HEALTH CARE

ETHICS
Prepared by :
IRENE CABACCAN MANCAO
RN,MSN
VALERY CRUZ-LIM RN,MSN
 SEXUALITY
AND
HUMAN
REPRODUCTION
Unit Expected Outcomes:
At the end of this unit, the students are expected to:
Cognitive:
1. Understand the human sexuality and its moral
obligation
2. Discuss the fundamentals of marriage, issues and
legalities of marriage
3. Comprehend issues in contraception
Affective:

4. Practice effective listening during class discussion

5. Inquire on topics that are not completely
understood
6. Share opinions on the subject matter that can
enhance class discussion
Psychomotor:

7. Follow class rules and netiquettes

8. Participate during class discussion
HUMAN SEXUALITY
● Human sexuality refers to people’s sexual interest in and attraction to
others, as well as their capacity to have erotic experiences and responses.
People’s sexual orientation is their emotional and sexual attraction to
particular sexes or genders, which often shapes their sexuality.
● Sexuality may be experienced and expressed in a variety of ways,
including thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors,
practices, roles, and relationships.
HUMAN SEXUALITY
● Human sexuality is the capacity to have erotic experiences and
responses.
● A person's sexual orientation may influence their sexual interest and
attraction for another person.
● Sexuality is a multidimensional phenomenon that includes feelings,
attitudes, and actions. It has both biologic and cultural components. It
encompasses and gives direction to a person’s physical, emotional,
social, and intellectual responses throughout life.
TYPES OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION
● Heterosexual: attracted to individuals of the opposite sex (straight) A
person who finds sexual fulfillment with a member of the opposite gender.
● Homosexual: attracted to individuals of the same sex. A person who finds
sexual fulfillment with a member of his or her own sex. Many homosexual
men prefer to use the term “gay.” “Lesbian” refers to a homosexual
woman. More recent terms are “men who have sex with men” (abbreviated
as “MWM”) and “women who have sex with women” (WWW)
TYPES OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION
● Bisexual: attracted to both sexes. People are said to be bisexual if they achieve sexual
satisfaction from both homosexual and heterosexual relationships.
● Queer: attracted to the same or both sexes and/or transgendered individuals
● Asexual: not experiencing sexual attractions
● Transexuality: molded to be the opposite sex. A transsexual or transgender person is an
individual who, although of one biologic gender, feels as if he or she is of the opposite
gender. Such people may have sex change operations so that they appear cosmetically
as the gender they feel that they are.
Moral issues and the public aspect of human sexuality
1. Rape, child molestation and sadism considered harmful
to the public and controlled by law
2. Pornography, homosexuality, sex outside marriage,
prostitution, masturbation, and ‘unnatural’ or ‘perverted’
sex areall activities considered by some to be against
public interest.
3. Premarital Sex -is sexual activity practiced by persons who are
unmarried. Historically, premarital sex was considered a moral
issue which was taboo in many cultures and considered a sin by a
number of religions, but since about the 1960s, it has become
more widely accepted, especially in Western countries.
4. Same-Sex Marriage -(also known as gay marriage) is marriage
between two people of the same sex. Legal recognition of same-
sex marriage or the possibility to perform a same-sex marriage is
sometimes referred to as marriage equality or equal marriage,
particularly by supporters.
5. Masturbation -is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual
arousalor other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm.
6. Pornography -is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purpose of
sexual arousal. Pornography may be presented in a variety of media,
including books, magazines, postcards, photographs, sculpture, drawing,
painting, animation, sound recording, film, video, and video games.
7. Prostitution -is the business or practice of engaging in sexual relations
in exchange for payment or some other benefit. Prostitution is sometimes
described as commercial sex.
HUMAN SEXUALITY AND ITS MORAL
EVALUATION
● MORAL DISCIPLINE
Sexual equality should make it possible for him to see that sex means moral restraint,
discipline is required and there can be no discipline without restraint. The restriction is
important in order to preserve and guarantee one’s freedom of sex. Constraint is
required here for the sake of freedom itself. Without control or restraint, the
unavoidable outcome would be that the poor and the small will be abused by the
stronger and the wealthier. Constraint or rational authority is thus the guarantee of true
freedom.
