Though, generally speaking, courage, humility, compassion, and prudence all seem like virtues that could be at play. I was a bit insensitive when making my “most run-of-the-mill abortions would be seen as wrong in the eyes of the virtue ethicist” claim. Each goal is part of a bigger whole, the human life, or to borrow a quote from Alasdair Macintyre “our individual narrative” (After Virtue 1984). Whatever characteristics are needed for a thing to be a “person” never includes all of beings that many think have moral value, or, include far too many things. David Copp & David Sobel - 2004 - Ethics 114 (3):514-554. The woman already is well-acquainted with a full-grown fetus inside of her. (B) What sorts of considerations should influence actions that will promote the answer to (A)? Self rule was considered necessary by Aristotle in order to be the author of one’s decisions. When we do look at the particular cases I think the VEthicist is hard pressed to find justification to abort rather than other available options. I think we are at an impasse, though. Again, I think that the virtue ethicist would be hard-pressed for most other cases as well (A2, A3, A4,…) but my target here was (A1). I suppose a virtue theorist could say that it is not a person. Again, I don't see any clear cut system or relevant criteria to look at here. 2019 … Human? Each action that we intentionally perform is aimed at a particular goal. The hoplites, the Spartans, the macedonian phalanxes, the roman centurions of the legions…all were founded on virtue or seen retrospectively and ideally as being inspirations of virtue. I did this not because I necessarily think that it is, rather, I was trying to see if the virtue ethicist could allow for abortion if they took that as a given as Thompson did. Hey Mike, I appreciate the reply. I’ll just comment on this part because I feel we’re just getting closer to an impasse – haha. “Yes, Aristotle thought highly of only women…” – you must be having me on here. (stay tuned though, in the next few weeks I’ll be taking on abortion more generally). acting in character) do in the circumstances. So, let’s switch gears. In application the woman who wanted to get rid of the child she is carrying in her womb would have to think twice before deciding to terminate her pregnancy. (2) One issue here is obviously that I’m very reluctant to grant it is a full life even just for the sake of argument. It is different from other moral theories because instead of focusing on duty, virtue ethics focuses on character (Darwall, p.1). According to Aristotle: Virtue- is (a) a state that decides, (b) consisting in a mean between extreme choices or vices, (c) the mean relative to us, (d) which is defined by reference to reason, (e) i.e, to the reason by reference to which the intelligent person would define it. The main reason given can be summarized in the following statement: “The mother’s right to privacy becomes less important than the fetus’s right to life only when the fetus could possibly survive without the mother – at around six months” (Payment, p.44). Virtue ethics is a perfect tool for analyzing a deeply polarizing issue like abortion. Virtue ethics like many other ethical theories, tries to answer the questions: (A) How should one live? But this is solely due to the fact that the person is not capable of acting virtuously. There is no middle ground in this issue. Being a Virtue Ethicist, or at least identifying more closely with VE than to other ethical approaches, I’ve concluded that to choose an abortion over other courses of action (if you’re a Virtue Ethicist) is to make a wong decision. Though similar to a consequentialist viewpoint which would determine whether a pregnancy should proceed or not based on the knowledge of the consequences of such actions (to the mother, the fetus, society, etc. Further, what about the person who needs guidance if they engaged in actions that brought about less than ideal circumstances. Pingback: ‘A Philosopher’s Take’ Year in Review (2014) | A Philosopher's Take, “Now, let us consider the case of pregnancy. It is easy to understand why there is such a thing as a postabortion syndrome. (NE 1107a-0-5). What type of assignment 📝 do you need? It was a more specific argument that I targeted toward any Virtue Ethicist that argues for the moral permissibility of abortion (while using Thomson as a starting place as many do in the literature). At the most basic level abortion is the termination of pregnancy (Haney, p.10). The ethical and practical aspects of abortion The ethical standing of induced abortion in human mothers has become an important question. But in the third trimester