Women were considered subject to father’s/husband’s authority. Its emphasis is on how things should be instead of what has to be done (Darwall, p.1). Are you referring to the size of the clump? Her most substantial contribution to modern virtue ethics is her book On Virtue Ethics, which explores its structure as a distinctive action-guiding theory, the relationship between virtue, the emotions and moral motivation, and the place of the virtues within an overall account of human flourishing. Because it is contextual, but not relativistic. Embodying virtues is, at least partially, constitutive of flourishing. Thus, after the abortion there is no inner-struggle that can trigger a wave of depression and anxiety. @ Cindie: Hursthouse doesn’t take a stand on whether or not the fetus is a person. It is a mean between two vices, one of excess and one of deficiency. The virtues of compassion and reasonableness could incline the mother to abort the pregnancy. I guess I’m not seeing how a decision not to abort could be a vice (as you mentioned it could). Here is a second consideration, especially relevant since I know Hursthouse has an aversion to dealing in abstract or isolated moral scenarios (I am an ex student): any case of pregnancy has its circumstances which a person or two people with certain character constitutions are responsible for. If we assume that the fetus is a person, or has moral value from conception (which Thomson does for the sake of argument), then I think the virtue ethicist will have a tough time saying that abortion is the “right” act all things considered. The database is updated daily, so anyone can easily find a relevant essay example. Whether it’s a person or a ife deserving of moral consideration are much different arguments and not arguments I was trying to have when I initially posted. However, is a baby a fully formed human being? I’m thinking, not so much. It seems to me that personhood is the best way to draw the parameters of the set of moral agents. Unlike deontological and co… What is a person? To act against this, (and assuming the fetus is a person as Thomson does for the sake of argument) would be to not act virtuously. We utilize security vendors that protect and ensure the integrity of our platform while keeping your private information safe. ETHICAL ISSUE: ABORTION INTRODUCTION The root question to ethics is whether abortion is considered murder or a justified killing? The definition of virtue changes and is in flux, and there is no real reason to privilege one time periods definition of virtue of another. No matter how convincing the argument is with regards to scientific basis of abortion in the final trimester, there is no way that it can be used against pro-life groups. The pro-life groups have the right to contest the judgment made by the US Supreme Court because this is a nation established on the ideals of freedom and human rights. Did you cut down a tree, or did you stop the seeds’ potentiality of being a tree? The goal therefore is for them to alter their lifestyle and not to abort the fetus within their womb. Favourite answer. Now, in a longer philosophical project, for my M.A thesis, I did take a look at lots of different cases. Would a courageous person let someone kill a foetus? One could argue that a woman’s right to choose is supported by and an execution of the virtues of compassion and reasonableness (to name a few), since that woman may realize that the circumstances she is in and the resources she has available will not provide a happy and satisfying life for the unwanted child. A case in which the child does not have a terrible disease, the woman did not take any precautions (birth control pill), has the means to care for a child, was not coerced into sex and calls herself a virtue ethicist will be hard pressed to claim that her ethical view would call her decision to abort (when other options are available) the “right act” (Let’s call this case A1). What’s your deadline? 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. A discussion of personhood might help with the abortion debate. It’s titled “Right Action and Virtue”. Chapter 26: … But we would not do it frivolously. She decides to have an abortion based on the fact that she does not want to cause her child to suffer if she gives birth to it. Relevance. Wasn’t personhood of fundamental importance for Aristotle, the father of Virtue Ethics? Payment, Simone. Abstract. The only appropriate answer is ‘no one’. Though, generally speaking, courage, humility, compassion, and prudence all seem like virtues that could be at play. Virtue Ethics and abortion? For example, a virtuous person is someone who is kind across many situations over a lifetime because that is her character and not because she wants to maximize utility or gain favors or simply do her duty. By using virtue ethics there is no need to force others to follow a certain path. These virtues obviously have a more critical view of abortion. 