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Harvard University Journals

Procreation as an Ethical Argument


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
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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
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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
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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

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Works Cited

Ruggiero, Vincent Ryan. Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues. Mountain View,

CA: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1992. Print.

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