Analysis of Implications of an Ethical Issue According to the Christian Worldview

In this assignment, you will analyze the implications of an ethical issue according to the Christian worldview. You will be challenged to think about Christian worldview core beliefs and apply what you have learned over this course. This will be a thorough analysis of a case study you will choose from the options provided.

Write a 1,000-1,500-word essay in which you analyze ethical thinking and use values-based decision-making to address a case study from the perspective of the Christian worldview.

Susan’s Scenario

Ethical Dilemma is After trying for many years, Susan finally gets pregnant. Unfortunately, a blood test confirms that her baby has Down syndrome, and her doctors suggest she abort the fetus. Susan has a successful career and wants to maintain a healthy balance between her career and family. Yet she feels very uncomfortable with abortion. She seeks some advice from Richard, an influential professor of evolutionary biology who has spent his career seeking to further human potential and minimize human suffering. When Susan asks Richard if she should abort the fetus or give birth to a baby with Down syndrome, Richard replied that human beings should increase happiness and decrease suffering in this world, and that therefore he would suggest that she abort, though he also stated that she must make this choice for herself. Richard emphasized the lifelong suffering of both the child with Down syndrome and Susan as the child’s caretaker and stated that it may be immoral to bring a baby into the world if she knew the kind of suffering thechild would experience. In fact, Richard suggested that perhaps the most ethical course of action would be to prevent this baby from living a life full of suffering. (This scenario is based on the following article by Richard Dawkins (2014): https://richarddawkins.net/2014/08/abortion-down-syndrome-an-apology-for-letting-slip-the-dogs-of-twitterwar/). How should Susan respond? What decision should she make if her baby would suffer with Down syndrome, yet she wants to have a baby

After an appropriate introductory paragraph with a thesis statement in which you name the scenario you are choosing, address each of the following six sections with at least one paragraph each. Write at least one paragraph for each component using the underlined titles for a subheading.

Ethical Dilemma: Briefly describe the ethical dilemma in your own words, including (a) what in the scenario makes it difficult to make an ethical decision and (b) at least two options for resolving the scenario, providing a brief overview of what sort of ethical decisions each option might make.
Core Beliefs: What beliefs about God and humanity from the Christian worldview are relevant to the scenario? How might these core worldview commitments of Christians influence one’s decision-making with regard to this scenario?
Resolution: Describe the Christian worldview’s proposal for resolving the ethical dilemma. How should the person in the scenario act according to the Christian worldview? What is the best course of action for a Christian? (Note: The resolution should be consistent with Christian worldview commitments.)
Evaluation: What might be the unintended consequences and perceived benefits of the resolution proposed by the Christian worldview?
Comparison: How does the Christian worldview resolution compare to how another worldview might resolve the dilemma? Choose a specific contrasting worldview, such as atheism, pantheism, or scientism.
Conclusion: Synthesize the main points, pulling the ideas of the paper together.

Analysis of Implications of Susan’s Ethical Issue According to the Christian Worldview

One of the most contested issues in the realm of ethics is the debate concerning whether it can be morally right to terminate pregnancy. Some people, based on their worldview, argue that there exists a range of factors that warranty abortion. Others contend that abortion is morally acceptable when a pregnancy places the mother’s life at risk. Others assert that abortion is never morally acceptable (Munson, 2018). The issue of abortion, as viewed through the lens of morality, encompasses profound issues of right and wrong, life and death, nature of society, and human relationships; thus, it renders it a significant religious concern.

Susan’s Ethical Dilemma

The chosen scenario involves a lady named Susan, who had been trying to get pregnant for a long time. When she finally became pregnant, a blood test establishes that her unborn baby has Down syndrome. Her doctor suggests that she should abort the fetus. Susan a successful career and also want to maintain a healthy balance between family and her career. She fears that having a child with Down syndrome can adversely impact the balance. Nonetheless, she feels strongly uncomfortable with aborting the fetus; hence seeks further advice from Richard, a renowned professor of evolutionary biology. Richard suggests that she should abort the fetus but insists that Susan must choose based on her values and beliefs. Susan finds herself in an ethical dilemma since she wants to have a baby, but, on the other hand, giving birth to the child will result in lifelong suffering for both Susan and the baby (Dawkins, 2014).