the baby can live without the mother’s support and therefore it is considered murder. By doing so every woman desiring to terminate pregnancy is given a choice. The goal therefore is for them to alter their lifestyle and not to abort the fetus within their womb. So I’m not convinced this argument carries the same weight throughout the pregnancy. Zygotes are not! Virtue theory seems to favour particularism over generalism here. It is impossible to rationalise this subject from a human perspective because we do not have all the answers. With regards to the mutilation of a corpse – (Prima facie) I’m not seeing what’s morally abhorrent about this? What can contemporary virtue ethics say about the problem of abortion? I’m thinking, not so much. In my opinion, if you cordon off the arguments of those impacted by the dilemma, you’re asking an academic question and will receive humanly emotional academic answers. This paper will examine the underlying issues regarding abortion and then, use virtue ethics to determine the best course of action. Chapter 23: Active and Passive Euthanasia . . Virtue Ethics and abortion? First I wanted to respond to your argument for autonomy. I think that you’ll be forced to grant that a majority of animals are people or that babies aren’t. What Virtues would be adhered to in order to claim that abortion is the right choose when compared to competing alternatives? On the other hand, a foetus at eight weeks is a rapidly growing clump of cells no bigger than a kidney bean, unlikely to have an “I” thought. By using virtue ethics there is no need to force others to follow a certain path. (2019, December 6). Payment, Simone. Aaron, thanks for the reply. That is, this allows us to grant equal rights to all human beings, rather than granting special rights to fetuses such that they alone can violate their mother’s right to bodily autonomy. A seasoned critic just will be more likely to make evaluations which are more in line with what is the ultimate judge – history. I haven’t considered the legal aspect of things here. I guess I see it as similar to mutilating or destroying an old suit that you locked up in a box in the ground. It was not intended to be a deep discussion about the considerations that you have mentioned, as interesting as they are. A woman feels the living thing inside her. Thoughts? Can Babies Unlock the Origins of Morality? The promotion of caring relationships requires both the support and * Jonathan Herring, Professor Law, University of Oxford. In fact that moral blindness is such a sad comment on his moral theory. Im not adding anything, I’m trying to discuss REAL cases. Again, I’ve researched such arguments and don’t find any of them compelling–at all. While I am by no means an ethicist or philosopher, I do think I’m a thinker, not a linear thinker, but rather a pandemic thinker. Virtue Ethics and Abortion . It is always a more difficult to apply Virtue Ethics, as it is concerned with the sort of people we should be. Therefore, if the subject of whether or not to abort hinges on certain environmental factors relevant to the potential action, such as income and welfare of the parent, then Aristotle might not consider this agent to be self governing and therefore not free because their motivations are not solely the source of their judgments. ), but a virtue ethicist, or a virtue theory, should be able to offer guidance to someone not yet completely virtuous (nearly all of us). They usually argue whether or not it’s the sort of life that warrants moral consideration. If you’re allowed to add “other available options” to the argument, then I’m allowed to add, let’s say, “prior available options” – such as minimizing the chances of getting pregnant if one’s not in a good position to have a child. I don’t think that the picture is complete without taking into account a spiritual and multicultural perspective. These include the Being a Person verses Functioning as a Person Argument, women's rights vis-à-vis the rights of the foetus, personhood as an essentially contested concept, and a virtue ethics approach. Same as with slaves. It would be relatively easy to construct a case saying that a foetus of 36 weeks’ gestation is deserving of moral consideration–after all, it’s practically full-term and would likely survive if the woman gave birth prematurely. Hursthouse might here bring up the concept of “moral remainder” or even see this particular case – especially if you want to talk of the extreme case of rape – as a “tragic dilemma.” But I have a feeling you won’t be sympathetic to these ideas! (2019) 'Abortion and Virtue Ethics'. In fact I think a virtue ethicist could justify