Making ethical decisions based on personal values

My personal values are many and complex. Most of them stem from my family origins, and they are often expressed through my work. These values have shaped the trajectory of my life and career, such that every choice I make ultimately stems out of these principles. They include such things as: I believe in what is right, freedom, equality for all people, and good stewardship as the key to progress.

First, to start making more informed ethical decisions in your career, it is important that you know what they involve and how they work. An ethical decision is not based on one principle but on an amalgamation of many of these guiding principles together with a personal value system which will come into play when making a decision. A value-based approach means that the decision is not one based upon a set of guiding principles or a moral dilemma but is made after you have taken the time to reflect on how your values and principles fit into the situation (Keown, 2018).

There are many ethical situations that a person may encounter in their life. One such ethical situation is the decision to perform euthanasia on an infant. This paper will outline both sides of the argument and detail why one side is better when it comes to making the decisions I favor. Both sides have been provided, as well as my opinion on the matter.

The first side I will look at is that of the pro-euthanasia. Those who are pro-euthanasia feel that their child will not survive very long after being born, and believe it would be inhumane to keep them alive through what they consider an unbearable life (Bovens, 2015). The most common reason why parents request euthanasia is when the child is born with a severe genetic disease or deformity.

The second side I will look at is that of the anti-euthanasia. The anti-euthanasia will argue that a person should not be allowed to decide whether or not to end a life. They feel that it is a decision that should be left to God. They do not feel that providing euthanasia is a positive thing, as it could lead to a slippery slope of ending all lives.

While reading the information on both sides, I felt there was a lack of information regarding one side or the other. For example, the pro-euthanasia provided many reasons why they would want their child dead; however, there were no reasons as to why they should not euthanize their child. However, what if the gene or deformity is something that can be overcome? Maybe they are missing a leg, but the child will be able to learn to walk on one leg. One side was given many reasons as for why they should euthanize their child, but no reasons were given as to why they should not (Verhofstadt et al. 2019).  

In my view, making a decision that leads to taking life for the child is immoral. It leads to a slippery slope and that it is leaving God out of the equation. This, I feel, is very unlikely to occur. If anything, as I stated before, this would lead to more children learning how to walk on one leg.

Therefore, my opinion regarding the subject of euthanasia is that it should be left in the hands of God. I do not feel it is a parent's place to decide whether or not their child lives or dies. A child should be allowed to live, even if they are born with a deformity. I feel that God put them on this earth for a purpose and that it is up to him to take them off when he feels that their time is up.