Group 4 Death, Abortion, and Animal Welfare
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Bioethics - Group 4
D e A T H
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Asadon | Ducusin | Gamad | Lutab
Paulino | Santos | Serios
M E M B E R S
ASADON
DUCUSIN
GAMAD
LUTAB
PAULINO
SANTOS
SERIOS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Persons, Humans, and Individuals: The Language of Moral Standing
The concept of moral standing
Persons defined as "those with full
moral standing"
Moral and Descriptive uses of the term
person
The concept of personhood
Persons defined as "those who possess
certain properties"
Moral and Nonmoral uses of the word
human
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Death
Definition of death
Problems with a Somatic Oriented
Definition of Death
Types of Death
A Whole-Brain-Oriented Definition of
Death
Somatic/ Circulatory Oriented
Definition of Death
The Higher-Brain Definition of Death
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abortion
The Moral Status of Nonhuman Animals
Spontaneous Abortion
Definition of non-human animals
Induced Abortion
Animal cruelty & animal
experimentation
Medically induced abortion
Surgically induced abortion
Views about the moral status of
nonhuman animals
LESSON
O B J E C
T I V
E
S
Distinguish different notions of moral standing,
person and human.
Explain why some beings could have more or less moral
standing than others
Identify the fundamental assumptions about moral
standing that are common in bioethics, such as in
debates about the definition of death, abortion, the
use of stem cells, and the treatment of non human
animals
THE CONCEPT OF MORAL STANDING
What is Moral Standing?
In ethics, Moral Standing is the
status of an entity by virtue of
which it is deserving of
consideration in moral decision
making.
THE CONCEPT OF MORAL STANDING
What is Moral Standing?
In ethics, Moral Standing is the
status of an entity by virtue of
which it is deserving of
consideration in moral decision
making.
THE CONCEPT OF MORAL STANDING
We need to identify those to whom the moral
norms apply; that is, those who are owed
duties of beneficence, nonmaleficence, and the
other moral obligations. One way of speaking
is to refer to any being to whom we owe some
kind of duty as having moral standing. We
usually believe that humans have moral
standing, but other animals may as well.
THE CONCEPT OF MORAL STANDING
Many believe that our character
develops in part based on how we treat
animals and the environment, and care
ethics is not clearly limited to
human-human bonding.
THE CONCEPT OF MORAL STANDING
Maybe because we believe that, even if
the genes of the species are not
useful now we may find that genetic
material useful to humans in the
future or it may be because it is
intrinsically valuable and simply
deserves protection.
Player 1
MORAL AND DESCRIPTIVE USES OF THE TERM
PERSON
PERSON
(NON MORAL)
PERSON
(MORAL)
TWO DEFINITIONS OF PERSON
PERSONS DEFINED AS “THOSE
WITH FULL MORAL STANDING”
CONCEPT OF
PERSONHOOD
The problem arises when someone tries to say
something like the following:
Late-term fetuses are not persons because they lack
self-awareness (or selfconsciousness
or ability to reason). But, since
lacking personhood means one lacks full moral
standing, fetuses can be aborted.
Confusion Resulting from Shifting from a
Nonmoral to a Moral
Use of the Term Person
PERSONS DEFINED AS “THOSE WHO
POSSESS CERTAIN PROPERTIES ”
PERSON
This word is used in ways that do not
necessarily convery any moral status. Thus,
person can be defined as any self-aware
being. If person is defined descriptively,
that is by citing one or more crucial
properties such as self awareness; nothing
follows about whether such persons have
moral status
MORAL AND NONMORAL USES OF THE
WORD HUMAN
MORAL AND NONMORAL USES OF
THE WORD HUMAN
To be a human in a nonmoral sense establishes
nothing one way or another about whether that
being also has full moral standing. Doing so
requires a belief that all who are humans in the
nonmoral sense also possess full moral standing.
The issue in this chapter is how people have
attributed moral standing to individuals and,
further, how they have attributed what we call
full moral standing.
