rod for anti-abortion activists and in 1993 survived an attempt on his life. He rarely talked about his work for...
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...message of Jesus is to get involved as the Father has gotten involved with humanity, the rabbi cautions a more conservative approach. The rabbi wants us merely to keep from harming others. Jesus wants us to act, not just react. • Jesus further puts his own special seal on this maxim by stating the two greatest commandments: love God and love one another. To love someone is to seek to do good to them, and certainly, at the very least, to avoid doing them evil. • What is Christian Moral Life? • Misconceptions 1. Reduced to avoidance of sin 2. Reduced to a series of don’ts and dire punishment if we fail • What is Christian Moral Life? • Positive and Fuller Meaning 1. Moral theology should start with God and God’s love - JP II (Veritatis Splendor) : The moral life is a response to the many gratuitous initiatives taken by God out of God’s love - God always acts first: the moral life begins with God’s grace; we respond in freedom to our experience of God - If the moral life is a response to God, then our image of God is crucial because how we imagine God would affect how we respond to Him morally (e.g. the Parable of the Prodigal Son) Parable of the...
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