HUMAN SEXUALITY AND ITS MORAL
EVALUATION
● ONES INHUMANITY TO ANOTHER
Undoubtedly, there are aspects of sex that suppress and kill equality. In other words,
sex may become an obstacle to an individual’s ability to become completely human.
● RESPONSIBILITY TO AND FOR ONE ANOTHER
Responsibility in sexual love means that the individuals involved are willing and
delighted every time they hear a baby crying.
Sexuality responsibility often includes fairness. One cannot say that one loves the other
if one is cruel to the other.
HUMAN SEXUALITY AND ITS MORAL
EVALUATION
● Respect here refers to the willingness to see a person as he is, to be conscious of his
unique uniqueness. Respect means that the other person should develop and unfold as
he or she is.

HUMANIZING AND DEHUMANIZING

● Humanizing as it helps one to understand oneself as much as it takes the other to
fulfillment. They both achieve reciprocal self-fulfillment and unitive self-fulfillment.
Sexual love is humanizing if it is taken as sort of personal engagement and
responsibility to challenge one’s loyalty to love. Authentic mutual, unitive self
realization is thus made possible by and through responsible sexuality.
HUMAN SEXUALITY AND ITS MORAL
EVALUATION
● Human sex, on the other hand is dehumanizing if and when
it damages the dignity of an individual and becomes a
humiliation of the other.Dehumanizing sexually entails
using the other as a tool to one’s own end.
MARRIAGE
● Marriage is defined differently, and by different entities, based on cultural, religious,
and personal factors.
● A commonly accepted and encompassing definition of marriage is the following: a
formal union and social and legal contract between two individuals that unites their
lives legally, economically, and emotionally. The contractual marriage agreement
usually implies that the couple has legal obligations to each other throughout their lives
or until they decide to divorce. Being married also gives legitimacy to sexual relations
within the marriage. Traditionally, marriage is often viewed as having a key role in the
preservation of morals and civilization.
FUNDAMENTALS OF MARRIAGE
● HUSBAND- A married man considered in relation to his
spouse.
● WIFE-A married woman considered in relation to her
spouse
● MARRIAGE LICENSE-A license that a couple must obtain
before getting married
FUNDAMENTALS OF MARRIAGE
● Monogamy - one man, one woman. All 1st world countries
are monogamous.
● Polygamy - more than one wife or husband. Example:
Islam & Fundamental Mormons
● Bigamy – Marrying another person while still married to
someone else. It is against the law.
FUNDAMENTALS OF MARRIAGE
● Serial Monogamy or Modified Polygamy
–Succession of marriages over time. Typical of
US marriages.
ISSUES ON SEX OUTSIDE
MARRIAGE
● Premarital sex- Premarital sex is sexual activity which is practiced
by people before they are married. Historically, premarital sex has
been considered a moral issue which is taboo in many cultures and
it is also considered a sin by a number of religions, but since the
sexual revolution of the 1960s, it has become accepted by certain
liberal movements, especially in Western countries.
ISSUES ON SEX OUTSIDE
MARRIAGE
● Extra Marital Sex- occurs when a married person engages in sexual
activity with someone other than their spouse. Where extramarital
sexual relations do breach a sexual norm, it may be referred to as
adultery or non-monogamy (sexual acts between a married person
and a person other than the spouse), fornication (sexual acts
between unmarried people), philandery, or infidelity. These terms
imply moral or religious consequences, whether in civil law or
religious law.
ISSUES ON SEX OUTSIDE
MARRIAGE
● ADULTERY AND CONCUBINAGE
❖ Philippines' law criminalizes adultery and concubinage. Both are deemed
“crimes against chastity” under the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines
and are treated as sexual infidelity in the Family Code.
❖ The law discriminates against wives. The crime of adultery can be
committed only by a wife and her paramour. The husband need only prove
that his wife had sexual intercourse with a man other than him.
ISSUES ON SEX OUTSIDE
MARRIAGE
● ADULTERY AND CONCUBINAGE
❖ The crime of concubinage can be committed only by a husband and his
concubine, but it requires that the wife must prove that her husband has
kept a mistress in the conjugal dwelling, or has had sexual intercourse
under “scandalous circumstances” or lived together with his mistress in
any other place.
