APPLICATION of CONCEPTS: SCOTT RAE’S MORAL REASONING MODEL

STORY/CASE:
* Jessa, a Filipino high school graduating student who lives far away from her parents and lives in the city due to her studies. One
night, as she was going home late due to her part-time job, two men blocked her way and took her to an abandoned building, and
raped her. She didn’t report it to the police because she was scared and the police will call her parents. Two weeks after she
missed her menstrual period, tests showed that she was pregnant. She didn’t tell her parents not to let them worry and because
her parents have high hopes for her that she will be able to finish her studies. Her neighbor who is a doctor tells that having the
baby is risky due to her health problem. It might cause physical and psychological damage to her and the baby. Her neighbor also
said that she can provide her abortifacients if she choose to abort the fetus. She didn’t want to have a baby yet because she has
plans for her future but she didn’t want to kill a fetus knowing it will become a human and she is a religious person. The moral
dilemma Jessa is encountering is whether she would have an abortion or not.

STEP 1: Facts
* Jessa, a graduating student lives far away from her family due to her studies and works as a part-time student.
*As she was going home late due to her job, two men blocked her way and took her to an abandoned building, and raped her
*She didn’t report it to the police because she was scared of what might happen knowing that the police will call her parents and
she doesn’t want them to know about it.
*Her neighbor who is a doctor recommended that abortion is possible and having the baby is risky for her.

STEP 2: Ethical Issues

* If Jessa says yes to abortion, she is disobeying the teaching of Scripture regarding the sanctity of human life but she will be able
to continue her plans for her future.
*If Jessa says no to abortion, it will cause physical and psychological damage to both of them but she will be able to save the
growing fetus inside her.
*If Jessa says yes to abortion, she and her neighbor will be punished by the law because in the Philippines, abortion is illegal and
anyone who performs an abortion is a criminal offense.
*If Jessa say no to abortion, she would not be capable to provide its needs

STEP 3:

*God’s Fifth Commandment is clear, “You shall not murder.”

Church’s explanation of the Small Catechism puts the matter well when it says, “The living but unborn are persons in the sight of
God from the time of conception. Since abortion takes a human life, it is not a moral option.

* But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion because it is a war against the child -That is why the greatest
destroyer of love and * But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion because it is a war against the child -That
is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion. – Mother Theresa

By abortion, the mother does not learn to love but kills even her child to solve her problems.

* Abortion remains illegal in the Philippines under all circumstances and is highly stigmatized. There are also no explicit
exceptions to allow abortion in cases of rape, incest, or fetal impairment. The Penal Code considers abortion to be a criminal
offense punishable by up to six years in prison for doctors and midwives who perform abortions and by 2‒6 years in prison for
women who undergo the procedure, regardless of the reason.

* A separate set of laws under the Midwifery Act, Medical Act, and Pharmaceutical Act permit the revocation or suspension of the
licenses of any practitioner who performs abortions or provides abortifacients.

STEP 4: ALTERNATIVES
STEP 5: Virtues/Principles STEP 6: Consequences
 Disobey the teaching of Scripture
regarding the sanctity of human life
Violation of the 5th commandment, “
Thou shall not kill”
Pros: Jessa will be able to continue her
studies and the risk of maternal death
will be lowered
Cons: Jessa might die due to unsafe
abortion and she as a religious person
disobey the commandment.

Do not abort the baby and let her/him
live because it is not the child’s fault
There are also no explicit exceptions to
allow abortion in cases of rape, incest,
or fetal impairment. The Penal Code
considers abortion to be a criminal
offense punishable by up to six years in
prison for doctors and midwives who
perform abortions and by 2‒6 years in
prison for women who undergo the
procedure, regardless of the reason.
Pros: The fetus will survive. Jessa will
not feel guilty about abortion and would
not be punished by the law.
Cons: The baby born will experience
higher risks of low birth weight, preterm
delivery and severe neonatal conditions

That is why the greatest destroyer of

Do not follow the recommendation of
the doctor in using abortifacients, and
instead seek advice to parents for
regret always comes last as they say.
love and peace is abortion. – Mother
Theresa
A separate set of laws under the
Midwifery Act, Medical Act and
Pharmaceutical Act permit the
revocation or suspension of the licenses
of any practitioner who performs
abortions or provides abortifacients.
Pros: The parents will help Jessa raise
the baby and the doctor’s license would
not be revoc or suspended. No law
would also be violated.
Cons: Jessa needs to stop her studies
for a while to take care of the baby. Her
parents will also be so much
disappointed that she even thinks of
abortion as an option knowing her family
is religious.

STEP 7: Do not abort the baby and let her/him live because it is not the child’s fault and seek advice from parents
As Jessa is a religious person, even though it is still a fetus, “the living but unborn are persons in the sight of God from the time of
conception. Since abortion takes a human life, it is not a moral option. According to the law, there are no explicit exceptions to
allow abortion in cases of rape, incest, or fetal impairment. Also, even though the doctor has a good intention to help Jessa, it is a
criminal offense punishable by up to six years in prison for doctors and midwives who perform abortions and by 2‒6 years in prison
for women who undergo the procedure, regardless of the reason. Overall, the fetus has the right to grow and live regardless of the
case of rape, incest, or fetal impairment.