Philosophy 212 class
Applications of SUT and LKE
Abortion Problem
Jane is a single mom with 2 kids (aged 3 and 5). Jane is pregnant and is thinking about getting an abortion. She is only 1 month into the pregnancy. She is considering aborting the pregnancy because she does not have very much money and little family support. There is also little in the way of public and private support available to her. Should she get an abortion?
SUT
Rules for this case:
SUT Pro-abortion Rule: R1<A pregnant women (or someone acting on her behalf and given her consent) is allowed to take the life of her unborn child by acceptable means in the first trimester when the woman in facing significant financial and personal hardship>.
SUT Anti-abortion Rule: R2<A pregnant women (or someone acting on her behalf and given her consent) is never allowed to take the life of her unborn child by any means in any circumstances >.
P1: (SUT-PRC) an act is right, if and only if, it conforms to a rule of conduct that when practiced universally maximizes utility in the most evenly distributed manner and an act is wrong, if and only if, it conforms to a rule of conduct that when practiced universally does not maximize utility in the most evenly distributed manner.
P2: Jane could follow R1 or R2.
P3: If we all followed R1, then then all women would retain their right to bodily autonomy, some number of fetuses would not live and the affected mothers-to-be would not face economic and personal hardships that are avoidable.
P4: If we all followed R2, then all women would lose their right to bodily autonomy, the fetuses in question would live and the affected mothers-to-be would face economic and personal hardships that are avoidable.
P5: R1 maximizes utility in the most evenly distributed manner.
Therefore, Jane should be allowed to have an abortion in these circumstances.
LKE
Rules for this case:
LKE Pro-abortion Rule: M1<A pregnant women (or someone acting on her behalf and given her consent) is allowed to take the life of her unborn child by acceptable means in the first trimester when the woman in facing significant financial and personal hardship out of respect for persons>.
LKE Anti-abortion Rule: M2<A pregnant women (or someone acting on her behalf and given her consent) is never allowed to take the life of her unborn child by any means in any circumstances out of respect for persons>.
P1: (KE-PRC) an act is right, if and only if, it satisfies the categorical imperative and an act is wrong, if and only if, it does not satisfy the categorical imperative.
P3: If Jane gets an abortion then she would be following M1.
P4: If Jane did not get an abortion, then she would be following M2.
P5: M2 satisfies the categorical imperative and M1 does not.
Therefore, Jane should not be allowed to have an abortion in these circumstances.
If Jane gets an abortion than she is acknowledging her own rights to life and autonomy but she is not doing this for the fetus.
So, here are the answers to the problem of abortion according to SUT and LKE.
Euthanasia Problem
Jerry is a fireman who was badly burned in a fire. He is on constant pain and there is no real hope for his getting better. Also, he has be largely immune to the available pain management techniques. Should Jerry be allowed to be euthanized?
SUT
Rules for this case:
SUT Pro-euthanasia Rule: R1<A person (or someone acting on his/her behalf and given his/her consent) is allowed to take their life by acceptable means when there are no prospects of cure or management of pain and the person’s quality of life is very low>.
SUT Anti-abortion Rule: R2< A person (or someone acting on his/her behalf and given his/her consent) is never allowed to take their life by acceptable means when there are no prospects of cure or management of pain and the person’s quality of life is very low >.
P1: (SUT-PRC) an act is right, if and only if, it conforms to a rule of conduct that when practiced universally maximizes utility in the most evenly distributed manner and an act is wrong, if and only if, it conforms to a rule of conduct that when practiced universally does not maximize utility in the most evenly distributed manner.
P2: Jane could follow R1 or R2.
P3: If we all followed R1, then then all people would retain their right to bodily autonomy and suffering would be reduced.
P4: If we all followed R2, then people would not retain their right to bodily autonomy and suffering would not be reduced.
P5: R1 maximizes utility in the most evenly distributed manner.
Therefore, Jerry should be allowed to opt for euthanasia in these circumstances.
LKE
Rules for this case:
LKE Pro-euthanasia Rule: M1< A person (or someone acting on his/her behalf and given his/her consent) is allowed to take their life of her unborn by acceptable means when there are no prospects of cure or management of pain and the person’s quality of life is very low out of respect for persons>.
LKE Anti-euthanasia Rule: M2< A person (or someone acting on his/her behalf and given his/her consent) is not allowed to take their life by acceptable means when there are no prospects of cure or management of pain and the person’s quality of life is very low out of respect for persons>.
P1: (KE-PRC) an act is right, if and only if, it satisfies the categorical imperative and an act is wrong, if and only if, it does not satisfy the categorical imperative.
P3: If Jerry opts for euthanasia, then he would be following M1.
P4: If Jerry is not allowed to opt for euthanasia, then he would be following M2.
P5: M2 satisfies the categorical imperative and M1 does not.
Therefore, Jerry should not be allowed to opt for euthanasia in these circumstances.
If Jerry opt for euthanasia than he is not acknowledging his own right to life that he has before his accident.
So, here are the answers to the problem of euthanasia according to SUT and LKE.