Preview

A Utilitarian Approach to Abortion

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1558 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Utilitarian Approach to Abortion
When do Humans become Human? A Utilitarian Approach to Abortion The topic of abortion is possibly one of the more controversial topics in the bioethical world today. The major disputes regarding abortion occur over when, if at all, a foetus is considered a human being. Conversely, there is equal dispute over when exactly one could consider a foetus non-human, and whether or not that affects the morality of abortion as a whole. If we approach the topic of abortion through a utilitarian lens, the solution may appear morally permissible. If the goal is to maximize happiness, and the foetus is born into poverty, then it may be morally permissible to abort the foetus, since happiness the infant is compromised by the mother’s inability to support it. Furthermore, if the foetus lacks the capacity to suffer or feel satisfaction, then it is impossible for the foetus to hold any preferences at all. If the preferences of the mother and foetus were weighed against each other, and the foetus was unable to hold any preferences, then it would be morally permissible to abort the foetus, since the preferences were satisfied between the two individuals involved. Therefore, if a utilitarian approach is used regarding abortion, then a morally acceptable solution can be found upon because at an early enough point in the pregnancy, a solution that maximizes happiness can be found without harming the interests of the foetus. A utilitarian believes that the right action produces the greatest amount of human happiness. They do so by taking an impersonal standpoint and by giving equal weight to the interest of all parties involved. If decisions were made so the ends justify the means without any acknowledgement of human happiness, then that would be a consequentialist approach. Utilitarianism incorporates human values such as happiness while still focusing on the consequences.
Before taking a utilitarian approach to abortion, one must first understand the utilitarian’s approach to
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Abortion " Matters of Life and Death Casts Dispersions on Both Pro-Abortion and Anti-Abortion Debates"
    • 1982 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Abortion " Matters of Life and Death Casts Dispersions on Both Pro-Abortion and Anti-Abortion Debates"

    Jonathan Glover, in his article Matters of Life and Death casts dispersions on both pro-abortion and anti-abortion debates citing them as too knee-jerk emotional reactions diminishing the inherent complexity of the other side (1. Glover, CC2006, p. 0110). Glover comprehensively addresses the key points of both sides of the abortion debate and evaluates their inherent virtues, especially for those who hold these opinions, then methodically points out its flaws. Ultimately, Glover comes to the conclusion that though a fetus is a human at the moment of conception, the right to abort lies with the mother and her own self-determination.…

    • 1982 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Famous Violinist Arguments Against Abortion
    • 1642 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Famous Violinist Arguments Against Abortion

    A. The ‘Conservative Argument’ is based on two premises: it is wrong to kill an innocent human, and fetuses are innocent humans; therefore abortion is wrong (Singer, 1979, p.107). Whilst this argument is valid, there have been many attempts to show that the second premise is wrong. The primary method to show this has been to find the “moral dividing line” between fetus and human, most notably viability, when the fetus can exist independently (Singer, 1979, p.107-108). This main objection is flawed as countries have different levels of technology, which influences the age a fetus can be independent, meaning for developing countries the line drawn would be far later than developed countries (Singer, 1979, p.109). This is substantial as location…

    • 1642 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Abortion: Subjectivism And Utilitarianism
    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Abortion: Subjectivism And Utilitarianism

    : Two arguments that goes against late-term abortion being immoral is subjectivism and utilitarianism. Subjectivism portrays that everyone has his or her own set of morals and that there is no one right way. A subjectivist’s opinion on the subject would argue that a person's view and choice in terms of late abortion is personal to their specific position.…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Bioethical Issues on Abortions
    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Bioethical Issues on Abortions

    Although abortion has been the most debated of all issues in bioethics, no moral consensus has been achieved. The terms used to describe abortion are full of moral meaning. One of four main types of abortion, only ‘eugenic abortion’, as demonstrated by the Nazis, does not consider the wishes of the woman or couple—a fundamental difference for most bioethicists. The terms ‘selective abortion’ and ‘therapeutic abortion’ are often confuse, and selective abortion is often called eugenic abortion by antagonists (meaning opponents, enemies, allies, challengers and so on). Its type of discourse, freely mixing scientific arguments and moral beliefs, hinders analysis. Within writings about abortion three extreme positions may be identified: heteronomy (the belief that life is a gift that does not belong to one) versus reproductive autonomy: sanctity of life versus tangibility of life: and abortion as a crime versus abortion as morally neutral.…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Why Abortion Is Immoral Analysis
    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Why Abortion Is Immoral Analysis

