Case Study on Moral Status

Case Study on Moral Status

Moral status is a concept used to determine a person’s worth or value. It emphasizes the types of beings or entities that are valued and have the right to be treated in a particular manner (Gibert & Martin, 2022). The case study “Fetal Abnormality” involves Jessica, a 30-year-old immigrant from Mexico City who presented to the county hospital accompanied by her husband Marco for her first antenatal check-up only to learn that she is pregnant with a baby that has fetal anomaly and that could also potentially have down syndrome. It also highlights Jessica, her family, notably her husband Marco, her aunt Maria, and her primary care physician Dr. Wilson’s moral opinions on what should be done to the unborn baby. The paper delves into the Christian view of the essence of the human person, the moral status theory that it is congruent with, and how it ties to the intrinsic human value and dignity. It also examines each person’s perspective and analyzes the theory that pertains to them Case Study on Moral Status.

Christian Worldview of the Nature of the Human Person

The human person is a God-created being, not an outcome of blind and random matter (Entwistle, 2021). The Christian view of human persons as created in the image and likeness of God lavishes respect and honor on all people, regardless of their physical and mental status. They believe that God created moral individuals to mirror and transmit God’s love to each other through moral standards and altruistic deeds (Poole, 2019). The theory that would be more congruent with the Christian worldview would be the theory of
Human properties Case Study on Moral Status
. This is because it asserts that it is only and exclusively human that imparts moral value to human beings as a result, all and only humans have moral standing (PHI-413V Topic 2). This implies that everybody, including the unborn, deserves to be treated with compassion and honor, even if they are inherently flawed. Everyone has intrinsic worth that is autonomous of their extrinsic importance. Since humans are made in God’s image and likeness, everyone is born just as they should be. Thus, deserves to be valued as such.

Jessica’s Perspectives and Theory

Jessica, a 30-year-old woman who recently moved from Mexico to the United States with her husband Marco in search of better opportunities, discovers she is expecting a child with a rare condition and who is likely to have Down syndrome. Jessica is stuck between her aspirations for a better socioeconomic position and the implications of having a disabled baby on her family. She also believes that all life is valuable. Jessica is conflicted between the theory of
human

properties
and the concept of relationships. The concept of
relationships
, which asserts that a human being has moral standing exclusively if they have a relationship with someone who values them, best portrays Jessica’s moral status. Usually, it is this relationship that establishes role and duty (PHI-413V Topic 2). Only if Jessica values her unborn child would the unborn child have moral standing. Whilst Jessica’s ultimate action is not stated in the case scenario, if her actions were predicated on the relationship concept, she would abort the baby since she does not value it.

Marco’s Perspectives and Relevant Theory

Jessica’s husband, Marco, is apprehensive about how Jessica would react to the news of their unborn child’s condition. While he is there to support Jessica in her decision, he finds himself considering pregnancy and child disability as a burden and impediment to his financial stability and ambitions. The relevant theory in his context is the theory of
relationships
. Because he values his wife, he will value her decision about the child. Moreover, he was apprehensive about notifying Jessica because he values her feelings.

Maria’s Perspectives and Relevant Theory

Jessica’s aunt, Maria, believes that God has a purpose for everything. Her decision was grounded on the theory of
human property
and
relationship
s. She uses relationship theory to urge Jessica to consider the future while holding her son. She wished to strengthen the relationship between mother and fetus in hopes of helping Jessica make the right decisions. Maria is against abortion due to the sheer
human properties
theory. Despite her trepidation about this child’s undetermined destiny, she puts her trust in God.

Dr. Wilson’s Opinion and Relevant Theory

Dr. Wilson believes that abortion is an empirically validated option for protecting the fetus from a life of misery. Since he never acknowledges the right of the unborn baby, the theory of
cognitive properties
and
moral agency
is most pertinent to his position. Because an unborn baby lacked cognitive qualities such as perceptions and understanding and cannot pass judgment predicated on what is good or unethical, this infant lacked moral standing and thus should be terminated. Besides, it’s cognitive properties that confer moral status upon a human being (PHI-413V Topic 2).

I agree with Jessica’s aunt Maria’s theory and strappingly believe that all lives are precious. Because they are created in the image and likeness of God, all infants regardless of physical or mental status should have considerable moral value. Moreover, God does not make errors, and each infant is born without faultiness. Besides, I recommend Jessica continue her pregnancy and love her baby without concern of financial hardship because many resources in the United States would support Jessica and her husband in fulfilling the child’s special demands. Besides, she should not base her decision on the extrinsic worth of the child but rather on intrinsic worth because disability is not an obstacle to success (Cohen et al., 2019).

References

Cohen, J., Schiffler, F., Rohmer, O., Louvet, E., & Mollaret, P. (2019). Is disability an obstacle to success? Impact of a disability simulation on motivation and performance. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 49(1), 50-59.

Entwistle, D. N. (2021). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity: An introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of integration. Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Gibert, M., & Martin, D. (2022). In search of the moral status of AI: why sentience is a strong argument. AI & SOCIETY, 37(1), 319-330.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00146-021-01179-z

Poole, R. A. (2019). The true meaning of humanism: religion and human values. Философский журнал, 12(1), 17-33. Case Study on Moral Status