Virtue Theory and Abortion: Rosalind Hursthouse

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Virtue Theory and Abortion Rosalind Hursthouse

• General defense of virtue theory/ethics
• Application of virtue to the issue of abortion

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Framework of Moral Theories

• Deontology right action? moral rule?rationality
• Act-utilitarian right action?consequences?happine
  ss
• Virtue right action?virtuous agent?flourishing(eu
  daimonia)

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MisplacedCriticismsHursthouses Response

• Problem of eudaimonia
• Definining eudaimonia is just as difficult as
  defining the elements in other approaches to
  morality.
• Trivially Circular
• Virtues ? right action
• Virtues?Character traits?required for eudaimonia
• Problem of answering What should I do?
• Does provide an answer to this as well as to the
  question What sort of person should I be

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Response (continued)

• Lacks rules or principles
• Every virtue generates a positive instruction
• Every vice generates a prohibition
• We need not appeal to an ideally virtuous person,
  but can appeal directly to the virtues.
• Reductionism (defining all actions in terms of
  virtuous agents)
• Virtue depends on a number of moral concepts
  other than the agent.
• ExBenevolence?good for others?evil or
  harm?worthwhile or advantageous.

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Problems Common to Deontological and Virtue
Theories

• Which character traits are virtuous?
• Same question can be asked as to which duties do
  we have.
• How do we reconcile conflicts between virtues?
• Similar to the problem faced with Kantian
  absolute moral rules/duties.

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Major Criticisms of Virtue Theory

• Conditions of Adequacy
• Should a moral theory be able to make difficult
  decisions easy?
• Should an adequate moral theory provide answers
  to questions about real moral issues with
  reference to truths about what is worthwhile, or
  what really matters in human life?

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Employment of the notions of virtue and vice

• Acting rightly is difficult, and does call for
  much moral wisdom, and the relevant condition of
  adequacy, with virtue theory meets, is that it
  should have built into it an explanation of a
  truth expressed by Aristotle, namely, that moral
  knowledgeunlike mathematical knowledgecannot be
  acquired merely by attending lectures and is not
  characteristically to be found in people too
  young to have had much experience in life.(253)

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Employment of concepts such as worthwhile

• If truths about what is worthwhile. . . do not
  have to be appealed to in order to answer
  questions about real moral issues, then I might
  sensibly seek guidance about what I ought to do
  from someone who had declared in advance that she
  knew nothing about such matters, or from someone
  who said that, although she had opinions about
  them, these were quite likely to be wrong but
  that this did not matter, because they would play
  no determining role in the advice she gave
  me(254)

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Virtue Theory and Abortion

• This issue does NOT revolve around asking what
  the virtuous person would do.
• A Womens right to an abortion (or to control her
  body) in no way relates to the MORALITY of
  abortion.
• EX Love/Friendship vs. Rights

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Features of a Virtue Theory Approach to Abortion

• Right attitude depends upon having the right
  (accurate or true) information.
• Fetuss only relevance to the rightness or
  wrongness of abortion is as its status as a
  familiar biological fact.
• Consideration must be given to the range of
  values and emotions associated with conception,
  childbearing and childrearing.
• Virtue-parenthood as an intrinsically worthwhile
  way of lifeas an example of human flourishing.
  (One among many)(261)

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Rightness or Wrongness of Abortion is Agent
Specific

• Pregnancy is not just one among many physical
  conditionsviewing as such does demonstrate a
  lack of virtue.
• Although abortion is a morally serious act, it is
  not always non-virtuous
• Poor health
• Worn out from childbearing
• Forced to do physically demanding job
• Commitments to other children
• Being ready for parenthood may or may not be a
  legitimate reason for having an abortion.

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Rightness or Wrongness (continued)

• Having an abortion can be the right decision and
  still demonstrate a lack of virtue
• The virtuous women. . .has such character traits
  as strength, independence, resoluteness,
  decisiveness, self-confidence, responsibility,
  serious-mindedness, and self-determinationand no
  one , I think, could deny that many women become
  pregnant in circumstances in which they cannot
  welcome or face the thought of having this child
  precisely because they lack one or some of these
  character traits(262)