    In his article, Why Abortion is Immoral, Don Marquis argues that abortion is seriously morally wrong and should not be permitted except in certain cases (2012). The exceptions Marquis makes for when abortion is permissible include, in instances of rape, when the pregnancy could threaten the woman’s life, when the fetus is anencephalic, and during the first fourteen days after conception (2012). In his argument, Marquis attempts to bypass the traditional abortion debate which has largely focused on whether or not the fetus is a person (2012). By explaining why killing in general is wrong, Marquis will seek to prove that abortion is morally equivalent to killing an adult because it robs them of their future (2012).…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Utilitarian View on Abortion
    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Utilitarian View on Abortion

    Utilitarianism is the thought that actions are right if they benefit or bring happiness to a majority of the population. A utilitarian’s view on abortion could be that it is a good thing or a bad thing. They could argue that there is overpopulation in today’s society and around the world people are starving and going thirsty because of overpopulation. A utilitarian would say it would benefit the world’s population if a baby was aborted rather than taking another persons food. Another argument a utilitarian would make is that if a couple could not raise that child or would be alone (single parent) it would be better if they are aborted because it would put less of a burden on society having the mother not be on a welfare or government assistance lessening taxes for others and having the child from a broken home could raise crime and drug addiction having the baby aborted would prevent this from happening. Also some studies show that having a baby decreases happiness in relationships and sometimes breaks people up it could be argued that if an unplanned pregnancy were terminated the couple would be happier and when they wanted a child would love that child more. An unloved child would act out and cause a burden on the rest of society.…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Abortion: An ethical dilemma.
    • 1955 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Abortion: An ethical dilemma.

    Abortion, the intentional termination of a pregnancy through surgical or medical devices, was legalized in 1973. This issue of abortion has caused a great segregation in our country. Often the debate is thought to be conservative versus liberal, republican versus democrat, but more accurately it is pro-life versus pro choice. A pro-life stance opposes the belief that a woman should have the freedom to choose an abortion in the case that for any reason she does not want to have a baby. Pro-choice takes the opposite stance; pro-choice is a belief that a women should have the autonomy to chose an abortion in the case of an unwanted pregnancy (Freesearch, 2005). Difficult questions get thrown around between the two views. Where does life begin? Should a woman have complete autonomy over her healthcare decision involving her body? What about in the case of disease and rape, are we more concerned with the wellbeing of the mother or the fetus? Issues such as nonmaleficience and beneficence, justice, autonomy, and quality of life come into play. Should we as healthcare professionals, deliberately cause harm to a fetus to maintain the autonomy of the mother? Is it just to deny complete autonomy to the mother while simultaneously denying justice and autonomy to a potential life? From a virtue ethical prospective, the answers to the difficult questions and actions taken depend on the innate moral values of the individual. For example, a Christian would derive their moral values from the Bible which describes life as preconceived before physical birth; whereas, an atheist would be more likely to believe happiness for the greatest number is the ultimate goal (utilitarianism). Since abortion is viewed as such a morality issue, controversies arise between people with different moral codes.…

    • 1955 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Abortion and the Utilitarian View
    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Abortion and the Utilitarian View

    Abortion is a sensitive topic that requires a considerable amount of understanding when addressing the ethics behind it. Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy thus ending the life of the embryo/fetus prematurely (Matthews MP, Dutt T, 1998). My ethical justification for abortion stems from a utilitarianism standpoint. When using the utilitarian consequential principle of ethics, we establish a set of general morals and rules in which we can apply to every moral question based upon our utilitarian findings. When this is applied to abortion, we can see that abortion is a completely ethical entity that provides “the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people” (Jeremy Bentham, 1789).…

