Option 7: Abortion: Approaches from Virtue

One of predominate theme eminent in the selected reading is abortion. The idea of the author is that advocates of pro-choice may confess that they personally would not like procuring an abortion, yet they openly advocate for the right of people who would like to have an abortion. One the other hand, the author indicates that he is indifferent about people who champion the freedom of choice. Yet, they go ahead and criticize women who overly use abortion as a substitution to birth control. The variation between pro-life advocates and what they practice brings a conflict on the matter of the extent of 'right' or 'wrong' of taking an active part in any side of this debate. The author sets two scenes, which both culminate in a dilemma. For example, in the first instance, the author narrates about a case in which a woman, aged forty-five, gets pregnant and now wants to abort. The ground of the woman's desire towards aborting her pregnancy is the she feels the newborn will disrupt how the other kids have been living. Besides, the woman supports her decision by arguing that her 14-years old son has an attention deficit, which she feels will be a tall order to keep up with. However, an explication into her health history notices that the woman is in perfect health. Another instance portrays a young lady, 22-years of age, who want to abort following her irresponsible lifestyle. The lady perceives that her parents will ridicule her for getting pregnant while at school.

From the virtues point of view, the emphasis is not on answering life dilemmas but creating an understanding of what type of person one would like to be. The deontological perspective is that virtues are a duty that helps to maximize the good. When people are responsible for their actions, they are most likely to yield greater good. For example, in the case of the woman who is 45 years of age, getting the kid might not yield a greater good to her family; however, that might be the only opportunity she has to carry life within her. On the same note, the utilitarian perspective is that virtues are a personal character that yield greater good. That is, if the older woman is determined to bring one more kid to her family, her ability to navigate the challenges of raising them portrays a persevering...