Philosophy: Reproduction

Instructions:

Reproduction 

Instructions

Complete the assigned readings and other course materials for Module 6 before answering the discussion question posted.

A word of warning: This topic is very polarizing, and people have gotten very heated about it.

First, I want to caution everyone that people sometimes engage in uninformed and simplistic argumentation on this topic. I expect you to apply the same principles of critical thinking to this topic as all the others, and this includes the possibility of your opinion being wrong. You mustget your facts straight before posting, and you must be prepared to defend your opinion, regardless of your stance on the larger abortion issue.

As you develop your discussion posts for the week consider the following: How would you justify your claims to someone who believes something entirely different than you? You must be able to make an argument that works in a pluralistic society.

Current medical technology has greatly impacted assisted reproduction–people who would normally have difficulty conceiving a child now have much greater chances of successfully becoming parents without using alternative strategies like adoption. One of these techniques involves implanting multiple embryos (which increases the chance of a successful attachment, growth, and development). There are times, however, when more than one embryo attaches to the uterine lining, producing cases in which multiple fetuses begin gestation. Some parents-to-be do not have the resources (physical or economic) to manage a multiple pregnancy and elect to terminate some of the developing fetuses in a procedure called “selective reduction.” This can have profound impacts on the pregnancy (making the remaining fetuses more likely to survive gestation). Is this ethically different than an abortion performed for a completely unwanted pregnancy?

1. Write an initial post addressing the discussion topic. Make sure that you are explaining and justifying your position in light of the ethical principles discussed in Module 1, the course material presented in the textbook, and additional course readings.  

Discussion Guidelines and Rubric

• Initial posts should be 200 to 250 words.
• Your posts should be well thought-out, complete sentences that flow in logical order.

Chapter 5: Abortion

Read the following chapter in Intervention and Reflection: Basic Issues in Bioethics by Ronald Munson.

“Abortion” (pp. 440-477)

RedShelf Edition: pp. 238-267

Citation

Munson, R., & Lague, I. (2016). “Abortion.” Intervention and Reflection: Basic Issues in Bioethics (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.