    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Abortion - “the Wrong of Abortion”
    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Abortion - “the Wrong of Abortion”

    Abortion is one of the most controversial topics of all times. The definition most people associate with abortion is the termination of unwanted pregnancy. In their essay, “The Wrong of Abortion”, Patrick Lee and Robert P. George argue that intentional abortion is unjust and therefore objectively immoral no matter the circumstances. Also, they argue that “the burden of carrying the baby is significantly less than the harm the baby would suffer by being killed; the mother and father have a special responsibility to the child; it follows that intentional abortion (even in few cases where the baby’s death is an unintended but foreseen side effect) is unjust ” (24).…

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Thomson vs. Marquis: Abortion
    • 1756 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Thomson vs. Marquis: Abortion

    The question between whether abortion is morally right or wrong has been talked about for years and no common ground has been made. Judith Thomson, a believer in Pro-choice, argues that abortion is not wrong because the mother should have a choice of what happens to her body. In response to this, Donald Marquis who is against abortion believes every fetus is a human with a right to have a future like ours. Each Ethicist gives examples and theories as to why abortion is wrong or right. In this essay, I will attempt to show that abortion is okay in some cases, and Donald Marquis’s views and arguments are broad and incorrect.…

    • 1756 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Abortion Essay
    • 2740 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Abortion Essay

    Should a woman be allowed to have an abortion when she got pregnant desirably? While abortion may be immediately framed as murder according to the majority of society’s opinion, some still argue that it is abortion is the best option for women’s stable mentalities. This issue is a very controversial matter that many people have debated about. Along with the debates, many laws were also formed to govern the legality of this matter. While only thirty countries from all over the world legalize abortions, the rest of countries have “partial restrictions or complete ban on abortion, unless life of the mother is at stake” (Ladock 1). There are many reasons for a mother to choose abortion, but the cause of rape and health is only seven percent of all the abortion cases. The primary cause of abortion is resulted from “personal and social” issues of the mother (Ladock 1).…

    • 2740 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Deontological and Utilitarian arguments for Abortion
    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Deontological and Utilitarian arguments for Abortion

    The issue of abortion is one that has been at the recent forefront of many political discussions in the United States and around the world. There are people spread across both sides of the argument whose opinions vary in intensity and depend on different sources of information to back up their points of view. For the purpose of this paper, abortion will be defined as the deliberate termination of human pregnancy. It is my opinion that abortion, completed early enough in a pregnancy, is not an unethical act and should not be considered to be a decision that is immoral. My argument is based on ideas that are rooted in both utilitarian and deontological ethics as I will show throughout the essay.…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Abortion
    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Abortion

    In this paper I will argue that abortion is morally correct based on the situation at hand. The most common argument against abortion is that every person has a right to life. Abortion a very misleading factor in the social scheme of people lives today can never grasp the concept of rather it is right or wrong. Around for more than one hundred years and still pushing is the talk on abortion and rather it’s right or wrong. Taking the life of an unborn is looked down upon, and in some cases it is something that had to be done based on the circumstance. If a person was forced to have sex it would be morally correct to have an abortion, on the other hand if a person was not forced but willingly planned to conceive a child then it is not morally correct. Arguments from so many levels have taken the stand to explain what is morally correct and, what is morally wrong. My view will be focused on why it is morally correct to have abortion based on certain circumstances of the parent of the unborn child. Using views of Don Marquis who is against abortion and Judith Jarvis Thomson who is for abortion, I will explain there views and break down my meaning of why abortion is morally correct.…

    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Prostitution And Utilitarianism
    • 400 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Essay On Prostitution And Utilitarianism

    Utilitarianism as most know view that in order to determining what we should do, we must consider what specific act would produce the best overall consequences. They view the ethical goal is to lead is a life rich in pleasure or happiness both in point of quantity and quality for…

    • 400 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Abortion
    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Abortion

    In the world, the number of abortion cases is increasing. This situation has been fuelled by among other factors social and economic factors. Abortion is the murder of pregnancy. It is the removal of the fetus or embryo before it is viable. (Malcolm 1977)…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics