Jastine Hyacinth B.

Diaz BSN II-1

Prof. Lester Camacho Health Ethics (02-01-12)

A Choice between Life and Death

It was Sunday afternoon when my cousin and I decided to attend a mass. On our way to church, one thing caught my attention; it is the tarpaulin hanging on the gate of the church. The tarpaulin has a picture of a priest on it, and it says we are Pro- life. This made me think of my journal for ethics about suicide. It is a sensitive topic in which one chooses to die than to live. Its like a choice between life and death. I cannot judge those people who committed suicide; for I know they have their own reasons why they have done so. Although I believe that suicide after all is morally unacceptable, some circumstances may be considered and can make suicide acceptable. In a Philippine society, the law and church is of the same opinion about life which is to preserve it. Abortion and suicide is quite different from each other, if one would see it, it is not merely related. But I may say that it can be a choice between suicide and abortion. It happens rarely that a pregnant woman has to choose between her life and the fetus itself. There are some movies featuring this kind of situation, mostly because a pregnant woman has an illness or the other way around that threatens both lives. Circumstances such as ectopic pregnancy and a mother who has a heart disease why one will live and the other will die. If the mother chose to live and let her fetus die, it is considered an abortion; it may be therapeutic but still an abortion. I cannot say that the mother is wrong, unfair, or morally unjustifiable because of choosing to live rather than saving her fetus. I cannot also deny the truth that her chance to live made the fetus die. In a medical field the mother is considered as a paramount in this case, if that is so, the mothers choice to live is morally right. But if the mother chose to die to permit her child to live is counted as suicide. In this case the mother committed a suicide to produce a good effect, but is it really a good effect when the mother is always considered as a paramount in such case? For an emotional reason it would still compromise the childs life after she/he lived since a mother is the nurturer of the child. Would it be hard for the child to live and grow up without a mother?

I couldnt really say what is morally right or wrong in this case. I also cannot weigh which is more evil between abortion and suicide. The case I have given is a rare one, but it happens in a true to life situation. Suicide and abortion is both a case to case basis, in the case given the good effect doesnt outweigh the bad effect because the consequence is always one must die in order for the other one to live. It is always a matter of choice; a choice whether to live or not or a choice to kill or sacrifice. A choice that if not taken will cause death of both.