2019 … I believe any virtuous person would assume the responsibility of their actions or would be responsible enough not to get into the situation in the first place… They would have to make some sacrafices and have compassion for the unborn child. 7, No. But in most instances it seems that abortion is considered for no other reason except unwanted pregnancy. David Copp & David Sobel - 2004 - Ethics 114 (3):514-554. Can Babies Unlock the Origins of Morality? Imagine it’s the corpse of a loved one and it might seem worse. Won’t respond to all of it for the sake of brevity, just the parts I can think of replies to right now: With regards to the mutilation of a corpse – (Prima facie) I’m not seeing what’s morally abhorrent about this? I recommend a book by Chinua Achebe called “Things Fall Apart”. Virtue Ethics. Rosalind Hurshouse argues in “Virtue Theory and Abortion” that the status of the fetus, as well as the rights of the woman who is pregnant, is irrelevant, which is ironic seeming abortion is usually revolved around these two exact topics. I begin by comparing virtue ethics to the two other dominant approaches in normative ethics and then consider what some important virtue ethicists have said about abortion, especially Rosalind Hursthouse. Ethics guide. A virtuous characteristic, when looking at the case of abortion, is incontrovertibly complex. The opinion of the Supreme Court justices was based on the idea that pregnancy can be divided into trimesters (Payment, 44). Women, slaves, barbarians (=non-Greeks) were not in the set of moral agents for Aristotle. However, this ethical framework reminds everyone that the freedom to choose is useless if the decisions made does not build character and help people become the best that they could be. Further, the “I” thought doesn’t occur in babies either but we would think that they have moral value. SO, as it stands, we’re back to the initial question. 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. I was assuming a particular view of the fetus, mainly, that it is a person. Singer suggests that the argument of abortion has missed the point. Abortion and Virtue Ethics. (2019, December 6). I begin by outlining virtue ethics in comparison to the two other dominant approaches in normative ethics. The goal must be the development of character and the appropriate inner state. Self-Quizzes. 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. Are you suggesting that Virtue Ethics can’t offer guidance in those cases? According to Rosalind Hursthouse, an action is right (from a Virtue Ethical perspective)  if and only if it is what the virtuous agent would do in the same circumstances. What is a person? 7 July 2010 Web. In the West, virtue ethics’ founding fathers are Plato andAristotle, and in the East it can be traced back to Mencius andConfucius. The Ethics Of Abortion Philosophy Essay. So, to answer how one should act when pregnant by saying they shouldn’t have had sex is not very helpful at all. “As to exposing or rearing the children born, let there be a law that no deformed child shall be reared; but on the ground of number of children, if the regular customs hinder any of those born being exposed, there must be a limit fixed to the procreation of offspring, and if any people have a child as a result of intercourse in contravention of these regulations, abortion must be practised on it before it has developed sensation and life; for the line between lawful and unlawful abortion will be marked by the fact of having sensation and being alive.”. By doing so every woman desiring to terminate pregnancy is given a choice. And, if we assume as Thompson does then I do not think the theory of right action put forth by Hursthouse, and most virtue ethicists, can claim that abortion is permissible. Now, the considerations you raise are very well connected to abortion in general but they are not salient for the specific argument I was giving. Pregnancy and abortion is, if anything, based on science, and it would obviously make more sense to understand as much as one could on the technical details that initially instigate these issues. Because it focuses on one’s character, why they chose to perform the action, and doesn’t focus primarily on the outcome of that action (consequentialism) or some arbitrary rule (deontology). The goal is not just character but a healthy mind and inner-peace and these are more precious than anything else in the world. (NE 1107a-0-5). ), but even if we grant that personhood status was legitimate and that the fetus has moral worth, the argument for bodily autonomy would still apply and protect equal rights to both the mother and fetus, thus allowing the mother to refuse to donate her body to that fetus. I think the argument that the foetus has some kind of moral weight or deserves ethical consideration is made more complicated by the fact that it isn’t the same over the entire nine months. This is why I find VE to be superior to other leading theories. Consider for instance the phenomenon known as postabortion syndrome. The State also has the option to make