PERSONS DEFINED AS “THOSE WHO
POSSESS CERTAIN PROPERTIES ”
D
E F I N I N G
D E A T H
by: Gamad & Santos
DEFINITION OF DEATH
When the individual has died, the certain moral and
legal rights that once applied to this individual no
longer do
At least for humans, the fight over the definition of
death is really a fight over when we should no longer
treat someone the way we normally treat living humans.
But there are things we could do even to a corpse that
would be considered immoral
THREE GENERAL POSITIONS
REGARDING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE
DEAD
Somatic-Oriented
Whole-Brain-Oriented
Higher-Brain-Oriented
A SOMATIC OR CIRCULATORY
DEFINITION OF DEATH
According to this view, an individual dies when there
is irreversible loss of the body’s capacity to carry
on integrated functioning.
Referred to as a circulatory definition, not just to
the functioning of the heart, but also to the
functioning of the circulatory and respiratory systems
and other bodily systems.
A SOMATIC OR CIRCULATORY
DEFINITION OF DEATH
The circulatory view of death can be appealing to
certain believers in the Abrahamic religions, who view
God’s “breath of life” as the critical moment for when
life begins, indicating that life ends when breath, or
cardiopulmonary function, cannot be restored
CASE 3: THE MAN LIVING WITHOUT A
HEART
Some year ago, a dentist named Barney Clarke was a heart patient at
the University of Utah, where clinicians were experimenting with
artificial hearts. Since he was at death’s door and awaiting a heart
transplant, the physiciansremoved his heart and connected his aorta
and veins back up to a Jarvik-7 artificial heart pump. Barney Clarke
lived for four months on that artificial heart. At times he was
doing quite well with this machine running next to him, pumping like
a heart would pump blood. At times he would sit up in bed, even get
out of bed and go for a stroll, pulling this machine along with him
on a cart. If he is carrying on a conversation, smiling, and
discussing things with those at his side, would anyone, even
believers in a definition of death focusing on heart function,
consider him dead?
THE PROBLEM OF
IRREVERSIBILITY
For an individual to be dead
by this definition, the
stoppage of bodily integrative function such as
circulatory and respiratory function must be
irreversible
It is very common but very wrong for clinicians and
others to refer to someone who has suffered a cardiac
arrest and been successfully resuscitated as having
been “clinically dead.” Being dead means irreversible
loss of circulatory function
PROBLEMS WITH A SOMATIC
DEFINITION OF DEATH
For an individual to be dead
by this definition, the
stoppage of bodily integrative function such as
circulatory and respiratory function must be
irreversible
It is very common but very wrong for clinicians and
others to refer to someone who has suffered a cardiac
arrest and been successfully resuscitated as having
been “clinically dead.” Being dead means irreversible
loss of circulatory function
A WHOLE-BRAIN-ORIENTED
DEFINITION OF DEATH
That brings us up to about 1970, when we began talking about
what is today sometimes called the whole-brain-oriented
definition of death based on neurological criteria.
An individual dies, according to this view, when there is
irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain,
including the brain stem (Harvard Medical School, 1968)
The majority of the writers of both the 1981 President’s
Commission and the 2008 report of the President’s Council on
Bioethics held this view.
A WHOLE-BRAIN-ORIENTED
DEFINITION OF DEATH
Whole-brain death is the current law in most jurisdictions of
the world. The exceptions include some Asian countries.
The very first organs procured for transplant in Japan, back in
the late 1960s
A WHOLE-BRAIN-ORIENTED
California requires a
“reasonably brief” delay in
pronouncing death in order
for family or next of kin to
gather.
Illinois unclearly mandates
that the patient's religious
beliefs regarding the timing
of their death be taken into
account.
DEFINITION OF DEATH
New York requires that
hospitals make “reasonable
accommodation” to an
individual’s religious or
moral objections to the use
of the brain death standard.
In New Jersey, death is
based on whole-brain criteria
unless the individual had
executed a document
expressing a religious
objection to the use of the
whole-brain death concept.
