Chapter Eleven: Good Beginning and Endings
Two major ethical issues are abortion and euthanasia.
Contraception, Assisted Conception, and Genetic Engineering
- Contraception. Procreation has always been viewed favorable by the church.
- Assisted conception.
- Genetic Engineering. Very complicated issues that many people have a hard time grasping.
- Universal. Four deontological themes. 1) Purpose. Sex leads to babies. 2) Dignity. Embryos have no dignity in the process of assisted fertility. 3) Choice. 4) Resources. The expense limits the accessibility. Three Consequential arguments. 1) Control. 2) The wedge (or slippery slope). 3). Gender balance. These techniques can be used to prefer one gender over another.
- Subversive. Issues of class, race, gender, disability, and age are all addressed by subversive ethics.
- Ecclesial.
Abortion
- Universal. Issues discussed are: 1) The nature of the fetus. When is it truly alive and when do its rights start. 2) The mother. 3) Other parties and interests.
- Subversive.
- Ecclesial.
Euthanasia and Suicide
Four distinct practices in Euthanasia. 1) abandonment of infants or killing of old or “useless” people. 2) Killing without consent. Often called “mercy killing”. 3) voluntary. Physician assisted suicide. 4) Double effect. Pain killing meds that cause other failures.
Three broad forms of suicide: 1) Pathological. Some kind of illness, often depression. 2) Deliberate. Taking one's lifer after careful reflection. 3) Purposeful. Terrorist martyrs fall in this category.
- Universal. Duty—The commandment to not kill. The sovereignty of God. Kant’s categorical imperative. Right outcomes—The wedge/slippery slope. Loss of trust. The double effect.
- Subversive.
- Ecclesial. 1) the idea that out personal autonomy has been overrated. 2)Promotion of alternatives.