University Case Study: Moral Status in Fetal Abnormality Scenario

This case study analyzes a scenario involving fetal abnormality, exploring the ethical considerations of moral status through the perspectives of different characters. The case presents a couple, Jessica and Marco, facing a difficult decision after a fetal abnormality is detected. Dr. Wilson, advocating for cognitive properties, recommends abortion due to the potential burden on the family. Aunt Maria, emphasizing relationships, opposes abortion based on religious beliefs. Jessica grapples with the decision, influenced by the theory of sentience, considering the potential for pain and suffering. Marco, aligning with moral agency, seeks to understand all options before making a decision. The assignment explores these differing viewpoints and the influence of ethical theories such as cognitive properties, sentience, and moral agency on the characters' recommendations, culminating in a discussion of the author's agreement with the cognitive properties theory and its implications on the decision-making process.

Running head: MORAL STATUS
Moral Status
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

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Table of Contents
Answer 1)...................................................................................................................................2
Answer 2)...................................................................................................................................2
Answer 3)...................................................................................................................................3
Answer 4)...................................................................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................5

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Answer 1)
Christian faith conceives of every human being to be living image of the God himself.
The life of God can be said to be deeply infused in human person. The human beings are
endowed with the capacity of God and the nature of the human beings are derived with the
help of Gods. In my opinion, it can be said to be compatible with the theory of the cognitive
properties which talks about the fact that the human beings have the freedom of acting in a
purposeful manner that would have a positive influence on the overall society. The human
beings are endowed with the rationality along with the higher order volition that helps them
in taking the right decision (Tannenbaum & Jaworska, 2018). The human beings are
endowed with the element of the understanding and the thinking that helps them in taking the
crucial decisions. The individuals have the awareness and this helps them in taking the right
decisions. I think that it can be said to be related to the intrinsic human value and the dignity
as it talks about the fact that the ability of the rational thinking helps the human beings in
making the crucial decisions that acts for the welfare of the people. The faculty of thinking
can help in offering protection to the sanctity of the individuals and it can save their
reputation in the society (Audi, 2018).
Answer 2)
The tests have been carried out and the anomalies have been detected on foetus and
hence the couple have to take an important decision regarding whether to terminate
pregnancy. Decisions would be made on the basis of various theories which are classified on
the basis of characteristics and the views of each theory. Moral agency talks about the fact
that making the distinction in between the right and the wrong can help in defining moral
status of being (Zwitter, 2019). The theory on the basis of sentience talks about the fact that
moral status can be defined with the help of ability of an individual of being able to perceive

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the pain. The theory on the basis of relationships helps in binding the people together like the
family.
Dr Wilson embodies theory of the cognitive properties as he feels that the child would
be a burden for the family. The baby would give rise to difficulties for the family and the
family would have to face challenges in the event of raising the child. He encourages the
couple to abort the child by making use of the expertise in relation to medical knowledge
(Bai, 2017). Maria on the other hand believes in the theory of relationships and so she pleads
with Jessica so that she keeps the baby. She feels that it is morally wrong to kill the child as
dictated by the Bible. I think that Jessica abides by theory of the sentience as she feels that
the human beings have the capacity of feeling the pain and the pleasure and the decisions that
are taken by an individual should not inflict pain on a person. In my view, Marco works on
the basis of theory of the moral agency that stipulates that the moral status of the individuals
are derived from capacity of individuals of being able to act as moral agents.
Answer 3)
The theories of the moral status which are espoused by the characters have an
influence on the recommendations which are suggested by the characters. Dr Wilson with the
help of the scan saw that the foetus is suffering from the rare condition where it has not
developed the arms and it would not develop them in the future. I feel that he believes in
theory of the cognitive properties and wanted to abort the child as he felt that it would be a
burden for Jessica and Marco. Aunt Maria is a believer of theory of the relationships and she
wanted Jessica to follow on with the pregnancy (Brown, 2018). She makes Jessica think
about her responsibility as a mother and feels that the situation is the will of God. Marco
wanted to discuss about the complications of the situation with Dr Wilson so that he could
arrive at a conclusion. He wanted to discuss about various kinds of options that can help him
in making the decision. Marco wanted to ponder regarding the situation and then finally take

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the decision. His decision has been formed due to theory of the moral agency that states that
the individuals have the motives which can be judged on the basis of the moral grounds. The
motives that are harboured by the individuals should be just and it should be reflected with
the help of the actions of the individuals (Bai, Ho & Yan, 2019). In my view, Jessica have to
undergo a mental turmoil on account of the fact that she wants better socio-economic position
for her family and at the same time she thinks that the life of the human beings are sacred. On
the basis of theory of sentience, Jessica feels that the pain that is inflicted on the individuals is
evil and the individuals should refrain from taking any kind of steps which causes pain to an
individual.
Answer 4)
I agree with the theory of the cognitive properties that states that the individuals have
the duty of acting in a responsible manner. The individuals should be aware regarding their
motives and the actions that are taken by them should be purposeful within the framework of
wider society. In my view, this theory can help in preserving the moral order in the society
and it can help in protecting the dignity of the people. I think that in the event of the baby
being given the opportunity of living he would become a burden for the family. The child
would also suffer on account of the fact that the child would be deformed and would not be
capable of leading a normal life (Audi, 2018). The child would have to lead a miserable life
if he is allowed to be born. The foetus should be aborted as it would increase the trouble in
the life of Jessica along with Marco.

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References
Audi, R. (2018). Ethical Theory and Moral Intuitions in Biomedical Decision-Making. In The
Ethics of Reproductive Genetics (pp. 3-21). Springer, Cham.
Audi, R. (2018). Ethical Theory and Moral Intuitions in Biomedical Decision-Making. In The
Ethics of Reproductive Genetics (pp. 3-21). Springer, Cham.
Bai, F. (2017). Beyond dominance and competence: A moral virtue theory of status
attainment. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 21(3), 203-227.
Bai, F., Ho, G. C. C., & Yan, J. (2019). Does virtue lead to status? Testing the moral virtue
theory of status attainment. Journal of personality and social psychology.
Brown, M. T. (2018, March). The moral status of the human embryo. In The Journal of
Medicine and Philosophy: A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine (Vol.
43, No. 2, pp. 132-158). US: Oxford University Press.
Tannenbaum, J., & Jaworska, A. (2018). The grounds of moral status.
Zwitter, M. (2019). Moral Status. In Medical Ethics in Clinical Practice (pp. 23-27).
Springer, Cham.
Reading Material
Case Study: Fetal Abnormality