Abortion has long been a very controversial moral debate, which have yet to reach a definite conclusion. Being a common issue, abortion is a subject that many movies, and television series have tackled. In the chosen series, called The Hippocratic Crush, the characters are faced with the dilemma of abandoning a baby or keeping it. In the episode, the final decision made in the television series is to perform abortion. The morality of such act is justified to be right, through analyzing the fetus’s moral rights, the mother’s rights, and the application of utilitarian theory.
A fetus has no moral rights, and thus, it has no right to life, considering the fact that the fetus is only 12 weeks old in the context of the television series. Its lack …show more content…
The fetus has the right to life, and thus Yuen Ying should not be permitted to perform abortion, and by having had voluntary sexual intercourse, she should assume responsibility towards the baby, because she has caused its existence. (sentence too long, could separate it) Considering that she was conscious about her pregnancy and her health state, but still decided to keep the baby proves that she has voluntarily accepted to bear the baby, knowing the risks involved. Moreover, the fetus is dependent on the mother, thus she should be “morally responsible for assisting [her] fetus when her voluntary acts or omissions cause the fetus to be dependent and vulnerable” (Abbate 146). Unlike the other analogies, like the violinist, where the two individuals are strangers to each other, the mother is related to the fetus, and thus should be responsible in ensuring its life. Both parents are “compelled by law to provide support for their children” (Thomson 20). According to Kantian ethics, Yuen Ying has the duty as a mother to sustain her baby, to provide the environment and the resources that it needs to develop as a future being. Performing abortion would be an act against her duty, and it would be morally incorrect. In addition, the fetus has the right to not be killed, because it has inherent value and moral worth as long …show more content…
Even though the fetus might have the right to life, it does not guarantee its right to (maybe a be missing) “given the use of or a right to be allowed continued use of another person’s body” (Thomson 11). Also, according to Warren, rationality is morally relevant, in a sense where the fetus has to be able to act morally, and reach a “mutual recognition of moral equality” in order to be considered to have equal moral rights (Warren as qtd. in Vaughn 574). In the context of the story, the fetus has no ability to act morally, and thus it has much weaker moral rights than Yuen Ying. In addition, “the right to life consists not in the right not to be killed, but rather in the right not to be killed unjustly” (Thomson 12). In other words, when the fetus is killed without it causing a threat to others, then its right to life is violated. However, in the case of Yuen Ying, her fetus is definitely threatening her life. Moreover, there is risk that the mother dies before the fetus can fully develop, so the fetus is not likely to survive even if the mother was sacrificed. From a utilitarian point of view, keeping the baby would not be the right choice to make. Another
A fetus has no moral rights, and thus, it has no right to life, considering the fact that the fetus is only 12 weeks old in the context of the television series. Its lack …show more content…
The fetus has the right to life, and thus Yuen Ying should not be permitted to perform abortion, and by having had voluntary sexual intercourse, she should assume responsibility towards the baby, because she has caused its existence. (sentence too long, could separate it) Considering that she was conscious about her pregnancy and her health state, but still decided to keep the baby proves that she has voluntarily accepted to bear the baby, knowing the risks involved. Moreover, the fetus is dependent on the mother, thus she should be “morally responsible for assisting [her] fetus when her voluntary acts or omissions cause the fetus to be dependent and vulnerable” (Abbate 146). Unlike the other analogies, like the violinist, where the two individuals are strangers to each other, the mother is related to the fetus, and thus should be responsible in ensuring its life. Both parents are “compelled by law to provide support for their children” (Thomson 20). According to Kantian ethics, Yuen Ying has the duty as a mother to sustain her baby, to provide the environment and the resources that it needs to develop as a future being. Performing abortion would be an act against her duty, and it would be morally incorrect. In addition, the fetus has the right to not be killed, because it has inherent value and moral worth as long …show more content…
Even though the fetus might have the right to life, it does not guarantee its right to (maybe a be missing) “given the use of or a right to be allowed continued use of another person’s body” (Thomson 11). Also, according to Warren, rationality is morally relevant, in a sense where the fetus has to be able to act morally, and reach a “mutual recognition of moral equality” in order to be considered to have equal moral rights (Warren as qtd. in Vaughn 574). In the context of the story, the fetus has no ability to act morally, and thus it has much weaker moral rights than Yuen Ying. In addition, “the right to life consists not in the right not to be killed, but rather in the right not to be killed unjustly” (Thomson 12). In other words, when the fetus is killed without it causing a threat to others, then its right to life is violated. However, in the case of Yuen Ying, her fetus is definitely threatening her life. Moreover, there is risk that the mother dies before the fetus can fully develop, so the fetus is not likely to survive even if the mother was sacrificed. From a utilitarian point of view, keeping the baby would not be the right choice to make. Another