Moral Status (Fetal Abnormality): Reflection

Moral Status (Fetal Abnormality): Reflection
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Moral Status (Fetal Abnormality): Reflection
In the “Fetal Abnormality” case study, Dr. Wilson, the attending physician, Jessica, and her husband, Marco, and Aunt Maria face an ethical dilemma involving protecting or ending the unborn baby’s life. Dr. Wilson has revealed that preliminary ultrasound tests show that Jessica’s unborn child has a possible abnormality. For instance, there is a 25 percent probability that the child may have Down syndrome, and the fetus has a rare condition that will make it impossible to develop any arms. The moral dilemma in the case is whether Jessica should proceed with the pregnancy until its full term and give birth to the baby with abnormalities or terminate the pregnancy. While Dr. Wilson presents these options to the couple and Aunt Maria, he is categorical that abortion is the only medically wise choice based on this situation and is a safe “scientifically” proven approach. Marco seems to be open to whichever decision Jessica will take but is also aware of the impact of the baby’s life on their economic security and plans. On the other hand, Jessica is torn between procuring an abortion to afford a better socioeconomic status and independence and the sanctity of life. Aunt Maria is hesitant that Jessica should follow through with the pregnancy and let God’s will be done in allowing Jessica to take the responsibilities of a mother seriously (Grand Canyon University, 2020). Reflecting on the case study, this paper presents the Christian view, moral theories used by Jessica, Marco, Maria, and Dr. Wilson to determine the moral status of the fetus, the impact of the theory on their decisions, and the view or theory that I agree with and why.
The Christian View of the Nature of Human Persons (180)
According to the Christian view of the nature of human persons, all creatures are made in the image of God. This view, which is from the biblical perspective, has profound implications on how humans view themselves and treat each other. The other Christian perspective that is drawn from the holy scriptures is that besides human persons being physical creatures, they consist of both the body and soul that is an irreducible aspect of spiritual being, which survives beyond death (Anderson, 2017). With an estimated 31 percent of the world’s population, which is about 7.3 billion people, these views have remained instrumental in the debate on abortion and the sanctity of life (Hackett & McClendon, 2017). Besides, these perspectives are related to the protection of intrinsic human value and dignity, which have become commonplace in legal, religious, and social discussions, as well as in academia. Analyzing the Christian theism, postmodernism, and naturalism view of the ...