Bioethics Position Paragraph

Bioethics Position Paragraph

Ethical considerations in prenatal diagnosis raise many ethical concerns among people, the question being how anyone can choose between life and death for their child. If diagnostic testing confirms there is a genetic deformity in the baby you are carrying, will you choose to terminate the pregnancy, and if not, then why have the test done at all (Gates, 1993). When I was pregnant with my fifth child my genetic labs declared there was a ninety percent chance my baby had down syndrome. I had four other children at home, each with special needs of their own, how would I care for a child with downs syndrome with everything I already have on my plate? I was given the option for an amniocentesis, a test they would screen the amniotic fluid in my uterus to determine if she was in fact going to have downs syndrome. I was told by my physician the test will help me to determine if I would go through with my pregnancy or terminate. There was not a need to go through with the amniocentesis, I would never defy God and have an abortion. As Elizabeth Anscombe taught about Divine Command Theory, an action’s status is morally good if measurable as a commanded by God. Obligations are consistent if in the commandment or character of God declared commandments for us to live by in order to serve him as our Lord, “Thou shall not kill,” as one of them (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2015). An individual not believing in God would not see the Ethical relevance in the Divine Command Theory, instead their own self-interest and effect on others would be more pertinent. Utilitarianism, the complete opposite disposition is at playstating actions must bring the greatest amount of good for all individuals who may be affected by the act (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2015). Some may argue that having a down syndrome child will affect my other children’s level of care and bring more stress into the household, but how can a life being taken away be measured against how someone else’s life may be affects? It simply cannot.

References

Gates, E. A. (1993, September). Ethical considerations in prenatal diagnosis. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1011355/

Thiroux, J. R., & Krasemann, K. W. (2015). Ethics: theory and practice. Retrieved January 9, 2020, from https://purdueuniversityglobal.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781323130162/cfi/6/10!/4/12/4/4/2/2/2@0:77.7https://purdueuniversityglobal.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781323130162/cfi/6/10!/4/12/4/4/2/2/2@0:77.7.

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