There are many acrimonious debates about the ethics related to the practice of abortion. The movements of either being pro-choice or pro-life have complicated other issues such as monumental healthcare plans that affect every individual in the United States. At the core though, there is the ethical deliberation if abortion is right or wrong. A recent article from the Economist states that President Trump fully supports pro-life and intends to defund Planned Parenthood, which is the largest organization that perform abortions (Anti-abortion protesters hope for change under Donald Trump). There is a clear argument in whether abortion is right or wrong, and I believe that out of the different ethical theories that we have studied, Virtue Ethics
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Aristotle proposed that everything has a telos, which means goal or objective. An example of this would be a seed. The seed’s telos would be to blossom into its proper state. If it did not, then it would not be following its telos and would be considered damaged. Aristotle continues to say that the telos of human beings would be to reach their state of Eudaimonia, this is the edge of what humans want to reach, ultimate happiness (Aristotle Explained). Everyone can pursue their own special interests for one reason or another, but it all comes down to truly achieving the objective of the action, which is absolute happiness. This absolute happiness is one that is true and is lasting. Eudaimonia is achieved when a human is in balance with what defines one as a human. All humans have these three characteristics: Vegetative, Appetitive, and Rational (1-2). We perform our vegetative acts unconsciously such as digesting food and growing. Appetitive acts are our emotions that we experience on a daily basis and rationalism is our ability to learn and critically think, which is exclusively for …show more content…
By looking through the lens of a virtue ethicist, we have to understand how important the concept of telos is. The argument of abortion is difficult to understand and thus makes it arduous to argue. What most people would argue is if the fetus is a human being in the early stages of pregnancy. Since Virtue Ethics states that everything has a duty or function, the debate between whether the fetus is a human being or not is irrelevant to the argument. It’s the woman’s reproductive system’s purpose to bring forth life into the world. If a doctor disrupts the process of life through abortion, then he or she would take away the telos of the reproductive system, thus showing that it is morally wrong. By practicing different virtues, doctors and expecting mothers can preserve the telos. Doctors can practice the virtues of honesty and compassion. The doctor has to be honest towards the pregnant mother by being fair towards the both the life of the child and mother. They have to show compassion towards both the mother and the child by understanding the position they are both in. Mothers can preserve this telos by showing respect towards themselves and the child they are bearing. Catholic Ethics has been deeply influenced by Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics and would agree with the conclusion that has been made above. Through the Natural Law, God reveals the eternal law to us through our ability to reason
Aristotle proposed that everything has a telos, which means goal or objective. An example of this would be a seed. The seed’s telos would be to blossom into its proper state. If it did not, then it would not be following its telos and would be considered damaged. Aristotle continues to say that the telos of human beings would be to reach their state of Eudaimonia, this is the edge of what humans want to reach, ultimate happiness (Aristotle Explained). Everyone can pursue their own special interests for one reason or another, but it all comes down to truly achieving the objective of the action, which is absolute happiness. This absolute happiness is one that is true and is lasting. Eudaimonia is achieved when a human is in balance with what defines one as a human. All humans have these three characteristics: Vegetative, Appetitive, and Rational (1-2). We perform our vegetative acts unconsciously such as digesting food and growing. Appetitive acts are our emotions that we experience on a daily basis and rationalism is our ability to learn and critically think, which is exclusively for …show more content…
By looking through the lens of a virtue ethicist, we have to understand how important the concept of telos is. The argument of abortion is difficult to understand and thus makes it arduous to argue. What most people would argue is if the fetus is a human being in the early stages of pregnancy. Since Virtue Ethics states that everything has a duty or function, the debate between whether the fetus is a human being or not is irrelevant to the argument. It’s the woman’s reproductive system’s purpose to bring forth life into the world. If a doctor disrupts the process of life through abortion, then he or she would take away the telos of the reproductive system, thus showing that it is morally wrong. By practicing different virtues, doctors and expecting mothers can preserve the telos. Doctors can practice the virtues of honesty and compassion. The doctor has to be honest towards the pregnant mother by being fair towards the both the life of the child and mother. They have to show compassion towards both the mother and the child by understanding the position they are both in. Mothers can preserve this telos by showing respect towards themselves and the child they are bearing. Catholic Ethics has been deeply influenced by Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics and would agree with the conclusion that has been made above. Through the Natural Law, God reveals the eternal law to us through our ability to reason