Essay: Social Sciences - Ethics

Peter Singer's 'Practical Ethics”

The paper analyzes one of the ethical issues discussed in Peter Singer's "Practical Ethics". This is an extremely thoughtful book. Singer's writings about equity, the moral treatment of people and humans, and poverty of ending world are best. Author has discusses several ethical issues, one of them being abortion. I will reframe Singer's positions in regards to abortion, not precisely as Singer put them. Abortion has been viewed differently over the time and across the cultures, differently.

Ethical Issue: Abortion

The traditional discussion on abortion rarely leaves trenches very grounders and, above all, hardly addresses the ethical and moral issues that the decision to terminate the pregnancy poses. Debate is the "right to life" against the "right to the body," it is argued - as a rule so little informed - the biology of the developing fetus, there is talk of public health, or to end the scourge of onboard clandestine, or would refer the problem to the unique level of individual consciousness. In some cases the two fields barricade themselves in "absolute rights" that interditariam up the possibility of citizens to express their views in a referendum.

Utilitarianism led him to say that of the four possible options in relation to abortion, namely: a) the conviction of all abortion, except it is done to save the life of the mother, b) when the fetus is deformed or is the product of rape or incest, c) for any reason, provided it is done before the fetus is viable and d) always allow for any reason, he considered the latter as the most acceptable. That is, Fletcher always welcomes and supports abortion. Their basic slogan is that "no child should be born not sought." Or what is the same, that society, parents and even their own unwanted children would be much better if the latter were aborted. Better dead than alive. This is certainly a radical pro-abortion argument but very frequent. Would not it be better for these children are born to never be born without ones and thus become victims of mistreatment, abuse and exploitation of all kinds? The question is not easy.

Utilitarian Arguments by Peter Singer

The utilitarian argument, popularized by Peter Singer, is not subject to any specific text despite its argument approaching some sensitivities in the debate Portuguese. Their concern is to maximize the welfare of those involved, ie the pregnant woman and the fetus. Now as to a certain stage of development the fetus is not a being of sensitivity to pain, until then we can not speak of their well-being but only the pregnant woman. This can then decide freely whether to have an abortion harm the child, for example, your career or lower your standard of living (Singer, p. 130).

The three texts where it argues that abortion is immoral except in extreme circumstances follow essentially two lines of reasoning. On the one hand, explore the consequences of previous arguments showing how they end up, ultimately, by violating common ...