❖ The penalties are also quite different. For adultery the guilty wife and her
paramour may be imprisoned for up to 6 years
ISSUES ON SEX OUTSIDE
MARRIAGE
● ADULTERY AND CONCUBINAGE
❖ For concubinage, the husband may be imprisoned for up to 4 years and 1
day, while his concubine may be merely “banished” but may not be
imprisoned.
ISSUES ON SEX OUTSIDE
MARRIAGE
● ADULTERY AND CONCUBINAGE
❖ The laws work to the great disadvantage of women. There is no divorce in
the Philippines and abandoned wives are often accused of adultery in
order to force them to agree to their husband's petitions to nullify the
marriage. The Philippine Commission on Women reports that, “In many
cases, women who are faced by these threats are forced to forego
legitimate custodial claims of their children while some are forced to give
up their claims over conjugal properties, assets and the like.”
ISSUES ON CONTRACEPTION
❖ Contraception - is defined as the intentional prevention of
conception through the use of various devices, sexual
practices, chemicals, drugs, or surgical procedures.
ISSUES ON CONTRACEPTION
● METHODS OF CONTRACEPTION
❖ 1. Folk methods Precoital/Poscoital Douche Prolonged Lactation Withdrawal-
coitus interruptos, coitus reservatus
❖ 2. Mechanical methods condom Diaphragm Sponge
❖ 3. Chemical methods Vaginal suppositories and tablets Vaginal jellies, creams,
and foams
❖ 4. Hormonal methods Contraceptive pills Injections and implants
❖ 5. Abortifacients Intrauterine Device DES( diethylstilbestrol Prostaglandin
Antipregnancy vaccine Low-dose of contraceptive pills
ISSUES ON CONTRACEPTION
● METHODS OF CONTRACEPTION
❖ 6. Surgical methods Tubal ligation Vasectomy
Hysterectomy
❖ 7.Natural or behavioral methods Rhythm or calendar
method Temperature method Ovulation (Mucus) Method
Sympto-thermal method Sex relations during menstruation.
ISSUES ON CONTRACEPTION
The controversy questions around are
❏ 1. Whether individuals have a right to control
parenthood?
❏ 2. Which type of contraceptive method is best?
❏ 3. Who should practice contraceptives?
❏ 4 .At what age contraception would be used?
ISSUES ON CONTRACEPTION
❏ Age of consent
Children who are under the age of eighteen years may be sexually
active and require health care because of pregnancy or sexually
transmitted diseases.
Some students ask the physician or school nurse for birth control
devices.
ISSUES ON CONTRACEPTION
Application of ethical theories
Natural law ethics had two division
● Only rhythm method and abstinence
● Voluntary sterilization as WRONG
Utilitarianism
● Justify contraception and sterilization for the greatest happiness and
benefits
ISSUES ON CONTRACEPTION
Pragmatism
● Contraception and sterilization is practical, useful, and beneficial.
Unit Task :
I. Review:
Watch the movie Philadelphia by Tom Hanks from 1993. You can watch
the full movie on You tube..
Instructions.
1. Create a movie review on the movie Philadelphia using the following
questions as your guide.
A. Describe the character being portrayed by Tom Hanks.
B. On your opinion, was he discriminated based on his sexuality and
gender preference?
C. Do you think there will be a different outcome if the events happened in
today's generation? what do you think will be the difference?
D. what have you learned from the movie?
II. Discussion:

What is your stand on the use of artificial contraception in the context of

marriage? Is it moral? Immoral? Explain your answer. Minimum of 200
words.
 ISSUES ON ARTIFICIAL
REPRODUCTION, ITS
MORALITY AND ETHICO-
MORAL RESPONSIBILITY
OF A NURSE
INFERTILITY
● inability to conceived after 12 months of
unprotected sexual intercourse, inability to
sustain pregnancy.
ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION
● Fertility treatment method used to deliver sperm
directly to the cervix/uterus in the hopes of getting
pregnant.

