Author(s): Dr. Rebecca Pine Source: Harvard Library Article Database Published by: The Harvard University Press
Accessed: 11/20/2013 9:50
Procreation as an Ethical Argument
INTRODUCTION no. Such examples illustrate how
different circumstances can lead to Last month, acclaimed author polarized conclusions. Morten Gladstone released his newest bestseller, The Birth Question that Therefore, in the case of makes a controversial argument Gladstones claim to procreations against human procreation. The unethicality, circumstances must also books claim is startling enough to be defined before any conclusion is catch any readers attention, but made. what really piqued my interest was a ETHICAL STRATEGY statement Gladstone made at one point declaring procreation to be Ethicists must work through a unethical. Reading on, although consistent framework to reach Madwells position is intriuging and responsible conclusions. The model his case studies valid, I feel that his created by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero, conclusion that all procreation is Professor Emeritus of Humanities at unethical in all situations is too broad State University of New York at Delhi, and simplified for a true ethical proposes a very simple strategy conclusion. In this article I will clarify consisting of four steps and three the framework needed to make an basic criteria: ethical argument and use said framework to refine Gladstones STEP 1 includes defining the conclusion. circumstances of the given situation, as we have already discussed. THE IMPORTANCE OF CIRCUMSTANCES This content downloaded from 156.30.109.76 onSTEP Wed, 202Nov introduces 2013 9:50:47three criteria to PM All use subject to Harvard Press Terms and Conditions Any ethicist will agree that it is consider that weigh in on the final imperative in every ethical argument decision. to define the circumstances of the situation in question. For example, 1) Obligations present the death penalty is an ethical issue restrictions and/or demands in many states because its application on the behavior of the depends entirely on the people in the situation. They circumstances surrounding the are what these people are convicted. Would it be right to bound by. 2) Ideals are goals and values pronounce the death penalty both on that promote greater someone convicted of an accidental harmony within a person and murder and someone convicted of between others. first degree murder? Most would say 2 3) Consequences are the the husbands tendency of abuse, it effects of a situation, is questionable that the couple could whether beneficial or provide a stable home life for the harmful. child. Ideals wise, aside from the home, the quality of life the child will STEP 3 is to determine all the possible be born into is also unstable. paths of action the people in the Chances are, the child will grow up in situation could have taken. Were their poverty and surrounded by gang actions the only choice? Ruggerio violence and drug use; not the most gives the example of a policeman conducive enviroment to fulfill the fatally shooting a man who had taken obligation its parents have to nurture a woman hostage and was choking and care. Consequentially, the child and stabbing her; under those could very well fall into a gang, drug circumstances, the action of killing is abuse, and alcoholism, thereby plausibly justifiable because for the harming itself and those in its sake of the woman hostage, there community. was no alternative path of action. In this extreme but not STEP 4, lastly, is to weigh the three uncommon case, one could make the criteria against the paths of action argument that procreation for this determined in Step 3 to make a final couple is unethical because the child conclusion. would be brought into a life of THE ETHICALITY OF PROCREATION suffering. Similarly, one could argue it is unethical for a prostitute in Los With a framework established, Angeles or a slave in Uganda to we may now proceed to refine procreate. These cirumstances make Gladstones claim that procreation is Gladstone s claim very plausible. unethical. Let us consider two situations. However, in the second situation, let us say another young In the first, a young couple couple also wants to have a child. wants to have a child. The husband Here, the husband is a well- has just recently been laid off, and established, prominent lawyer and his wife works a minimum-wage job. his wife has a stable part-time Both are alcoholics and the husband position at an accounting firm. They is occasionally abusive. Furthermore, live in the suburbs of Greenwich, the couple lives in the Bronx, New Connecticut, have a dog named Fido, York, and their neighborhood is the and are friends with all their site of constant gang violence and neighbors. The couple is financially drug use. With the circumstances very capable of supporting a child defined, we look now to the three and their marriage is strong. Using criteria. As far as obligations, having the same reasoning as in the a child gives the couple the previous situation, it seems here that obligation to care for and nurture it. the child would have a more-than- With their history of alcoholism and satisfactory quality of life and be 3 nurtured and cared for. It does not want it for the childs own benefit seem reasonable to claim that it is and growth. Even if the couple unethical for this couple to procreate wanted a child in order to grow and because the child would be born into nurture it, they could want that a comfortable life. because, from a philosophical standpoint, humans naturally take As these two situations have pride in being care providers and illustrated, again, different part of a success. It all circumvents circumstances reach polar back to inately selfish reasons, and conclusions. So dependent is an therefore one could argue that ethical conclusion on circumstances, procreation in the second situation is that even changing one aspect of the also unethical. second situation could turn its conclusion around 180 degrees. CONCLUSION Let us look more closely at the In all, there is no hard absolute ideals of the couple. Why do they that covers all situations in all cases want to have a child? What do they of ethics. As seen in the previous value? Most couples want to start a situations, circumstances are family because it is culturally imperative. Therefore, I believe we expected and personally fulfilling, can now reasonably conclude that and this is also so for our couple Gladstones all-encompassing claim here. But there in lies the catch if that all procreation is bad in all the couple wants to have a child to circumstances is faulty in its fulfill both expectations and generalization. themselves, they do not necessarily
4 Works Cited
Ruggiero, Vincent Ryan. Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues. Mountain View,