Dwarfism: The Principle Of Autonomal

In Dwarfism: When Is a Fetus Normal, a couple who are both achondroplastic dwarfs are having their fetus tested for this disorder in order to decide whether to abort the fetus or not. The twist with the decision is they have decided they will abort the fetus if it has two copies of the gene for achondroplastic dwarfism or none at all. The couple essentially wants a child just like they are, and they do not want to raise a child that is different from them. Before getting into ethical arguments this couple would use to justify their desire to have a child just like them, I think it is important to discuss what achondroplastic dwarfism is. Achondroplastic dwarfism is a disorder that effects the bones where when the child develops cartilage is not converted into bone like it properly should. One ethical argument this couple might use is the Principle of Autonomy. This principle ultimately states that individuals who are rational are able to make their own choices and decisions. This principle basically is individuals are able to think …show more content…
I am not saying I see this as being completely moral, but I think doing it this way helps justify their intentions. With going about this way, I feel as though many people pick and choose what kind of baby they desire. People who desire a girl over a boy may go the route of in vitro fertilization to make sure they get the kind of baby they want. So, if this couple decided at the beginning that they had wanted a baby just like them, going about the in vitro fertilization route would have helped them do this instead of going about it the natural way and deciding later on that the baby was not what they wanted. I feel as though doing it this way saves the fetus from being aborted later on, and maybe saves the heart ache of not having the baby they had