TYPES:
● HOMOLOGOUS INSEMINATION
● DONOR INSEMINATION
● HOMOLOGOUS INSEMINATION
“Artificial insemination” of husband’s sperm,
involve depositing partner’s sperm from a
specimen obtained during masturbation into
woman.
● DONOR INSEMINATION
“Artificial insemination” of the DONOR
sperm, same technique but the sperm is not
from the partner but a donor.
ISSUES ON ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION
1. Psychological Issues- guilt feelings of the
husband and the wife about infertility.
2. Legal Issues- if it is donor insemination, the
donor is asked to sign a consent to waive all
rights as father.
ETHICAL DILEMMAS AND
CONTROVERSIES
● Maintaining secrecy-some authorities strongly
advocate continued secrecy but others believe
that anonymity of donors is necessary, accurate
record keeping is also necessary.
ETHICAL DILEMMAS AND
CONTROVERSIES
● Selection of donors
Practitioners considers the couples’
psychological preparation.
ETHICAL DILEMMAS AND CONTROVERSIES
● NURSING IMPLICATIONS
❖ nurse facilitates decision making by providing accurate
information
❖ nurse coordinates the procedure, working with clients,
donor, physician
❖ the patients mostly turn to the nurse if they are anxious,
concerned, unsure or unclear.
IN VITRO FERTILIZATION(IVF)
● most common form of assisted reproductive technology
used in the management of patients with difficulty
undergoing conception.
● involves retrieving eggs from a woman’s ovaries and
fertilizing it with sperm
ETHICAL ISSUES
1.age limits – age limit is 40-50 year age range because of
being subjected to public opinion on how “unfitting”
“unnatural
2.single women and same sex couples - ethical arguments are
those of fairness, non-discrimination, reproductive autonomy,
and children’s well being.
ETHICAL ISSUES
3. Commercialization of IVF – with the increasement of
demand, the possible negative aspects have been highlight. In
debating includes, equity, possible exploitation of need and
hope, consent truly informed, components of marketing ethics.
IVF AND RELIGION
● roman catholic church opposes IVF eastern orthodox churches on IVF
seems to be less restrictive than catholic church.
● in protestant churches, there is no common statement on IVF.
● Jewish faith it is allowed Islamic juris is allowed as long as it is from
the husband and wife.
● Shi’a Muslim accept IVF Hnduism, yes but from married couple
SURROGACY
● a contract in which a woman carries a pregnancy for another couple.
ISSUES IN SURROGACY
● Commercialization - poor women with no knowledge were offered with
money
● Rights of the child-almost not considered
● Surrogacy is another form of the commodification of women’s bodies. It
raises fears of black market/baby selling. It degrades pregnancy to a
service and a baby to a product.
SURROGATE MOTHER
● A surrogate mother is the woman who is pregnant with the
child and intends to relinquish it after birth.
● The intended parent is the individual or couple who intends
to rear the child after its birth.
● The word surrogate, from Latin subrogare (to substitute),
means appointed to act in the place of.
TYPES OF SURROGACY
● TRADITIONAL
❖ Also known as straight method.
❖ The surrogate is pregnant with her own biological child, but this child was
conceived with the intention of relinquishing the child to be raised by others; by
the biological father and possibly his spouse or partner, either male or female.
❖ The child may be conceived via home artificial insemination using fresh or
frozen sperm or impregnated via IUI (intrauterine insemination) or ICI (intra
cervical insemination) which is performed at a fertility clinic.
TYPES OF SURROGACY
● GESTATIONAL SURROGACY
❖ Is also known as the host method.
❖ The surrogate becomes pregnant via embryo transfer with a child of which she is
not the biological mother.
❖ She may have made an arrangement to relinquish it to the biological mother or
father for them to raise the child or to parents who are themselves unrelated to the
child (e. g. because the child is conceived and sperm donation or is the result of a
donated embryo).
❖ The surrogate mother may be called the gestational carrier.
TYPES OF SURROGACY
● ALTRUISTIC SURROGACY
Is a situation where the surrogate receives no financial reward for her
pregnancy or the relinquishment of the child (although usually all
expenses related to the pregnancy and birth are paid by the intended
parents such as medical expenses, maternity clothing, and other
related expenses).
