Reference no: EM131739737

For your paper you are to write a brief ethical analysis of ONE and only ONE the following two moral dilemmas (your choice):

(1) Should fathers have as much say as mothers in deciding whether an abortion be performed? If yes, and if the mother and the father disagree on the decision, who should have the ultimate control over such decision?

(2) Considering that in-vitro fertilization (IVF) is an artificial enabling of a life that otherwise could not have naturally occurred, and that abortion is an artificial disabling of a life that otherwise could naturally have continued, is IVF as morally problematic as abortion?

NOTE: IVF uses fertile sperm and fertile eggs (from intended "users" or donors) which are placed in a petri-dish ('vitro' means 'glass'), allowed to fertilize in vitro under an artificially (technologically) enabled environment, the formed cell is allowed to multiply for several days, thereafter is implanted if the intended "user" (mother, or couple) so chooses - some embryos are rejected given various genetic defects detected while still in vitro, when such tests are done upon request from "user".

In order to answer, you must do the following:

1. In order to ethically (rather than capriciously) defend choose one of the ethics theories from those listed at the end of this instruction-page. Explain clearly and thoroughly how the the chosen ethics theory supports a particular moral position.

NOTE: What moral (ethical) position follows logically is determined by the respective dilemma and by the specific ethics principle applied (ethics theory).

2. Choose a second ethics theory and address (morally evaluate) the same one questions/dilemma you have selected above.

Show how this ethics theory would respond to the above moral position and ethical justification provided. Two cases might arise:

(2.a.) This second theory might result in the same moral stance but for different reasons given that ethics theories appeal to different moral principles - hence different reasoning algorithms - in order to derive a conclusion.

If so, explain clearly how and why this second ethics theory supports its conclusion which happens to be the same as the conclusion arrived at using the previous ethics theory - under (1) - but based on a different moral justification (moral principles).

OR....

(2.b) This second ethics theory might result in a different moral stance (position), given its principles. Explain clearly and thoroughly why that is the case.

(3) Finally, choose between the two ethics theories you have used above in order to explain WHY the support (principles) offered by your preferred (chosen) theory are more convincing, or more generally acceptable, or more useful, or applicable in resolving the selected dilemma.

To accomplish the above you must:.

Choose from and ONLY from the following ethics theories: Virtue ethics; Utilitarian ethics; Kantian deontological ethics.

IMPORTANT:

(a) no personal opinions, hopes, desires or feelings will be graded since there is no objective standard by which any of them can be assessed;

(b) no religiously or ethnically mandated beliefs can be graded since I do NOT have a license - professionally or morally - to grade prophets, gurus, etc. (that would be profoundly disrespectful to a culture, and arrogant on my part).

ONLY moral positions defended (justified) by a gradeable criterion will be considered; a gradeable criterion is one that has been tested for logical consistency (absence of internal self-contradictions), coherence and applicability by the academic community worldwide - which is the case with at least the four ethics theories mentioned above, thus studied in this introductory-level course - and it also conforms to the aims of college education as mandated by the Board of Higher Education.

THE ASSIGNMENT NEEDS TO BE 2 PAGES AND 600+ WORDS!