eschewing such analysis all together. It seems to me that at least most run-of-the-mill abortions would be seen as wrong in the eyes of the Virtue Ethicist. But does this entail that a vice is being committed by simply using ones right? Judith Jarvis Thompson has argued that even if it is a person it is still morally permissible to have an abortion. But, a human life is snuffed out in each abortion. If the analysis of the connection between abortion and moral character is correct, it should help us in understanding the moral dimensions of abortion; it may even provide terms for fresh and fruitful di… 1. The bone of contention centers on the meaning of human life because once it has been established, one can determine whether abortion is murder or another medical procedure. A woman can easily discard a fetus or full-term baby but the after effects of abortion can stay with her for the rest of her life. by Adrian Miroiu, Bucharest: Alternative Publisher’s House Iloaie, Åžtefan (2009). The Ethics Of Abortion Philosophy Essay. I give a much more detailed account/rebuttal of most of what you’ve suggested as well as most of the arguments and suggestions made by other commentators as well. 16. http://ir.stthomas.edu/cas_phil_pub/16 The virtues of compassion and reasonableness could incline the mother to abort the pregnancy. Went to the doctor and was told that she is pregnant, but has a lot of trauma, so if she were to have this child, there is a 90% chance that this child would have permanent health issues and she may be at risk giving birth to the child. We now know how human reproduction really works. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must. Therefore, there is such a profound effect when she could feel the doctor’s tools forcing the fetus out of her body. Biologists say that it’s a life and most pro-lifers and pro-choicers usually agree that it is a life as well. ETHICAL ISSUE: ABORTION INTRODUCTION The root question to ethics is whether abortion is considered murder or a justified killing? When it comes to abortion, we should not listen to the virtue ethicist. She claims that there is no place for technical knowledge in virtue ethics, but this is implausible. A person that embodies dispositions to certain emotions and actions (virtues) that are consistent with a picture of human flourishing that is made up at least in part with those virtues can be considered to be living a virtuous life, or, a flourishing life. "Abortion and Virtue Ethics." Abstract: This essay explicates and evaluates the roles that fetal metaphysics and moral status play in Rosalind Hursthouse’s abortion ethics.It is motivated by Hursthouse’s puzzling claim in her widely anthologized paper Virtue Ethics and Abortion that fetal moral status and (by implication) its underlying metaphysics are in a way, fundamentally irrelevant to her position. Once one goes deep enough, man made laws can only really be viewed as subjective and nothing more than agreements and consensus. It is therefore important to protect hapless fetuses and babies in this country. 4 Answers. Someone might see a burning house. Virtue Ethics. I’m more concerned with cases not related to rape, and, since most of us are not virtuous, a practical virtue ethic should guide us when dealing with how we should act next when the results of our previous “free” actions that are not ideal or virtuous(finding yourself pregnant when you didn’t want to be or something like that). Also covered are central bioethical issues … In an ancient greek view killing a fetus may be a requirement of character in terms of justice or courage or even sincerity or civility. It goes like this: Imagine you dig a hole, and plant a tree seed. http://www.amazon.ca/Right-Action-Virtue-Justin-Caouette/dp/3847340336, http://aaronsholymountain.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/on-an-argument-for-conservatism/, ‘A Philosopher’s Take’ Year in Review (2014) | A Philosopher's Take, https://lagevondissen.wordpress.com/2015/08/10/why-i-became-a-pro-choice-advocate/, Follow A Philosopher's Take on WordPress.com, Discovery and Invention Part I: Distinctions and Notations, Free Will: Why Sam Harris needs to read more Philosophy. I would argue that within Virtue Ethics, abortion could be seen as the right action for a number of reasons. Sure, a virtuous person MIGHT be said to avoid circumstances and situations which lead to unwanted pregnancies (though, it’s tough to say that a virtuous person can avoid rape, etc. Additionally, if getting an abortion does not make someone virtuous, does it necessarily follow that they are not virtuous? 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