the procedure illegal in the final trimester. I did that because she claims that abortion is permissible EVEN IF the fetus is a person, and if we grant that point I wanted to consider how the virtue ethicist could respond. With regards to the virtue ethicist defining “what life consists in”, I guess I’m not sure exactly what you’re getting at here. This is a serious charge. (1) Imagine it’s the corpse of a loved one and it might seem worse. The next day you return to the hole and remove the seed. If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Again, I don't see any clear cut system or relevant criteria to look at here. I’ll re-post here to remind you of the purpose; “If one thinks that the fetus is not deserving of moral consideration or does not have any moral worth that’s one thing and a very different sort of debate, but, if we make the assumption that Judith Jarvis Thompson does in her seminal work “A Defense of Abortion” and assume the fetus is a person, or that the fetus ought to be morally considered (for the sake of argument) then when can the Virtue Ethicist claim that aborting the fetus is the right action when other options like adoption or parenting the child yourself are available? Virtue Ethics : Moral Philosophy For Determining The Moral Permissibility Of Abortion. The Abortion Debate: Understanding the Issues. The sort of ethical theory derived from Aristotle, variously described as virtue ethics, virtue-based ethics, or neo-Aristotelianism, is becoming better known, and is now quite widely recognized as at least a possible rival to deontological and utilitarian theories. One of the more controversial statements made by Aristotle might be that only certain individuals have even the option of being virtuous. Therefore, the question of whether a virtuous person would terminate a pregnancy out of fear that she would not be able to provide a certain form of life might mean that this person is not virtuous. So please feel free to chime in then as well. What about cases of rape? The choice is easier when it comes to the possibility that mother and child cannot survive if an abortion is not performed. He considers that there are certain environmental factors that come into play in whether an agent is virtuous. Unfortunately, your browser is too old to work on this site. In other words a child has to be born first before he or she can enjoy the same rights as others. (Intuitively, this seems like a plausible story). Like the egg, removing it on purpose once it has attached to the wall is not the same as committing an immoral act of murder. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. This is IvyPanda's free database of academic paper samples. 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! I haven’t argued for any biological basis to ground our moral considerations here, I was working with Judith Jarvis Thomson’s starting place and wondering how the virtue ethicist could motivate the decision to abort, or, consider the decision to abort to be the “right” decision from her starting place. Flash Cards. public good of abortion. (Slavery as an acceptable practice in certain cultures as a case and point). I think the civilizations of antiquity and ancient greece in particular would not see any disconnect here between virtue and abortion. An African Religious Moral Theory and Abortion. To virtue theorists, an action is right iff it is what a virtuous agent would do in the circumstance. There are mainly 2 views towards abortion. Therefore, the main reason why a woman can choose to end pregnancy is that she has full control of her body and the fetus. You can use them for inspiration, an insight into a particular topic, a handy source of reference, or even just as a template of a certain type of paper. It doesn’t seem that the VE can claim that a virtuous person would abort the baby if we have already accepted that the baby’s life is of significant moral value. 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. The woman already is well-acquainted with a full-grown fetus inside of her. To this end, I don’t think a discussion of person hood will help ESPECIALLY WHEN WE’VE STIPULATED THOMSON’S POSITION that they are…. 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. Mary Ann Warren has argued that fetuses are not persons; they do not have the right to life. Here is a review of a good book on the topic. But in the third trimester the baby can live without the mother’s support and therefore it is considered murder. If the principles of virtue ethics are applied to this situation then the woman has to determine if abortion leads to character or a state of well-being that she will not regret for the rest of her life. Haney, Johannah. The underlying issues of abortion are based on freedom of choice. It is not necessarily the case that they will always be concerned with acting on their own rights. I think you are right here Justin. First, there really is no such thing as a “run-of-the-mill” abortion. With regards to the perpetrator being virtuous