Feminine Care Ethical Analysis

In an article written for The Guardian, author Richard Hain argues why it was morally acceptable for Teddy Houlston’s parents to donate his organs. Teddy was an infant born with a rare brain condition called ancephalay, in which his brain stopped growing. Teddy’s parents knew six months before he was born that he would not survive, and made the conscious decision to continue with the pregnancy and have his organs donated to those in need. I will argue that the decision his parents made for him was morally permissible, even though he did not have a say in what was done with his body after his death. I will apply feminine care ethics to my argument for the birth of Teddy and the donation of his organs without his consent. The basis of feminist care ethics is that relationships matter, and in the case of Teddy Houlston the most important relationship is between Teddy and his parents, Jess and Mike (Ingram, Parks 166). An important aspect of this situation that needs to be considered is that Teddy’s parents knew he would die very shortly after his birth, and by choosing to continue with the pregnancy instead of aborting the child, they were maintaining the important parent to child relationship. They chose to nurture and foster this relationship …show more content…
As stated in “The Complete Idiots Guide to Understanding Ethics”, the ethic of care argues for the moral value of caring and nurturing, and views the highest moral good as caring for and about others (Ingram, Parks 166). In choosing to have Teddy’s organs donated, his parents uphold this ethic because they considered the implications of their decision. By donating his organs, they are caring for other people because their decision ultimately saved the recipients lives. As the article stated, his parents wanted his life to be of value to others, as well as them (Hain). Their donation has true value, which is the basis of the ethic of