A young woman visits her GP to ask for an abortion. The woman recently found out that she was pregnant and has always been against abortion. When asked why she wants the abortion she explains that she doesn't want to be the sort of mother that had a child for her own sake and neglected the interests of the child. She qualifies this by saying that is too young and ill prepared to offer a child a good upbringing. What ethical system best characterises the woman's reasoning?
The primary drive here is to make the right decision and to be a virtuous person. This is consistent with virtue ethics. The primary focus is not about consequence or the rightness or wrongness of the action.
Ethical theory and principles
Ethical theory
Broadly speaking there are three main ethical systems to be aware of:
- Teleological
- Deontological
- Virtue based
Teleological systems focus on consequences (you'll also see this referred to as consequentialism) . The emphasis here is on the outcome of a decision or and action. Utilitarianism is an example of this.
Deontological systems are focused on actions themselves rather than consequences. This is sometimes referred to as Kantianism (after the philosophy of Immanuel Kant). These systems suggest that there are moral rules and duties that should not be beached.
Virtue ethics focuses on being rather than doing. When faced with a moral dilemma, virtue ethics encourages people to do the right thing for the right reason. The emphasis is on moral character and what the decision says about this.
To summarise the above take the issue of lying. A consequentialist might say that it is right to lie in certain circumstances depending on whether it would result in a good or bad outcome. A deontological view might be that it is simply wrong and immoral to lie. Using virtue ethics one might question what a lie in that case would say about one's moral character. It may be okay to lie if it is for the good of another if one is approaching the issue out of compassion.
Ethical principles
The basic ethical principals constitute the branch of ethics known as principlism.
| Basic ethical principle | Description |
|---|---|
| Autonomy | refers to a patient's right to make their own decisions |
| Beneficence | refers to the expectation that a doctor will act in a way that will be helpful to the patient |
| Non-maleficence | refers to the fact that doctors should avoid harming their patients |
| Justice | refers to the expectation that doctors will treat patients fairly, in an unbiased manner, and that all people should be treated equally |