TYPES OF SURROGACY
● COMMERCIAL SURROGACY
❖ Is a form of surrogacy in which a gestational carrier is paid to carry a child to maturity
in her womb and is usually resorted to by well off infertile couples who can afford the
cost involved or people who save and borrow in order to complete their dream of being
parents.
❖ This procedure is legal in several countries including India.
❖ Commercial surrogacy is sometimes referred to by the emotionally charged and
potentially offensive terms "wombs for rent", "outsourced pregnancies" or "baby
farms"
ETHICAL ISSUE IN SURROGACY
● The process typically results in extra or spare embryos that may then be
disposed or frozen or experimented on.
● It is now fairly well-accepted practice as long as the practice is regulated,
no coercion and does not create breeders.
● Human procreation must take place in marriage. The procreation of a new
person, whereby the man and the woman collaborate with the power of
the Creator, must be the fruit and the sign of the mutual self-giving, love,
and fidelity of the spouses.
ETHICAL ISSUE IN SURROGACY
● Using the sperm or ovum of a third party is not acceptable, because it
constitutes a violation of the reciprocal commitment of the spouses.
Moreover, this form of generation violates the right of the child to a filial
relationship to its parents.
● The generation of the new person should occur only through an act of
intercourse performed between the husband and wife, in an act that is per
se suitable for the generation of children, to which marriage is ordered by
nature.
ETHICAL ISSUE IN SURROGACY
● The fertilization of the new human person must not occur as the result of a
technical process that substitutes for the marital act because it separates
the procreative and unitive aspects of marriage.
● Methods of human generation that occur outside the marital act are
unethical because they result in the destruction of fertilized ova, and
because they bring about the generation outside the method in accord with
the natural law and the design of the Creator.
 MORALITY OF
ABORTION, RAPE AND
OTHER PROBLEMS
RELATED TO
DESTRUCTION OF LIFE
ABORTION
● An abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy. It uses medicine or surgery
to remove the embryo or fetus and placenta from the uterus.
● The spontaneous or induced termination of pregnancy before the fetus has
developed to the stage of viability.
● Includes spontaneous ( miscarriage ) and deliberately procured (or
induced) termination of pregnancy with the resulting death of the human
being at any stage of its development.
● Direct and Indirect
DIRECT ABORTION
● One that is induced with the immediate purpose of destroying the human
fetus at any stage after conception
INDIRECT ABORTION
● One in which the direct, moral object of the action (immediate intrinsic
purpose of the procedure) is therapy for the mother, but in which the death of
the fetus is a side effect that cannot be avoided. Example: removal of a
pathological tube containing a fertilized ovum in an ectopic pregnancy/
removal of a cancerous gravid uterus.
● Such indirect abortions are justified by the Principle of Double Effect
TWO TYPES OF ABORTION TREATMENT
1.MEDICAL ABORTION: THE ABORTION PILL
● Abortion pill (also known as early medical abortion ) up to 10 weeks.
Involves taking medication to cause an early miscarriage (women
experience cramping, pain and heavy bleeding).
● Involves taking medication to cause the womb to contract and push out
the pregnancy. No surgery or anesthetic.
● 2 visits to the clinic are needed.
● Sometimes an overnight stay is needed on the 2nd visit - check when you
book
1.SURGICAL ABORTION
● Surgical abortion involves a quick, minor operation.
TWO TYPES OF SURGICAL ABORTION:
A. Vacuum aspiration up to 15 weeks.
● Removes the pregnancy by gentle suction.
● Up to 14 weeks of pregnancy this can be done with local anesthetic .
The quicker recovery time for this option means you can leave the
clinic unattended and drive sooner.
● Up to 15 weeks it can be done with sedation (relaxed and sleepy).
clinic and you go home the same day.
B. Dilatation and evacuation between 15 and 24 weeks
● Carried out One visit to the with general anesthetic. One visit to
the clinic and you go home the same day.
● The pregnancy is removed and some gentle suction.
MOTIVATIONS FOR THE LEGALIZATION OF
ABORTION BY PRO-CHOICE:
1.To safeguard the life of the mother.