THE HIGHER-
BRAIN
DEFINITION
OF DEATH
it is sometimes called the higherbrain-
oriented definition
Defining exactly which functions are
critical is controversial. Some have
claimed that the critical function
is the function of the cerebrum, but
it is theoretically possible for
some motor functions to remain in
the cerebrum even though all sensory
function is lost.
THE HIGHER-BRAIN DEFINITION
OF DEATH
The so-called "higher brain death criteria" is based on the
concept as patients who are permanently unconscious have lost
function of the upper brain (the cortex and associated
structures), but not necessarily function of the lower brain
(the brainstem)
The higher-brain definition of death is not yet legal anywhere
in the world. But it is an idea that is debated increasingly.
ABORTION
Abortion is the medical term for any
interruption of a pregnancy before a
fetus is viable (able to survive
outside the uterus if born at that
time). A viable fetus is usually
defined as a fetus of more than 20 to
24 weeks of gestation or one that
weighs at least 500 g. A fetus born
before this point is considered a
miscarriage or premature or immature
birth (Cootauco & Althaus, 2007).
SPONTANEOUS & INDUCED
ABORTION
Spontaneous Abortion
refers to pregnancy loss at
less than 20 weeks'
gestation in the absence of
elective medical or
surgical measures to
terminate the pregnancy.
The term “miscarriage” is
synonymous and often is
used with patients because
the word “abortion” is
associated with elective
termination.
Induced Abortion
Also known as Elective
Termination of Pregnancy
It is a procedure
performed to end a
pregnancy before fetal
viability.
Such procedures are also
referred to as medical and
surgically induced
abortion
SPONTANEOUS
ABORTION/MISCARRIAGE
Threatened
Imminent (Inevitable)
Incomplete
Complete
Missed
Recurrent
THREATENED ABORTION
A threatened abortion is vaginal bleeding during pregnancy that does not meet
diagnostic criteria for spontaneous abortion. In a threatened abortion, the
cervical is remains closed. A threatened abortion can present during early
pregnancy with lower abdominal pain, and/or vaginal bleeding.
If the spotting with threatened miscarriage is going to stop, it usually does so
within 24 to 48 hours after a woman reduces her activity.
As many as 50% of women with a threatened miscarriage continue the pregnancy; for
the other 50%, unfortunately, the threatened miscarriage changes to imminent or
inevitable miscarriage.
IMMINENT (INEVITABLE)
ABORTION
With cervical dilation, the loss of the products of conception cannot be
halted. If no fetal heart sounds are detected and an ultrasound reveals an
empty uterus or nonviable fetus, a physician may perform a vacuum extraction
(dilation and evacuation [D&E]) to ensure that all the products of conception
are removed.
INCOMPLETE ABORTION
The term “incomplete” can be confusing for women. They may interpret it to mean
that because the miscarriage is incomplete, the pregnancy will continue. Be
careful not to encourage false hopes by also misinterpreting this term.
The physician will usually perform a dilation and curettage (D&C) or suction
curettage to evacuate the remainder of the pregnancy from the uterus.
COMPLETE ABORTION
In a complete miscarriage, the entire products of conception (fetus,
membranes, and placenta) are expelled spontaneously without any assistance.
The bleeding usually slows within 2 hours and then ceases within a few days
after passage of the products of conception.
MISSED ABORTION
A missed abortion gets its name because this type of miscarriage doesn’t cause
symptoms of bleeding and cramps that occur in other types of miscarriages. It’s
common to have no symptoms during a missed abortion. This can make it difficult
for you to know that the loss has occurred.
RECURRENT ABORTION
The women who had three spontaneous miscarriages that occurred at the same
gestational age were called “habitual aborters.”
Today, the term recurrent pregnancy loss is used to describe this miscarriage
pattern, and a thorough investigation is done to discover the cause of the loss
and help ensure the outcome of a future pregnancy.
SPONTANEOUS
ABORTION/MISCARRIAGE
Threatened
Small falls, injuries or
stress during the first
trimester of pregnancy can
cause threatened miscarriage
Imminent (Inevitable)
Symptoms cannot be stopped
and a miscarriage will
happen.
