Contraception Ethics
What is ethics ?
The Oxford definition : "the moral principles governing or influence conduct"
Everyone has a subjective point of view of objective reality, and a personal opinion. These are the values of an individual. These values are sometimes completely personal, but are often influenced by social norms, political ideals, religion, etc. Ethics determines how we conduct ourselves, depending on these values. Ethics determines our definition of what is right and what is wrong.
Medical ethics is the way morals influence our use of scientific discoveries.
don't you think that you could put a citation of somebody here to give maybe more strength to your definition?Pierre.brawand 23 novembre 2007 à 21:38 (MET)
What are the ethical issues with contraception ?
Contraception is a contraversal topic, because it concerns reproduction, which is a fundamental aspect of human life. It is also closely linked to sexuality, wich is another delicate topic. Opinions concerning this topic are divergent, of course, and we shall attempt to analyse the different viewpoints.
In which circumstances is contraception acceptable?
Some people will never have problems to use any kind of contraceptive method because they just consider it as useful and don't think much further. Others, at the contrary, think that any kind of contraception is to ban, because it destructs life. And they don't want to accept that it can be very useful... These two archetypes are good examples of what are the extreme opinions about the subject. There are many arguments to support the two sides, and also more nuanced points of view. We will try to analyze the different situations that require the use of contraceptives and there multiple facets. The arguments of the different parties basically depend on these four factors :
- Why is contraception used?
- Who chooses to use it?
- When? With which method?
Why is contraception used?
Even though religion tends to condemn the very concept of contraception, There is different reasons for using contracetion depending on the situation :
- A couple : either to choose the moment to have a child, either to to not have any child at all, either to avoid having an other child.
Contraception is used to prevent or avoid having a baby. The difference between prevention and avoidance is the moment when contraception is used. When contraception is used to prevent the sperm cells from reaching the oocyte, with a condom for example, fertilization is avoided. However, when contraception involves destroying the fertilized ovum, it is preventing the future foetus from developing.
maybe you should discuss here the main difference between "preventing" and "avoiding" having a babay, ethically.Pierre.brawand
References
- Islam and contraception [1]
- BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ethics/contraception/
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