The Thirty Nine Year Old New Zealand Weight Lifter
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This essay will discuss the isssue of the thirty-nine year old New Zealand weight lifter, Laurel Hubbard, a transgender woman who won the Australian International weightlifting competition. The following theories, Utilitarianism and Kantian Ethics will be discussed to identify the ethical issues to justify whether this issue is fair for the other woman competitiors.
Before Hubbard arose as an international caliber lifter last year, she would compete nationally as ‘Gavin Hubbard’, which is her birth name. She started transitioning as a woman in her mid thirty’s, eventually reaslising she was going to be a lot more successful as a weightlifter (NZ Herald, 2017). Garry Marshall, the President of Olympic Weightlifting New Zealand, said that…show more content… Rule Utilitarian’s believe that the moral correctness of an act varies on the correctness of the rules that accepts it to accomplish the greatest good (Mill, 1863). Utilitarianism is summarized into three main propositions, number one being that actions are to be judged and assessed right or wrong merely of their consequences (Mill, 1863). Nothing else is considered, only those who have the best consequences (Mill, 1863). Secondly, when assessing the consequences, the only priority is the extent of happiness or unhappiness. Everything else is unrelated. Finally, the third proposition states that no one’s happiness is measured as more important than anyone else’s, everyone is equal (Mill, 1863).
A Utilitarian’s main concern is the consequence of an act. A person’s reasoning and intentions to why they do a certain ‘thing’ is seen as more important (Mill, 1863). “The ethical worth of an action is calculated by the amount of pleasure or pain it produces for those affected by it” (Walton, 2003)
If the actions made are morally appropriate and create an overall happiness for a person or persons, then you have achieved a belief of Utilitarianism (Walton, 2003).
When relating the theory of Utilitarianism to Laurel Hubbard’s situation in weightlifting, the consequences of her actions did not create and overall happiness for the other woman competiting in the weightlifting competition. There was an overall happiness from Laurel herself, and family members, but the