Incomplete
The pregnancy is lost and
the products of conception
do not leave the body.
Complete
All of the products
(tissue) of conception
leave the body.
Missed
The pregnancy is lost and
the products of conception
do not leave the body.
Recurrent
The women who had three
spontaneous miscarriages that
occurred at the same
gestational age were called
“habitual aborters.”
Also known as Elective
Termination of Pregnancy
INDUCED
ABORTION
It is a procedure
performed to end a
pregnancy before fetal
viability.
Such procedures are also
referred to as medically
and surgically induced
abortion.
Abortion
INDUCED ABORTION
Medical Induced Abortion
Surgical Induced Abortion
Certain drugs are taken to
cause termination of
pregnancy such as
Mifepristone (600mg PO) and
Misoprostol (400mcg PO or
800mcg vaginal dose)
The medications are taken
anytime within the 7 weeks
of gestation.
It involves several different
techniques depending on the
gestational age at the time the
termination is performed.
1. Menstrual Extraction
2. Dilatation & Curettage (D&C)
3. Dilatation & Vacuum
Extraction (D&E)
4. Prostaglandin or Saline
Induction
5. Hysterectomy
MENSTRUAL
EXTRACTION
This involves the use of
suction or vacuum
aspiration to terminate
very early pregnancy.
Lining of the uterus that
sheds during menstruation
is suctioned and removed by
means of the vacuum of
syringe.
It is performed within 5 to
7 weeks after LMP.
Surgical Induced Abortion
DILATATION &
CURETTAGE (D&C)
It is a surgical procedure
in which the cervix is
dilated so that the uterine
lining can be scraped using
curette to remove tissues
(zygote and trophoblast
cells).
It is performed in women
with less than 13 weeks of
pregnancy.
Surgical Induced Abortion
DILATATION &
VACUUM EXTRACTION
(D&E)
It is a surgical procedure
in which the cervix is
dilated using traditional
dilators and a narrow
suction tip vacuums the
uterine contents over a 15-
minute period.
It is performed in second
trimester of pregnancy
(between 12 to 16th week)
Surgical Induced Abortion
PROSTAGLANDIN OR
SALINE INDUCTION
A procedure that involves
administering of
Prostaglandin by injection
or suppository. Saline may
also be used and injected
through the abdominal wall,
into the amniotic fluid.
It is performed if a
pregnancy is between 16 and
24 weeks.
Surgical Induced Abortion
HYSTERECTOMY
Hysterectomy is the removal
of fetus by surgical
intervention similar to
cesarean birth.
Performed if the gestational
age for pregnancy is more
than 16 to 18 weeks.
Surgical Induced Abortion
ABORTION
Spontaneous Abortion
Induced Abortion
Threatened
Imminent
Incomplete
Complete
Missed
Recurrent
Medically Induced Abortion
Surgical Induced Abortion
Procedures:
1. Menstrual Extraction
2. Dilatation & Curettage (D&C)
3. Dilatation & Vacuum
Extraction (D&E)
4. Prostaglandin or Saline
Induction
5. Hysterectomy
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Ashley Paulino
NON-HUMAN
ANIMALS
being other than a human
being
not belonging to, appropriate
to, or produced by human
beings.
The moral status of non-human animals
ANIMAL CRUELTY
animal cruelty is causing harm to an animal whether by
purposeful action or neglect. (Sentinient media, 2021)
The species that are most frequently reported as being the
victims of animal cruelty are dogs, cats, horses, and farm
animals.
"The Link"
In one survey, 71 percent of domestic violence victims reported
that their abuser also targeted pets.
The moral status of non-human animals
The moral status of non-human animals
ANIMAL TESTING
The term “animal testing” refers to procedures performed on
living animals for purposes of research into basic biology and
diseases
mice, fish, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, farm animals,
birds, cats, dogs, mini-pigs, and non-human primates (monkeys,
and in some countries, chimpanzees)
The moral status of non-human animals
SAVE RALPH
A 4-minute stop-motion animated short
film by Humane Society International
Directed by Spencer Susser and
animated by Tobias Fouracre
It was awarded awarded the Grand Prix
for Good at the Cannes Lions Festival
NATIONAL INSITUTE OF HEALTH
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a government
organization in the United States that promotes and funds
scientific research into the origins, treatment, and prevention
of disease.