This occurs when the mother who has a risky pregnancy or
the so-called maternal and fetal conflict due to some
pathological disease or medical condition can opt to have an
abortion to allegedly safeguard her life.
● There have been quite a number of diseases that seem to
justify abortion like cancer in the cervix or uterus, disease
of the lungs, kidneys and diabetes.
● The Pro-choice advocates believe that the health of the
mother is (more than) enough reason to favor her over the
child that poses a dilemma due to the fact that pregnancy
makes the health condition of the mother worse or risky
or even fatal.
2. Abortion is a woman's right.
● This position justifies the practice of abortion by arguing that the fetus is but
a part of the woman's body or just a mere product of conception.
● Further, as a right, the woman must have control over everything that she
bears in her body and if there are disruptive occurrences that do make her
uncomfortable and inconvenient, she could invoke the right to exercise
autonomy to remove them, including the right to terminate pregnancy.
● This right may include her right to privacy, as pregnancy exposes her to
public scrutiny, especially when pregnancy is “unplanned" or borne out of
wedlock.
3. Abortion is an expression of women's sexual freedom.
● Sexuality and its practice through sex acts are part and parcel of a woman's
attribute as a sexual being.
● Thus, it is a part of her nature to engage in such acts and enjoy the pleasure
that is attendant to them.
● This does not necessarily extend to the fruits of the act and thus can only end
in the sexual act itself if opted for.
● To set an equal playing field with men, the liberationist women contend that
they are in a disadvantaged position when they are pregnant. So abortion
practice is an expression of women's sexual freedom.
4. The fetus is not human.
● A fetus does not have a human nature and therefore is not considered a
person per-se.
● It is just a growing matter, a growing tissue, thus, it has neither human right
nor a distinct entity.
● The advocates argue that the fetus is only a potential life and maintain that
this potential life does not become real and actual until it comes to its
delivery at birth.
● The personalization of the fetus happens only when the parents accept it at
birth.
5. The unwanted child syndrome.
● This argument is based on the justification of abortion that treats
children as burdens, and therefore, unwanted and also as another
mouth to feed.
● Convinced by demographers like Robert Malthus and his protégés,
they consider children as nothing but liabilities and that a child or two
will only drain the resources of the couple or of the family.
6. To stave-off the birth of a potentially deformed child.
● The eugenic motivation is the basis for the argument in favor of abortion,
especially the deformed and mentally handicapped child. It would do
service to parents and society if there were no defective children, both
physically or mentally.
● The deformed children do not stand a chance to live a fulfilled life in a
highly competitive world. And the world does not have all the time to
offer compassionate care to them when everyone has to struggle also and
be tough to be able to survive. Caring for them will drain so much of
people's time and energy that could still be spent for bigger tasks.
7. Abortion is a means of improving the quality of life.
● Accordingly, abortion is justified as a way to eliminate poverty being spread
by the poor since they are the ones who multiply fast.
● Poor people only beget more poor children.
● Thus poverty thrives among the poor because they produce more children
and consequently, the quality of their life suffers the most. Poor families
usually live in subhuman conditions in squatter areas. They do not usually
have gainful employment, would beg for food to survive, or do anything
illegal just to have food even for the day. They usually are uneducated and
will most likely be in that situation until they die.
● Thus abortion would ensure quality, as it will reduce poverty. Less poor
people, means a better quality of life.

8. Abortion as a means of controlling the population.

● This argument is based on the belief that the human species expands by leaps and
bounds.
● This has been grounded on the population theory advanced by Robert Malthus
and other pseudo-demographers.
● They believe that overpopulation has been depleting the resources of the earth
and when unchecked would result in chaos and wars to fight for food.
 ● Thus, over population invites only heightened scales of world tragedy.
● It can only be controlled in an abrupt way through abortion.
● This is being promoted by the US National Security Agency until the 2020
timeframe.

REFUTATIONS OF ABORTION ARGUMENTS BY PRO-LIFE

1. Focus on saving both lives of mother and baby: Case of Maternal-fetal conflicts
(Against the first pro-abortionist argument)
● All human life is valuable and cannot just be sacrificed for any reason.