Analysis Susan’s ethical dilemma through the lens of the Christian worldview

In light of ethical decision making, the current paper will analyze Susan’s ethical dilemma through the lens of the Christian worldview. A strong belief in the Christian world is that abortion is never morally acceptable. Emerson (2019) elaborates that the emergence and spread of Christianity facilitated the rise of social awareness towards the value and rights of an unborn child. The Bible recognizes fetuses as real humans purposed by God to join the world to serve given purposes, per His will. According to Jeremiah 1:5 (King James Version), God asserts that even before one is formed in his/her mother’s womb, He already knows them and has ordained their birth to carry out specific responsibilities on Earth.

Read also Should Abortion be Made Illegal?

Christians also believe that only God reserves the right to give or take a life. Deuteronomy 32:39 (King James Version) asserts, “See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god besides Me. I kill, and I make alive…” Similarly, the sixth commandment prohibits taking a life (Exodus 20:13, King James Version). Since the Bible acknowledges unborn children as known and wanted by God to join the world to serve given purposes, abortion is equivalent to murder. Besides, according to the Christian worldview, children are blessing from God (Emerson, 2019). By aborting the fetus, the Christian worldview can perceive it as rejecting God’s blessings.

Another core Christian belief is that God does not allow people to go through more suffering than they can handle and, He always provides a way to overcome life hurdles. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (King James Version) states that God is always faithful and, as such, cannot allow one to suffer beyond what they can bear. Therefore, as a Christian, one should not question God’s will, even when it entails suffering. God cannot allow them to suffer more than they can bear and always provides a way out even in circumstances that are beyond human comprehension (Grudem, 2020). This alludes that one should not abort to escape perceived future suffering associated with giving birth to the child.

Resolution

Susan fears that having a child with Down syndrome will adversely impact her family-life balance. Richard has also advised her to consider the lifelong suffering that she and the child will face if she decides to keep the pregnancy. Based on the Christian worldview, terminating the pregnancy is morally unacceptable. The Christian worldview recognizes an unborn child as a human known and wanted by God. Thus, aborting the child translates to murder, and it is prohibited in the Bible under the sixth commandment. Besides, Christians believe that God cannot allow a person to experience more suffering than they can endure. As such, even when faced with unpleasant circumstances, humans must remain faithful and carry out God’s will. Whereas Susan’s doctor and Richard have emphasized that giving birth to a child with Down syndrome will cause lifelong suffering to both Susan and the child, based on these core beliefs, abortion is immoral. Relatedly, Psalms 127:3 (King James Version), children are a blessing and a gift from God. Susan should, therefore, keep the pregnancy and be thankful for her blessing.

Evaluation

Keeping the pregnancy will be accompanied by unintended outcomes and benefits. Susan is worried about maintaining a precise family-life balance; thus, overlooking the fact that she will have more time to spend with her child. Children with Down syndrome require more time and resources. The additional time translates to more value time between Susan and the child she has wanting to have for a long time. Susan may worry about where she will find the resources to provide for the child, given that the child’s condition might render her stagnant in her career due to the increased constraint on work time. However, this should not overly concern her since God has always had a way of taking care of the faithful ones (Munson, 2018). The belief is well elucidated in Mathew 6:26 (King James Version), which states, “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly. Father feedeth them.” Most importantly, by keeping the pregnancy, Susan will abide by the Christian’s way of life and have a child that she has wanted for a long time.

Comparison

Based on different worldviews, Susan could have arrived at varying decisions. For instance, if Susan was an atheist, she would base her decision on the alternative that promises to make life simpler and abort the fetus. According to Sevinç (2020), an atheist could know the moral standards applicable to a given dilemma but will always make decisions based on what they perceive to maximize happiness or minimize suffering. Thus, by having an atheist worldview, Susan would opt to terminate the pregnancy to avoid the lifelong suffering associated with Down syndrome as well as preserve her career. However, having a Christian worldview, Susan will have to accept God’s will and keep the child she has wanted for a long time.

Conclusion

Susan’s case study demonstrates an ethical dilemma regarding abortion. Based on the analysis underpinned by morality as per the Christian worldview, the right ethical decision is for Susan to keep her pregnancy. Although this decision is associated with possible lifelong suffering due to the fetus having Down syndrome, Susan must respect God’s will and bring the child into the world to serve their purpose. Terminating the pregnancy is a violation of the Christian way of life, since based on core beliefs, under no circumstance is abortion considered morally right.

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