It also offers training for health professionals and
disseminates medical information. It is the largest single
funder of biomedical research in the nation.
National Institutes of Health (1985) Guide for the Care and Use
of Laboratory Animals
The moral status of non-human animals
ANIMAL WELFARE
ACT 1966
It was signed on August 24, 1966
It is the only federal legislation in the US that governs how
animals are handled during research, education, testing,
exhibition, transportation, and by dealers.
The Act is enforced by USDA, APHIS, Animal Care.
The moral status of non-human animals
VIEWS ABOUT THE
The moral status of non-human animals
NONHUMAN ANIMALS
Nonhuman animals have traditionally been viewed as subordinate
to humans in Western culture.
They are believed to deserve protection from needless
suffering, but the interests of humans take precedence.
Ahimsa - ethical principle of not causing harm to other living
things.
RIGHTS BASED DEFENSE OF
The moral status of non-human animals
THE MORAL STATUS OF
ANIMALS
Tom Regan - American Kantian philosopher who is an expert in
the theory of animal rights
Animals have a sacredness or right to life just the way humans
do.
The argument is not driven by concern for consequences. Animals
have rights in virtue of their capacities, including a right to
live.
The moral status of non-human animals
DEGREES OF PLEASURE AND
PAIN
Rey Frey - was an act utilitarian who argues granting rights to
animals, denies that nonhuman animals have morally compelling
interests
For Frey, two animals of different species that experience the
same kind and quantity of pain have equal moral claim to be
relieved of that pain
The moral status of non-human animals
PETER SINGER
Born on July 6, 1946 in Melbourne,
Australia
An Australian utilitarian philosopher
Singer's Principle: If we can prevent
something bad from happening without
sacrificing anything of comparable
moral importance, then we ought to do
so.
Popularized the word 'Speciesism'
SPECIESISM
Introduced during the 1970s
by a philosopher named
Richard Ryder
The practice of treating
members of one species as
morally more important than
members of other species
The moral status of non-human animals
PRINCIPLE OF EQUAL CONSIDERATION
OF INTERESTS (PEC)
Identical interests should be given equal weight,
regardless of what type of being they occur in.
Interest in avoiding pain
According to Jeremy Bentham, "The question is not, 'Can
they reason?' nor 'Can they talk?' but rather, 'Can they
suffer?'
The moral status of non-human animals
T
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FOR LISTENING!!
RESOURCE PAGE
Merriam Webster. (Ret. 11 Oct 2022). Nonhuman animals. Merriam Webster. https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/nonhuman
Hussain, G. (20 Aug 2021). Animal Cruelty: What can you do right now to prevent it. Sentient
media. https://sentientmedia.org/animal-cruelty/
Lee, M. (Ret. 11 Oct 2022). Animal Cruelty Facts and Stats. The Humane Society of the United
States. https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/animal-cruelty-facts-and-stats
Humane Society International. (Ret. 11 Oct 2022). About Animal Testing. Humane Society
International. https://www.hsi.org/news-media/about/
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (Ret. 13 Oct 2022). National Institutes of Health.
Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Institutes-of-Health
USDA. (Ret. 13 Oct 2022). Animal Welfare Act. USDA National Agricultural Library.
https://www.nal.usda.gov/animal-health-and-welfare/animal-welfare-act
Video - Crash course. (17 Jan 2017). Non-Human Animals: Crash Course Philosophy #42.
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3-BX-jN_Ac
Duignan, B. (27 Sept 2022). Peter Singer. Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Peter-Singer
Wise, S.M. (7 Oct 2022). Animal Rights. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/animalrights/The-modern-animal-rights-movement
Nonhuman Animal Ethics. (Ret. 13 Oct 2022). Critics of Animal Ethics.
https://nonhumananimalethics.wordpress.com/critics-of-animal-ethics/