In this scenario assignment, you are asked to reflect on responses to the presented scenario.
Discuss the main points of the debate, what stance you take, support that stance, and discuss the opposing argument. Also, discuss an ethical theory that would apply to defend your view.
To complete each scenario assignment:
1. Read the attached scenario pictures.
2. Compose in a Word document and be sure to address, at a minimum, the following questions:
5. Your reflection must be 1-2 pages in length and follow APA formatting and citation guidelines as appropriate, making sure to cite at least two sources.
Student
DR. WILLIAMS
Thank you. I know that this is an emotional
issue, but it is very important that we protect
the rights of an adult, human mother before
the rights of a fetus, whose life is dependent
on the mother.
8:57
Afetus, depending on the stage of
development, has not developed to the point
that it can feel pain or think of itself as a
being with an identity, qualities we often
associate with human life.
This issue is too complex to do more than
skim the surface at the moment, of course,
but remember that abortion is legal, and it is
the mother’s rights that the law keeps in
mind. Surely, those rights are clear.
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X8:59
Student
MODERATOR
We have a 2-part question from the
audience.
How common is abortion? Is the number of
abortions increasing or decreasing?
DR. MEADOWS
About half of pregnancies among American
women are unintended, and about four in 10
of these end in abortion.
Statistics are incomplete, but the CDC
reports the total number and rate of reported
abortions for 2011 decreased 5% from the
previous year.
MODERATOR
Thank you, Dr. Meadows.
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Student
DR. MEADOWS
It isn't worth more. You mention school and
work...the unborn child's ability to work or go
to school is completely lost along with every
other aspect of a life that could have been.
Furthermore, it hardly makes for a good
argument that a woman can suffer from
post-partum depression, when women who
have abortions may suffer from depression
as well. If we value the sanctity of life, and if
we also cannot say exactly when life begins,
let's just assume it begins immediately
upon conception. I realize that opens up
many other issues with regard to the mother,
but those are separate issues, and they do
not directly affect the rights of an unborn
child.
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Student
DR. WILLIAMS
Erring on the side of caution is a double-
edged sword. If we acknowledge that the
mother is clearly a human life that we must
protect, and that a fetus may or may not yet
be a human being, then our ethical
responsibilities are with the mother.
If we are speaking of a young mother in a
disadvantaged situation, all the more reason
for our responsibilities to be so. The birth of
the child could be unfeasible economically, it
could hamper her ability to work or go to
school, it could bring on depression, and, in
short, completely alter the mother's life, and
not always for the better. Is the mother's life
worth less than that of an undeveloped
child?
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X8:58
Student
DR. MEADOWS
We can barely skim the surface of this issue,
that's true. But as long as we're painting in
broad strokes, let's look at the case for
defending the life of the fetus. First of all,
determining exactly when life begins has
long been a bone of contention among
medical professionals.
If we cannot be sure when life begins,
doesn't it make sense to err on the side of
caution so we don't mistakenly take a
human life? And we do value human life. It's
isn't merely our job, it's ethical to do so.
We should see the potential future of the life
in question and protect that future.
In some cases, we might say the younger
life is worth even more than an older one,
because a greater potential future lies
ahead. That's why most parents would throw
themselves in harm's way to protect a child.
Legally, yes, a woman has a right to an
abortion. That certainly doesn't mean we
should encourage her to have one, or that
she should make the decision without
access to information on the life growing
inside her.
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