Applying Ethical Systems
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Applying Ethical Systems
Ericka M. Simmons
COTM, Grand Canyon University
PHI-103: Introduction to Philosophy and Ethics
Steve Sherman
April 10, 2022
1
Applying Ethical Systems
Has anyone ever thought deeply about whether abortion is right or wrong? Depending on which ethical theory it’s looked at, it could be either. In other words, depending on each person’s morals, it can have different meanings. Some people see nothing wrong with it while other people think it’s awful. However, I will discuss this moral issue using Christian Ethics. People that view abortion through Christian Ethics view it as murder and think that abortion should not be legal. The moral issue is abortion, the two opposing positions are pro-life and pro-choice, the normative ethical theory that this is being viewed on is Christian ethics, and the side that I support is pro-life.
Moral Issue and Ethical Dilemma
There will always be people who are against abortion and there will always be people who support it. Besides people arguing in a two-group setting, it is more about what people believe to be morally correct. As abortion is a huge debate topic in today’s world, it has been a huge debate topic since 1973. According to Davis (2001), “The 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, Roe v. Wade, increased both the volume and the heat of this discussion”. (para. 1). Depending on who you ask, the definition of abortion can be told differently. Someone who is a part of the pro-choice movement would say that it’s the women’s choice to have it or not and that there’s nothing wrong to chose to do it. Someone who is a part of the pro-life movement would say that having an abortion is murder because it’s ending the life of a human being and would also say that if a woman doesn’t want to keep the baby than there’s other options like adoption.
Opposing Position
Between pro-life and pro-choice, I will be opposing to pro-choice which is a movement that a lot of people are a part of in today’s society. There are many reasons why people think that abortion should be legal. Something that people say who are pro-choice and think abortion should be legal is “it’s just a fetus” or “it’s just a bunch of cells”. They think it should be legalized because they don’t realize that they’re carrying an actual human being. Something else that someone would think who is pro-choice would think that abortion should be available without shame for if someone were to get pregnant from being raped or if the baby is expected to
have medical conditions like down syndrome. What they don’t understand is that it’s not the baby’s fault and the baby should still get the chance to have a life no matter how they were made.
Another reason why they think that abortion should be legal is because of their situation and not being able to raise a child to have a good life so they think that having no life at all is better. What they don’t realize is that there are so many people out there who can’t have kids and want to adopt but if people are having abortions, than that’s less of a chance for those family’s to adopt. Even though that many women are sure that abortion is the best choice, they don’t realize how traumatizing it can be and the long term mental affects that comes with it.
Normative Ethical Theory
The normative ethical theory that I’m using to support my claim on abortion is Christian ethics. God is the head of Christian ethics, but Christian ethics are mostly what Jesus did and how he lived his life is where morals in Christian ethics developed. This ethical theory is a mix of Virtues and Principles. (Sherman, 2022). Virtues in Christian ethics are morals followed by God and Jesus. This is done by doing what is honoring God and by following Jesus’s example. Principles in Christian ethics says what people need to do instead of doing what you think is
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right; this helps with overall morality. A good example of following principles is following the ten commandments. These are principles that God wants us to obey. Principles and virtues pull together a whole ethical theory. (Sherman, 2022). So, following the virtues of following Jesus and the principles including the ten commandments is what makes up Christian ethics.
Position of Moral Issue
In the way that society is today, people view Christians as people who are pro-life and people who believe in God. Some may think that this statement isn’t completely true, but I’ll explain how it is and how abortion and Christian ethics combine. God creates all humans for a reason, and he wants us to live our lives no matter what rough patches come up. “For you created
my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13, NIV). God created each of us uniquely and he made us for a reason. If he didn’t want us to live our lives, then we wouldn’t be made. In other words, if he didn’t want someone to give a baby a life, then he wouldn’t have let them get pregnant. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5). God made us all individually special because everyone is loved by him; even a baby that hasn’t been completely developed. According to Christian Ethics (2018), “Christians believe that all life is a gift from God, and therefore, sacred” (para. 5). Christians believe that right when the baby is conceived, it has a soul and is already loved by God. (Christian Ethics, 2018). By having an abortion, you aren’t letting the baby have a chance to live in the world that God has created for all human beings. As far as following the ten commandments, (The first principles) we are supposed to love one another, and we are also not supposed to murder. Not letting someone have a chance for life isn’t loving and aborting a baby is murder. Therefore, Christians do not support abortion.
Moral issues affect my behavior in the way of knowing what is right or wrong and also what feels right or wrong. Following Christian ethics really helps me feel comfortable in my own
morals and helps me be comfortable in what is and feels right. In other words, I follow what God’s word says and I believe that what is in His Word is what is morally correct. Standing up for pro-life is definitely something that I’m not afraid to do and is for sure something that I fight for because every life is worth fighting for; even the ones that haven’t started.
References
The Bible; NIV. (2022). Bible gateway.
https://www.biblegateway.com/
Christian ethics. (2018). The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather
Guide.
https://search-credoreference-
com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/content/entry/heliconhe/christian_ethics/0
Davis, N. (2001). Abortion. Encyclopedia of Ethics.
https://search-credoreference-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/content/entry/routethics/abortion/0
Sherman, S. (2022). Topic 6 lecture notes, part 3. Class Resources in Halo
https://halo.gcu.edu/resource/ec240bb2-6262-4578-a7be-6acc7c53a243?
nestedResourceId=d80873b9-349c-4442-af7f-a88a4165204c
Stewart, D. (2013). Introduction to ethical reasoning.
Fundamentals of Philosophy. https://bibliu.com/app/#/view/books/9780205973835/epub/OPS/xhtml/fileP70004789990
00000000000000005782.html#page_395
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