Postcoital Contraception or Abortion: Moral Choices Following Rape 1 Twenty-seve

Question

Postcoital Contraception or Abortion: Moral Choices Following Rape 1 Twenty-seven-year-old Daniela Sackler and her husband of four years were attempting to conceive their second child. Both were graduate students doing research on doctoral dissertations. They had even arranged their schedules so that they could share in the child care and household responsibilities while they both went to school. Daniela was studying sociology and conducting interview research that required one-on-one two-hour interviews of young adults. She usually offered to conduct the interviews in the homes of her research subjects. She had an interview schedule that had been approved by her university's institutional review board. On a Tuesday evening she called on one of her subjects and initiated the interview. After about an hour, the subject, who indicated his wife was away for the evening, offered her coffee, which she gratefully accepted. Ms. Sackler noticed the subject became increasingly friendly. By the end of the interview, the subject turned on a CD and asked her to dance, an invitation she quickly refused, indicating she had to leave. At that point he blocked her exit and raped her. Upon returning home, she told her husband what had happened and called the police. She was taken to the hospital emergency room (ER). She told the ER staff that she and her husband were trying to conceive a child so she was not taking her birth control pills. She was almost exactly at the time of month at which conception would occur. In fact, if she had become pregnant this month, she would have no way of knowing whether her husband or the research subject-turned-rapist was the father of the chilod. After examination by the ER personnel, she was offered a "morning-after" pill in case a conception had occurred. 1. Applying Gert' s moral evaluation process, does the decision to take a morning after" pill violate any moral rules? Why or why not? What are the morally relevant facts? If the action would create a violation is it strongly justified, weakly justified or unjustified? Fully explain your moral reasoning process. 2. Would you categorize the "morning after pill" as a form of abortion. Why or why not. Would your answer be the same or different if Ms. Sackler waited until she tested positive for pregnancy and then opted for a RU486

Explanation / Answer

1) Accordinig to Gert's moral evaluation process taking a morning after pill will not violate any moral values according to the 10 rules.

Usually taking the pill after coitus will stop the conceiving process not killing, but if taken after confirmation of pregnancy ,it is meant for killing a life. If in a dilemma if she continues pregnancy she has to do the DNA test if the newborn which could be a painful procedure band disturbing the harmony and peace in the family

2)Ms.Sackler if she takes RU 486 after testing positive it means she is pregnant of at least 4 weeks.Taking medicine after this is killing a fetus and hence termed as an abortion.

3)If she is my friend will be suggesting to take the morning after pill because it is a dilammatic situation to take desicion at this point.She can even plan for it the coming month.

She needs time to recover from the physical harassment and injury. To regain mentally as well.

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