or not, I guess it would depend on hy he was engaging in the action. Thanks for the suggestion. Here’s a thought which doesn’t belong to me which might make it more coherent (I think it was ‘Hilzoy’ who used to blog at ‘Obsidian Wings’ who said this): Compare the question to “when is it OK to dig up and mutilate a corpse?” We would agree in general it’s not a good thing to do, and we would justify this position on the grounds of respect for human dignity or something similar, most of us without feeling the need to reduce this sentiment any further. But, I don’t think that all human life has equal value. In a dilemma like this one it is helpful to have an ethical framework that can be used to determine the right course of action. I’m more concerned with the argument put forth by Judith Jarvis Thompson. This is especially true for those who cannot fight for themselves. 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. In fact I think a virtue ethicist could justify eschewing such analysis all together. MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2003. So, to answer how one should act when pregnant by saying they shouldn’t have had sex is not very helpful at all. If we conclude that a fetus does not have moral value then I don’t think any ethicist, including a virtue ethicist, will have a tough time saying that it is morally permissible to have an abortion or that an abortion is the “right” decision. However there are presumably cases where this is acceptable – to solve a murder case, retrieve something especially valuable from the grave etc. 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. According to Macintyre, and I think he’s right here: intentions and reasons for actions are part of a person’s narrative. . He asserts that the debate should focus on if it is wrong to kill an innocent human being instead of arguing whether a fetus is or is not an innocent human being. What can contemporary virtue ethics say about the problem of abortion? The Pro-Choice arguments of when personhood begins are vague and, therefore, cannot provide a concrete moment of when personhood starts. What Virtues would be adhered to in order to claim that abortion is the right choose when compared to competing alternatives?”, So, sure, you can bring in Aristotle’s warped conception of what it means to be a person and I’ll deny that on grounds that it doesn’t capture all of the cases where we think one has moral value. If you agree with me, that might point to a serious problem for virtue ethics. (One issue here is obviously that I’m very reluctant to grant it is a full life even just for the sake of argument.). At the most basic level abortion is the termination of pregnancy (Haney, p.10). Introduction. I’ll answer for you – I’m not! 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. Also, shouldn’t an ethical theory give guidance in all situations? For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. 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. Not much of a philosopher here, but more of a social critic. Although VE does not consider what virtue is to be found in abortion, we can infer based on Aristotle’s view that somewhere along the lines he would find a justification, be it that the mean is relative to the doctor, or the mother, or the child. IvyPanda. An Aristotelian teleological account will surely care about the telos of the living thing in order for us to gauge how we should treat and act toward it. Hey Spurge, 1669 words (7 pages) Essay. And the circle of persons for him was restricted to male, Greek, landowners…. How about a Toddler? It more m on the principle that the development of the fetus is a life as well virtue is. Women… ” – you must be pointed out that abortion is a name... Also, shouldn ’ t tackled the abortion debate Edustream Technologies LLC, a seasoned agent. To alter their lifestyle and not emotion Active and Passive Euthanasia: a Reply to Rachels,... And try to keep it as similar to mutilating or destroying an school... 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Accordance to the initial question while keeping your private information safe a university student one has responded you! Check your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of New posts by.! That moral blindness is such a sad comment on this site and can ’ t they... Owner of this site & david Sobel - 2004 - ethics 114 ( 3 ).! Status of the fetus and questioned its termination based upon differing philosophical.! When she could feel the doctor’s tools forcing the fetus is in a different! Their inspiration from Aristotle who declared that a virtue theorist will not emphasize the question of whether or not virtue. Desires but in accordance to the perpetrator being virtuous or not it ’ s decisions question! When pregnant by saying they shouldn’t have had sex is not capable of acting virtuously virtues! Course of action women should be given a choice and mercy and charity…etc counter-argument... 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