● Even in cases where the physical and mental health of the mother is at risk,
abortion can never be an ethical choice since it is equated with the killing or
murdering of a person.
 ● Principle of Double-effect can be invoked here as a reasonable basis for the
acceptance of an otherwise necessary evil, so called in Ethics as ontic evil.
● The mother's life is equally valuable as that of the unborn baby and vice-
versa.
2. A woman's right is never used to harm others. (Against the second pro-
abortionist argument).
● The Pro-choice argument here is that a woman has a right to procure
abortion because she is a victim of rape or incest. To save a woman's
reputation and honor before a condemning society, the only resolution is to
abort the would-be child in her womb.
 ● A fetus though a product of violence, like incest or rape, is a different
entity that has a moral status and cannot anymore be regarded as an
assaulting or intruding agent.
● Killing the fetus is committing another crime. A crime can never be
solved by another crime. Two wrongs do not make one good.
3. The woman's sexual freedom does not include that of the destruction of the
fetus. (Against the third pro-abortionist argument).
● Everyone must enjoy freedom to its fullest. But freedom has limits when
it adversely affects others' right to exercise their own freedom.
● While it is true that women should be treated equally with men since both
have the same human dignity, it does not mean that they have more sexual
rights than their counterparts.
● Women have been naturally and biologically endowed with a structure for
bearing children.
● The fetus, while it is in their womb is dependent on that environment
endowed by nature to her.
● Yet, that fetus is never a part of the woman's body. By nature, the fetus owes
its incipient life from the mother.
● Women can always struggle for equality, but this struggle should not be an
excuse for destroying innocent lives.
4. The human fetus is truly human. (Against the fourth pro-abortionist argument).
● From the ontological, functional and biological nature of the fetus,
everything points to the fetus as possessing a nature that belongs to what is
truly human that makes it another human being even if its survival depends
on the mother and is attached to her womb.
5. Everyone deserves to be Loved. (Against the fourth pro-abortionist argument).
● Children are supposed to be assets and resources and not as burdens because
they are gifts from the Creator.
 ● As gifts, children are supposed to be loved by mothers who have been given
that distinct opportunity to show their maternal instinct to care for their
own.
● Anyone who cannot love an innocent baby will never be capable of loving
anyone else, for the tenderness of a baby is enough reason for anyone to have
his heart melt at his sight.
6. Life can be enjoyed by anyone including the deformed/handicapped. (Against the
sixth pro-abortionist argument).
● Modern studies have proven that life can be enjoyed by all, both normal and
the handicapped.
● When truly cared for, the abnormal can also have a beautiful and meaningful
existence. Thus, no one can make a right conclusion that a deformed life is
not worth living nor can deformity reduce one's claim to a right to life.
● Life should never be graded on the scale of one's usefulness or uselessness in
human society.
● It is in itself a value worth living for.
7. Abortion is never a guarantee for ensuring quality of life. (Against the seventh
pro abortionist argument).
● It has been contended that to possess high quality of life, there should only be
few people and that the population of the poor should be limited because they
only multiply poverty.
● But, there has never been an objective study that with only a few people the
society is guaranteed to enjoy a high quality of life.
 8. Population control can be effectively achieved without destroying innocent lives.
(Against the eighth pro-abortionist argument).
● The idea of controlling population was brought about by the fear that if there are
more people, food provisions will run out and not be able to sustain the necessary
nutrition, and physical space may soon become congested for all the people to
have a decent place to stay and move freely.
● There is certainly nothing wrong with controlling the human population for as
long as this is done in a way that respects the value, sanctity and dignity of human
life. What is important also is not to regard humans as commodities to be
disposed of any time. They must be regarded as resources to be tapped and
respected.
9. The right to life. (Against the ninth argument).
● More than any other human value, human life is at the apex and nothing
is even to it.
● This life has from its beginning already possesses everything that mature
humans possess.
● We do not have to invoke the values Christian faith tells us.
● Our recognition of the value or dignity of humans and the bond that
exists among human beings are enough to show that life is so valuable
and precious that any downgrading of its value is off-track and unhinged.
MORALITY IN ABORTION
1. The act in itself is directly aimed at treating a pathology in the mother and
hence ethical.
