Defining the Moral Status Essay

Is it ethical for animals to have the same rights as humans? During this paper I will present the views of both sides. I will try my best to give the reader a chance to come to there own unbiased conclusion. I will talk about the key areas of animal ethics. I will present the facts and reasoning behind the arguments over Animal cruelty, testing, hunting, and improper housing. My conclusion will hopefully bring us closer to answering many of the question surrounding “Animal Rights and Ethics”.

Moral status is a bioethical concept that concerns the type of beings that possess rights, like human beings. There are five distinct viewpoints, or theories, that help in determining moral status. These theories include: a theory based on human properties, a theory based on cognitive properties, a theory based on moral agency, a theory based on sentience, and a theory based on relationships (HLT-302 Introduction 2, 2015). In the case study, a situation in which a fetus develops a rare condition where its quality of life would be poor is presented. The physician (Dr. Wilson), aunt (Maria), mother (Jessica), and father (Marco) all share different viewpoints that make the process of determining a final plan of action very difficult.

In order to conclude that all and only human beings deserve a full and equal moral status (and therefore that no animals deserve a full and equal moral status), there must be some property (P) that all and only human beings have that can ground such a claim.

Embryonic stem cell research is important for further development in the medical field. It strongly supports the idea that every life has value, an idea known as human dignity. Human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, and thus, are all equal. The idea of radical equality before God leads us to think no less of someone regardless of their physical appearance, religious beliefs, cultural background, or anything else. It is through virtues such as charity, mercy, and justice that our human dignity is preserved. By living through these virtues and realizing how to effectively instill them within us, we are able to live a virtuous life. This paper argues that although issues involving embryonic stem cell research are controversial, research in this area is typically permissible for further development in the medical field when looking to preserve human dignity. In order to defend this thesis, this paper will be structured into three sections as followed: the description of embryonic stem cell research, the development of a moral lens, and the moral argument and analysis of this case.

Jessica 's case is one of the mixed worldview of values on her unborn fetus where her moral compass is influenced by her materialism and spirituality akin to Marco. She follows both the theory that only sentient animals have moral status and the theory that all living organisms have moral status (Sebo, n.d.). According to Wilson (1994), “the fetus is entitled to some degree of moral respect, especially after it has developed for a few weeks”. For instance, Jessica is revealed as wavering between selecting what is erroneous and correct. She anticipates an improved socioeconomic life but similarly trusts that every life is consecrated.

Since the trial of Roe vs. Wade the topic of abortion has become more commonly discussed among Americans. In addition, as time progresses there are new scientific discoveries that are being used the medical field; for example, prenatal diagnosis, “determining the sex of a fetus by an ultrasound scanning” (Junhong). Furthermore, with these medical advances it has created an issue of selective abortion, “abortions procured solely on account of a fetus's race, sex, or disability” (Berry. This essay discusses the moral judgement of the fetus by considering the case study, the utilitarian reasoning, and the Kantian reasoning when evaluating when it is morally right to use prenatal diagnosis for selective abortions.

The advancement of medical technology has made it possible to detect medical abnormalities while a child is still a fetus and can create difficult choices for parents to make if severe anomalies are discovered. There are many theories regarding the moral status of the fetus that can be applied when deciding how to proceed if these abnormalities are detected. In the fetal abnormality case study, Jessica, Marco, Maria, and Dr. Wilson each have varying opinions on what course of action to take based on these different theories of moral status.

Specifically, this pertains to stem cell research. In keeping with the principle of utilitarianism it is morally correct to treat embryo with a higher purpose than any other cells. Embryos have great potential in treating the world’s illnesses that other cells do not so to be moral we must do what is best for the most people. In keeping respect for embryos we could choose only the most beneficial research to be approved for their use thus being as utilitarian as possible. In this way embryos lie somewhere in between the moral value of humans and other bodily tissues. If embryos did not have the medical potential they do, then I would say they only deserve the respect other bodily tissue deserves. Embryos have no consciousness or sentiment like other tissue but, have

However this paper is designed to focus on other morally problematic aspects of fetal research. The first is that fetal research as it is now carried out today in the United States violates the human dignity of the unborn through violating agreed upon principles governing organ donations generally. Secondly the legal and moral restrictions imposed on fetal research not only have failed to secure ethical research but the nature of the research itself gives an incentive to morally problematic behavior.

Abortion, the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy through the agency of the mother, is a highly debated ethical issue. Abortion is an ethical issue because it involves violating the either the fetus’s natural right to live, or the mother’s right to freedom. The two most common approaches to this issue are pro-life and pro-choice. The pro-life approach argues that the fetus is a human who has sentience and natural rights, and therefore it is wrong to harm the unborn child. One of the most common issues within the abortion dilemma is the problem of personhood. There is debate over what qualifications the fetus must display in order to have the rights that come with moral personhood. One ethical principle that can be applied to the issue of personhood in relation to abortion is the Value of Life Principle. Under the Value of Life ethical principle, preservation of life takes precedence over all other ethical values. Therefore, according to this principle, if it can be determined that the fetus has the right to life, that right must be preserved. However, even if it is determined that fetuses have natural rights, the mother already has the same rights which creates conflict. The pro-choice approach argues that the fetus is a part of the mother, and therefore her rights to freedom and ownership of her own body are more important than a fetus’s rights. It cannot be argued that the mother is not a fully sentient being, and therefore, the mother’s rights are undeniable.

Embryonic stem cells research has challenged the moral ethics within human beings simply because the point at which one is considered a “human,” is still under debate and practically incapable to make a decision upon.

opposite claim; that the unborn child, because it is a developing human being, possesses a moral status

Throughout history morality has been a topic of intense debate. Innumerable thinkers have devoted immense amounts of time and energy to the formulation of various ethical theories intended to assist humans in their daily lives. These theories set out guidelines which help to determine the rightness or wrongness of any given action and can therefore illuminate which choice would be morally beneficial. And while many of these theories differ substantially, most have at least one common underlying principle, namely that humans deserve to be treated with a certain level of respect. This idea comes from the belief that all humans have interests which are significant enough to be considered, hence no one should impede another

This revised/reorganized fifth edition of a classic exposition of a secular "principlist" approach to bioethics makes the text more accessible to readers who are not well versed in moral theory. The book addresses critiques of the approach as presented in earlier additions; new developments in theory; and new issues in research, medicine, and health care. The original framework containing four clusters of secular principles--respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice--is upheld as "the common morality" accepted by "all morally serious persons." Often referred to as "the Georgetown mantra" (after Georgetown's Kennedy Institute of

In our day and age as we know it, there have been astounding advancements in medicine. The average life expectancy has risen. People are being educated in issues that surround a healthy life style. As a society, we are trying to increase our life span and defeat death. While people are following strict