Case Study on Moral Status

1 Case Study on Moral Status According to the Christian perspective, personhood is not based on specific capacities but is inherent to all human beings. Christians believe that moral status is conferred on all humans irrespective of any other criteria. According to Christians, the basis of personhood originates from the belief that people are created in God’s image. Christians believe that humans have similar characteristics as God and should therefore be treated with dignity and respect. The Christian perspective is most compatible with the moral status theory based on human properties.

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2 According to this theory, human beings get moral status from distinctively human properties. Thus, the two are compatible as they postulate that just being human grants full moral status to people. The Christian perspective is related to the essentialist view of human value that considers humans to have intrinsic value apart from any external valuations. Therefore, they should be treated with dignity.

The individuals in the case study use various theories to determine the fetus’ moral status.

Dr. Wilson uses the theory based on cognitive properties to decide that aborting the fetus is the best option for the couple. According to this theory, individuals have moral status if they possess certain basic cognitive functions necessary for high-level functioning (White, 2020). The fetus lacks cognitive functioning because it cannot communicate and reason. It has abnormalities such as the failure to develop arms and a 25 percent chance of Downs Syndrome. People with Downs Syndrome have impaired cognitive capacity.

Maria uses two theories based on human properties and relationships to convince Jessica not to abort the child. According to human properties theory, human beings have a moral status based on uniquely human characteristics (White, 2020). However, Sebo (n.d.) argues that using this theory is discriminatory against other species as research has shown that certain animals have similar or more sophisticated cognitive capacities than some humans. Individuals who use the theory based on human properties are opposed to practices such as abortion as fetuses are human. Maria is a Christian as she prays and calls the priest after receiving the news about the diagnosis. She also asks Jessica not to abort the child but instead allow God’s will to be done (Grand Canyon University (GCU), 2020). Christians believe that all humans should be treated with dignity and respect as they are created in God’s image. Therefore, as a Christian, Maria uses the human properties theory as it is compatible with the Christian perspective regarding the

3 nature of humans. Maria also uses the theory based on relationships to convince Jessica to keep the baby. According to this theory, people have moral status based on relationships. Maria asks Jessica to consider her responsibility as a mother (GCU, 2020). She is implying that Jessica should keep the pregnancy based on her parent-child relationship with the fetus.

Jessica uses the theory based on sentience to decide the fetus. Sentient beings possess the consciousness to feel pleasure and pain and react to them (White, 2020). Thus, the fetus has moral status because it can feel pain. Jessica uses this theory because even though she was hoping for a more independent and better socioeconomic position, she believes that all life is sacred (GCU, 2020). According to the sentience theory, all living things with the ability to feel pain have moral status. Therefore, aborting the fetus will cause it pain because it is a living thing.

Marco, Jessica’s husband, uses the theory based on relationships to decide whether Jessica should abort the fetus. According to the relationship theory, human beings have moral status based on relationships with others who value them (White, 2020). Therefore, the moral status of a being can change based on the other party. Marco believes that having a disabled child will burden the couple and hinder their economic progress (GCU, 2020). However, he will support any decision that Jessica makes about the fetus. Therefore, Marco’s decision will be based on his relationship with his wife. The moral status of the fetus may change depending on whether Jessica decides to keep or abort it.

I agree with the theory based on human properties because it is aligned with the Christian view regarding personhood. The moral status of the fetus should not be based on certain capacities such as reason and consciousness. The fetus has inherent worth and should be treated with dignity. Therefore, based on my Christian belief, Jessica should not abort the child. The theory based on cognitive properties used by Dr. Wilson seems logical because of the fetus’s

4 expected poor quality of life and the couple’s financial challenges. If Jessica does not abort the fetus, it will have a poor quality of life due to the physical disability and cognitive abnormalities caused by Downs Syndrome.

Moreover, based on the couple’s financial situation, they may not take care of a disabled child. They are already facing economic difficulties even before the child's arrival as Jessica was unable to receive early prenatal care due to financial concerns. Therefore, having a disabled child will compound their financial challenges. However, as a Christian, I cannot base my decision on the cognitive properties theory as the fetus was created in God’s image and deserves to be treated with respect. All human beings should be treated with dignity as they are equal irrespective of their characteristics, including physical and intellectual capabilities.

Furthermore, the doctor’s diagnosis may change with time as it is not 100 percent accurate. The 25 percent chance of having Downs Syndrome is not enough to inform the fetus's decision to terminate. There is a 75 percent chance that the fetus will not have this condition and will have complete cognitive capabilities. Thus, my recommendation would be for Jessica not to abort the fetus.

References Grand Canyon University (GCU). (2020). Case study. Fetal abnormality.

Sebo, J. (n.d.). Ethics: Moral status. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/partnercontent/wi-phi/wiphi-value-theory/wiphi-ethics/v/moral-status White, N. H. (2020). God, humanity and human dignity. Practicing Dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision Making in Health Care. Grand Canyon University.