Summary: | 博士 === 國立中央大學 === 哲學研究所 === 107 === When the fetus has Down syndrome, the pregnant woman would face the problem of artificial abortion. However, artificial abortion is a difficult moral issue in bioethics. There are two traditional approaches which both analyze the controversy from rights in this topic, namely the conservative and the liberal position. In addition, “non-identity problem” also disturbs our common belief and threatens the genetic health policy. These approaches all take the mother and the fetus as separate individuals, and thus neglect the intimate relationship between them. This essay indicates principlism cannot provide a satisfying solution to the moral dilemma of artificial abortion, even would produce different moral judgments and conflicts; therefore, we have to investigate the issue from basic moral theories such as utilitarianism, Kantism, and ethics of care. Ethics of care is a different voice from the traditional main moral theories and tries to take a new approach which focuses on the relationship between the mother and the fetus instead of the rights approach in the reflection of the issue. This essay will clarify the advantage of care ethics in responding the issue, and try to offer a clinical guideline based on “relational autonomy”. It is hoped that the guideline can help us make an appropriate decision and provide an important reference for the clinical practice.
|