Fetal Abnormality: A Case Study Essay

Introduction

Establishing the moral status of a fetus has been one of the most debatable topics in the field of bioethics (Warren, 1997). Fetal personality has been interpreted and determined using a wide array of theories and justifications. For this paper, four parties, Dr. Wilson, Aunt Maria, and Jessica and her husband Marco, debate regarding the fetal personality or moral status of Jessica's unborn baby after the doctor discloses that the child has an abnormality because it has not developed any limbs, and is not likely to develop any. Additionally, the doctor reveals that the probability of the child developing Down syndrome. Considering that they all have different opinions, this paper seeks to establish the theories used by each party in establishing the moral status of the fetus, illustrating how such theories influence the choices made by the parties, and to give my reflection on the various arguments given.

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Dr. Wilson

Dr. Wilson thinks the most appropriate action from the medical perspective is to have the pregnancy aborted because with physical and a potential mental challenges, the child would not lead a desirable life. Dr. Wilson uses the rationality theory for a pro-abortion argument. According to the rational theory, is based on Aristotle's argument that rationality is unique to humans. The rationality theory is the most commonly applied theory and has been used over the years to include and exclude some groups of beings from moral standing (Warren, 1997). Aristotle did not assign any moral standing to female members of the society and slaves moral status because they had yet to develop fully cognitively. Dr. Wilson's option is influenced by the rationality theory which is largely informed by western bioethics and professional standards.

Maria

Aunt Maria uses the relationships theory for a pro-life argument. She persuades her niece Jessica to follow through the pregnancy and stay reminded that she has an obligation as a mother, to ensure the child lives. Aunt Mary wails and prays, introducing her relationship with God, and hoping that the relationship would intervene somehow. Maria also persuades Jessica to act as a moral agent for the fetus because it possesses no ability to make decisions or act morally. Additionally, Maria uses the human properties theory to assign moral status to the fetus because her dramatic behavior is a reaction to the possibility of aborting a pregnancy and killing the fetus, which she considers a human being.

Marco

Marco, Jessica's husband, is hesitant on letting the doctor break the sad news to his wife. Marco holds a pro-choice view and says that he would be willing to support whatever Jessica chooses. His pro-choice approach is influenced by the sentience theory that is founded on the Greatest Pleasure Principle (Warren, 1997). If retaining the pregnancy would be pleasurable for his wife, who is directly connected to the child, Marco would give the fetus moral standing. The pleasure, in this case, arises from the respect he has for the relationship between the unborn child and his wife. While Marco pictures a challenging future trying to bring up an autistic child with physical disabilities, his decision to assign the fetus moral status is pivoted on his wife's choice.

Jessica

Jessica is not certain regarding the decision she would take because her firm belief that all life is sacred is at conflict with the reality that having a child with Down syndrome would mitigate her chances of having a desirable socio-economic experience and independence. Her pro-life approach is informed by the presumption that all living things have moral status (Harman, 2007), and that there is no hierarchy. The possession of life is the single criterion for moral status. The reverence for life is a theory informed by the assumption that as moral agents, all human beings are directly obliged not to cause any harm to living things. Jessica, the fetus's moral agent, feels obliged to protect the life of the fetus. Also, her relationship with the fetus contributes to her dilemma.

Reflection

In my opinion, the pro-life school of thought would be the most appropriate, supported by such arguments as the moral agency and the relationships theories. All life should be treated equally despite the reality that they are not fully developed. The fundamental reason for my view is the sanctity of human life. The rational theory, which Wilson embraces is quite discriminative and is applied to exclude such simple forms of life as the fetus. The pro-life approach is justified by the sentience theory which emphasizes maximum pleasure for the majority in every situation. In this case, if Jessica follows through with the pregnancy as advised by Aunt Mary, her husband, and Mary would support her, and be happy with the choice. In my view, therefore, fetal personality exists in this case, and Jessica, as the fetus's moral agent, should ignore the doctor's options and follow through with it. My choice is in agreement with that of Brown (2002), stating that the fetus deserves a future like ours.

References

Brown, M. T. (2002). A future like ours revisited. Journal of medical ethics, 28(3), 192-195.

Harman, E. (2007). Sacred mountains and beloved fetuses: can loving or worshipping something give it moral status? Philosophical Studies, 133(1), 55-81.

Warren, M. A. (1997). Moral Status: Obligations to persons and other living things. Clarendon Press.