2. The mother and the physician would save the child if that were possible
3. The death of the child is not a means to treat the mother, but only a side
effect of the procedure
4. The proportionate reason for the procedure is to save the mother's life
LEGAL, MORAL, AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
● Article II, Section 12 of the 1986 Constitution- The state recognizes the
sanctity of life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic
autonomous social institution.
● World Health Chronicle of 1976- Summarizes the conditions or situations in
which the legislation of different countries authorize the practice of abortion
- When the mother is authorized to safeguard her physical and mental health
-When pregnancy is the consequence of rape or incest, or when it occurs in
minors
-When the mother is exposed to other risks
-When Down's syndrome or other chromosomal abnormalities is
diagnosed through amniocentesis
-When the parents are mentally deficient and considered incapable
of adequately rearing a child
RAPE
● Rape, act of sexual intercourse with an individual without his or her consent,
through force or the threat of force.
● Rape was long considered to be caused by unbridled sexual desire, but it is
now understood as a pathological assertion of power over a victim.
● One of the most prevalent forms of violence against women (VAW) in the
Philippines.
● Reported rape cases ranked third (13.1%) of the total reported VAW cases in
the country from 1999 to 2009.
● Although rape can occur in same-sex intercourse, it is most often committed
by a male against a female.
● Increasing tendency to treat as rape an act of sexual intercourse by a
husband with his wife against her will.
Rape is committed under the following circumstances:
1. A man has sexual intercourse with a woman:
● Through force, threat or intimidation;
● When the victim is deprived of reason or is unconscious;
● Through fraudulent machination or grave abuse of authority; and
● When the victim is under 12 years of age or is demented, even if
none of the above conditions are present.
1. Any person who, under any of the above conditions, commits an
act of sexual assault through oral or anal sex or by inserting an
instrument or object into the anal or genital orifice of another
person.
2 laws enacted that directly address rape namely:
● R.A. 8353: The Anti-Rape Law of 1997
● R.A. 8505: The Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act of
1998
Moral Issues on Rape
● Rape is a detestable, evil action.
● The Catechism offers a clear moral teaching: “Rape is the
forcible violation of the sexual intimacy of another person.
● Rape deeply wounds the respect, freedom, and physical and
moral integrity to which every person has a right.
● It causes grave damage that can mark the victim for life. It is always
an intrinsically evil act!
● Graver still is the rape of children committed by parents (incest) or
those responsible for the education of the children entrusted to them
In accord with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health
Care Services the care for the rape victim has 4 aspects:
1. She must receive spiritual and psychological support and counseling
to help her deal with the trauma of the attack.
2.Health care providers need to cooperate with law enforcement officials,
gathering evidence that can be used in the prosecution of the rapist.
3.The victim needs treatment for bruises, cuts, or other injuries.
4.Health care providers must provide treatment to prevent the possible
contraction of venereal disease and pregnancy.
 "A woman who has been raped may defend herself against a
conception resulting from sexual assault. If, after appropriate testing,
there is no evidence that conception has occurred already, she may be
treated with medication that would prevent ovulation, sperm
capacitation, or fertilization.” It is NOT permissible, however, to
initiate or to recommend treatments that have as their purpose or
direct effect the removal, destruction, or interference with the
implantation of a fertilized ovum. According to WHO, comprehensive
care must address the following issues:
1. Physical injuries
2. Pregnancy
3. STIS, HIV and hepatitis B
4. Counseling and social support follow-up consultations
EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION
● The most widely used means of pregnancy prevention is the
oral administration of the emergency contraceptive pill
(ECP), otherwise known as the “morning after pill”.
● ECPs act by:
-Preventing or delaying ovulation
-By blocking fertilization
-By interfering with implantation
-ECPs are not abortion pills and do not affect an existing pregnancy.
Criteria for administering ECPs include:
● a risk of pregnancy patient
● presents for treatment within 5 days of the assault and wants to
prevent pregnancy
● patient has a negative pregnancy test or it has been determined that
she is not currently pregnant
THE 2 MAIN CATEGORIES OF ECPs:
1. combined estrogen-progesterone pill
2. progestin-only pill (i.e. levonorgestrel only)