In this paper, I will be defining act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism, use both standpoints from a rule utilitarian and an act utilitarian to decipher their responses to abortion, and investigate both claims to come to a conclusion if or if not utilitarianism is adequate enough argument to address abortion.
First the definition of utilitarianism is, “An act is morally right if and only if it does more to improve overall happiness than any available alternative” (Farley). Overall happiness can also be used interchangeably by the words, happiness, pleasure or well-being. There are two types of utilitarians, the first is an act utilitarian, in which they seek actions that produce the greatest good. Act utilitarianism is more dependent on the results of a particular action and not the expectations. The main argument for act utilitarianism is, “What is the particular outcome we expect X to have?” (Farley). Whereas rule utilitarianism is more swayed towards the consequences that will come from this particular action as adopted as a social rule (Farley). Adopted by social rule meaning, we as a society what rules to enforce and the consequences. There is no rule that society has to follow all the time.
Act utilitarians believe that intentions do not matter to the rightness/wrongness of actions, instead the action is right if and only if that is the action that produces the greatest amount of good in that situation. Actions are right or wrong in virtue of their actual results, not expected results (Farley). In saying this, the issue of abortion can be examined by act utilitarians by using their arguments and reasoning. For the act utilitarian, each case of abortion has to be considered and weighed in different ways because eac...
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...erent and society cannot group or categorize one rule of morally permissibility to every case of abortion. I think that because act utilitarians accept that there are different types of situations for abortion, proves that there is not just one answer for deciding if abortion is right or wrong. Act utilitarians are open to various combinations in which each help choose if abortion is right or wrong in that given situation. The fact that one rule does not apply to all cases of abortion gives leeway for various acceptances or rejections to abortion.
As previously stated in my paper, I defined each act and rule utilitarianism, and by using their arguments, helped to clarify if abortion is morally permissible or impermissible. Also from using information about either arguments, evaluated whether or not these utilitarianism view are adequate enough to address abortion.
In my previous essay, I argued that abortion is immoral, but can be countered against depending on the person and the situation given. My view has now changed to where abortion is morally permissible under certain circumstances. This change of views occurred after reading Warren, Thomson, and Marquis' arguments throughout the course. Coming from a family and culture that shames a person who favors abortion, I solely believed abortion was immoral until taking this class. I wanted to clarify that my view on abortion is morally permissible if the pregnancy was affecting the mother’s wellbeing, financial stability, or if she does not feel prepared or lacks education to care for a child.
The utilitarian faces many problems because he loses any ability to live a personal life. By this is meant that in making decisions the utilitarian must consider the steps which lead to the highest level of goodness in society. The utilitarian reaches for the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Two main aspects dominate the light of utilitarian beliefs. The consequentialist principle explains that in determining the rightness or wrongness of an act one must examine the results that will follow. The utility principle is that you can only deem something to be good if it in itself will bring upon a specific desired state, such as happiness or fulfillment. There are two types of utilitarians: Act utilitarians and Rule utilitarians. An act utilitarian believes that a person must think things through before making a decision. The only exception to this idea applies with rules of thumb; decisions that need to be made spontaneously. The right act is the one that results in the most utility. Rule utilitarians believe that an act is only deemed appropriate if it fits in line with the outline of valid rules within a system of rules that target the most favorable outcome.
Many arguments in the abortion debate assume that the morality of abortion depends upon the moral status of the foetus. While I regard the moral status of the foetus as important, it is not the central issue that determines the moral justifiability of abortion. The foetus may be awarded a level of moral status, nevertheless, such status does not result in the prescription of a set moral judgement. As with many morally significant issues, there are competing interests and a variety of possible outcomes that need to be considered when making a moral judgement on abortion. While we need to determine the moral status of the foetus in order to establish the type of entity we are dealing with, it does not, however, exist in a moral vacuum. There are other key issues requiring attention, such as the moral status and interests of the pregnant woman who may desire an abortion, and importantly, the likely consequences of aborting or not aborting a particular foetus. Furthermore, I assert that moral status should be awarded as a matter of degree, based upon the capacities of sentience and self-consciousness an entity possesses. In a bid to reach a coherent conclusion on the issue, the moral status of both foetus and woman, along with the likely results of aborting a particular foetus, must be considered together. Given the multiple facets requiring consideration, I assert that utilitarianism (Mill 1863) offers a coherent framework for weighing and comparing the inputs across a variety of situations, which can determine whether it is ever morally justifiable to have an abortion.
Abortion is an immoral act of killing and there are other much more logical moral ways to handle unwanted pregnancies. This paper full of information is to show the crewel harsh side of abortion so people can know that there is more to the act than the convenience makes it look like. The baby doesn’t just disappear, the baby dies. Please refer to this to inform others, many people have no idea and this paper will help them
“Utilitarianism is the creed which accepts as the foundations of morals utility of the greatest happiness principle holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.” (Mil, 90). Utilitarianism ethics is based on the greatest good for the greatest number meaning that the moral agent does what he/she thinks will be
Abortion is the ethical issue where there have been many cases that women have had to get them illegally or were not given the option to get an abortion. Utilitarianism is the theory in which the ethical doctrine that virtue is based on utility, and that conduct should be directed toward promoting the greatest happiness of the greatest number of persons (Utilitarianism). The theory of deontology states we are morally obligated to act in accordance with a certain set of principles and rules regardless of outcome (Kant). Utilitarians would be on the side of aborting the child in order to reach the maximum amount of happiness for the greatest number of people whereas Kant’s theory would be okay with aborting in order to be moral by fulfilling the sense of duty to keep the baby. I will argue that abortion is moral using Mill's utilitarianism theory that it is okay to abort the baby in order for the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.
