Ethical Decision Making - Case Study Example

Ethical Case Study No. 3 Introduction Elsie and Jones are mates at college and bosom friends. Elsie is an orphan andlives with the Uncle who has brought them up since the death of their parents when they were aged five years. Both Elsie and Jones are staunch Christians having been raised in families with strong Christian foundations. Moreover, Elsie’s Uncle is a strict disciplinarian. A fortnight ago, Elsie went to a party with their boyfriend. Now Elsie is pregnant. The boyfriend wants them to procure an abortion and is prepared to meet the cost. Elsie does not know what to do and has confided in Jones and asked for their advice. This paper provides a framework based on the CARE system Jones could use to advise their friend Elsie. CARE – Before Deciding Consider all the Facts Before deciding which way to advice Elsie, Jones will first of all have to consider all the facts surrounding the matter. Being the Christian believers they are, abortion is not only a crime, but also, and more importantly, a sin(Boyle 1). The act of procuring the abortion amounts to murder. If Elsie procured it, their relationship with God would not be right. Given that Elsies Uncle is a strict disciplinarian, it is uncertain how they would react to the news of Elsie’s pregnancy, let alone procuring abortion. On health grounds, procuring an abortion could damage Elsie’s uterus so that in the future, they may never again conceive. Assess Options Secondly, Jones will have to consider all the possible courses of action available to Elsie. First, they could give in to the pressure of the boyfriend and go for abortion. Secondly, they could carry the pregnancy to its full term. Then, upon giving birth, if they did not wish to raise the child, they could give them away for adoption(Boyle 3). However, like the first option, the second option too has consequences. For instance, it is not known how Elsie’s Uncle would react. Besides, the pursuit of this option is likely to disrupt Elsies studies as they will be forced to take maternity leave. Review Ethical Concerns Today society may have reached the point where it is normal for a woman to procure an abortion. However, Elsie, Jones and their families, besides being members of this society, are Christian believers. Christian doctrine forbids abortion(Boyle 1). It teaches that only God gives and takes life. Christianity also teaches that human life starts at conception, not birth. By effecting the abortion, Elsie will have effectively destroyed a human life. Their relationship with God will not be right. Even though God could still forgive them if they repented, Elsie must not put God to the test by carrying out the abortion then asking for forgiveness. Evaluate Possible Outcomes Elsie could secure the abortion secretly such that the Uncle would never find out. However, there are repercussions. The abortion could damage Elsie’s uterus so that they would never be able to conceive again(Boyle 4). The inability to conceive would not augur well for Elsie’s marriage life. Then, eventually, the Uncle would find out the cause of Elsie’s inability to conceive. If, on the other hand, Elsie decided to ignore the boyfriend and kept the pregnancy, the Uncle may be mad with them in the short-run. They may even threaten to stop paying their college fees. In the longer-run, however, they may come to terms with reality and forgive Elsie. CARE – Before Acting Consistency Whichever way Jones may decide to advise their friend Elsie, they will have to be consistent(Verges 501). By this statement is meant that if Jones decided to advice Elsie to terminate their pregnancy, for instance, they should be able to advise another friend to do so a week, or ten years from now. The degree to which this will be possible will depend on their Jones primary source of ethics and the age at which they came into contact with the source. Given that Jones has been brought up in a strong Christian family, one would expect them to consistently advise against procuring an abortion(Boyle 5). Awareness In order to protect Elsie’s privacy, it is unlikely that Jones would want their decision to be public knowledge. However, should they decide to advise Elsie against securing abortion, Jones may decide to communicate their decision with Elsie’s boyfriend. In so doing, they would try to convince them why abortion is wrong and should not be undertaken. Much of their discussion is likely to be guided by whether or not the boyfriend is a Christian (Verges 498). If they are, Jones’ argument is likely to be based more on Christian teachings. If they were a non-believer, it would be wise to argue on medical grounds. Rules and Principles Jones may want to establish their advice to Elsie as a general principle. In which case they may argue as follows: while it may be sinful and forbidden for young Christian men and women to engage in premarital sex, truth is that these young Christians do engage in sexual activity(Boyle 2). As a result, some of them conceive. While it is easier to point fingers at them and label them sinners, it is harder yet better to help them to come to terms with reality. The primary goal of helping them is to get them to desist from procuring the abortion as a wrong cannot be made right by another wrong. Equity Even as Jones goes about advising their friend Elsie, they must bear in mind what kind of advice they would have expected had they been in Elsie’s situation. Thus, while they may find it easy to advice Elsie to keep the pregnancy and encourage them by saying their Uncle would understand the situation and forgive them, only Elsie understands their Uncle better. The implication is that even as Jones advises Elsie, they must understand the final decision resides with them (Verges 500). Hence, Jones will need to keep an open mind to be able to come to terms with the decision Elsie will make eventually, even if the decision will not be their preferred one. Conclusion In the final analysis, Jones should advise their friend Elsie against securing the abortion. Instead, they should carry the pregnancy to its full term, the inconveniences notwithstanding. Jones should justify their advice on Christian, medical, ethical and legal grounds. Nevertheless, it would be necessary to allow Elsie the space to decide as the final decision lies with them (Verges 500). Then, Jones should be prepared psychologically to accept Elsie’s decision even if they decided against their advice. In any case, they will have played their part. Works cited Boyle , Joseph. "Abortion and Christian Bioethics: The Continuing Ethical Importance of Abortion." Christian Bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies in Medical Morality10(1) (2004): 1-5. Print. Verges, Alvaro. "Integrating Contextual Issues in Ethical Decision Making." Ethics & Behavior20(6)(2010): 497-507. Print. Read More