Patrick Lee and Robert P. George’s, “The Wrong of Abortion” is a contentious composition that argues the choice of abortion is objectively unethical. Throughout their composition, Lee and George use credibility and reason to appeal the immorality of abortions. The use of these two methods of persuasion are effective and compels the reader to consider the ethical significance. Lee and George construct their argument by disputing different theories that would justify abortions. They challenge the ontological and evaluation theories of the fetus, as well as the unintentional killing theory. This article was obtained through Google, in the form of a PDF file that is associated with Iowa State University.
In our society, there are many ethical dilemmas that we are faced with that are virtually impossible to solve. One of the most difficult and controversial issues that we are faced with is abortion. There are many strong arguments both for and against the right to have an abortion which are so complicated that it becomes impossible to resolve. The complexity of this issue lies in the different aspects of the argument. The essence of a person, rights, and who is entitled to these rights, are a few of the many aspects which are very difficult to define. There are also issues of what circumstances would justify abortion. Because the issue of abortion is virtually impossible to solve, all one can hope to do is understand the different aspects of the argument so that if he or she is faced with that issue in their own lives, they would be able to make educated and thoughtful decisions in dealing with it.
As one knows, some unwanted pregnancies could often be harmful and distressing for a woman. Women should have the right over their body to choose to sustain the fetus or not. In the past decades, women did not have their freedom of abortion in many countries of the world. There have always been controversies going on about abortion. Each individual has dissimilar views on the legality of abortion. Some people are against abortion for personal religious purposes and beliefs. For those who don’t believe in abortion, it is because they see it as killing a fetus, which is a human being. Others support abortion because they believe in women’s rights. Laws of abortion vary in each country, and abortion is not legal all over the world. It is illegal under any conditions but only permitted to save woman’s life if in countries such as Brazil, Nigeria, United Arab Emirates, and Ireland. However, abortion is legal without any restrictions in countries like Canada, Albania, and Italy. It the past decades Abortion was considered as criminal act in Canada. “If an abortion was carried out without such approval, the woman was liable for imprisonment for 2 years, an...
There are many factors that are taken into consideration when determining if abortion is morally permissible, or wrong including; sentience of the fetus, the fetuses right to life, the difference between adult human beings and fetuses, the autonomy of the pregnant woman, and the legality of abortion. Don Marquis argues that abortion is always morally wrong, excluding cases in which the woman is threatened by pregnancy, or abortion after rape, because fetuses have a valuable future. Mary Anne Warren contends that late term abortions are morally permissible because birth is the most significant event for a fetus, and a woman’s autonomy should never be suspended.
As a final point given, this information should inform readers more about moral effects of abortions. Therefore, whomever may be concerned should read this paper. In fact, readers will learn more about what’s going on around their states. The legalization of abortion still continues to exist; however, the government may come to a conclusion soon.
Abortion may appear ethical or unethical depending on various viewpoints and circumstances. The fetus is considered a person and bringing it to term may be unethical as the act is considered as murder. In some situations, the mother may require to terminate a pregnancy for her bodily autonomy (Johnston, 2003). In such positions, the resolution to terminate a pregnancy may be argued as the most ethical choice. The mother is also considered to having a reasonable level of ethical responsibility to the fetus, because she did not take enough precaution to ensure avoiding conception (Cline, 2014). The mother’s ethical responsibility to the fetus may not be enough to deprive her choice of abortion; it...
...ough its own capacity as a theory of both decision making and moral judgement, and by default- as act-utilitarianism has been proved too demanding and often immoral by our common sense intuition- I conclude that rule-utilitarianism is indeed preferable to act-utilitarianism.
Abortion is one of America’s most controversial subjects. The participants in this debate have fixed beliefs on the matter at hand. On one side of the debate are people who believe in pro- choice. They argue that choice of a woman is more important than an unborn fetus. They point out that an unborn child is not on the same level of importance as the mother. Also, the pro-life group declares that choice is the sole purpose behind their argument. They believe that if a woman cannot chose to abolish a pregnancy, then she looses one of her basic human rights. The other side of the debate is the pro-life group. Their main concern is that the fetus is a person; therefore, having the same human rights as the mother. As a result, when states pass laws that enable abortions, these states are legalizing murder. When considering an individual’s ethics and values, killing is morally wrong. Therefore, the termination of unborn children is wrong, as well. Abortion, the unethical expulsion of an embryo or fetus, in order to purposely end a pregnancy, should be forbidden because human life begins at conception, economics is not a justification for abortion, and an unwanted child does not justify abortion.
One of the most controversial issues in this day and age is the stance people take on abortion. The two main positions that people take are either of pro-choice or pro-life; both sides, although polar opposites, tend to refer to both the issue of morality and logical rationale. The pro-life side of the debate believes that abortion is an utterly immoral practice that should be abolished. On the contrary, abortion should remain a legal procedure because it is a reproductive right; its eradication would not only take away the pregnant person’s autonomy, but would also put more children in financially unstable homes and the adoption system, and would cause an increase in potentially fatal, unsafe abortions.