A religious couple, who has been married for over ten years, patiently kept on trying to have a baby. When they were about to surrender their childlessness up to their god, the wife found out she was pregnant. That was the best news ever for the couple. As the wife's pregnancy progressed, she noticed something seemed not right. She developed pregnancy-induced hypertension (preeclampsia) due to mother-fetus serologic incompatilbility, putting hers and the fetus' life in danger. Sonographic examination and amniocentesis reveal the fetus suffers lethal genetic malformation and the chance for survival is very nil. The physician recommended for immediate termination of pregnancy for her safety. The couple did not heed the physician's advice for they don't want to murder their unborn child!
S. P. is an intelligent, outgoing, happy-go-lucky teenaged girl who simply enjoys life. She has a boyfriend her age. They love hanging-out and chilling with other teens, their age. As many curious teens would do, they experiment on stuff like pot, alcohol and sex. S.P. got impregnated and was in a dilemma. She did not want to inform her parents about the pregnancy, and she certainly was not ready for the daunting responsibility of raising a child as a single mom. The boyfriend deserted her after finding out she got impregnated. S.P. terminated the pregnancy! To her, it was the best thing to do!
To kill or not to kill? There are only two answers, neither is right nor wrong!
Morality is a very delicate yet a very subjective topic. Just like beauty, being moral (or immoral) lies in the eyes of the beholder! That's because there is not a single standard to measure morality. It is looked at differently by different groups of people.
This bring us to the question on what serves as the basis for morality For christians, morality stands on a solid ground rooted in the Bible. Any act done against or in contradiction with the doctrines of their church could be hailed immoral! The Mosaic Law provides a long list of Dos and Don'ts for christians to observe. But even among the different christian groups, people are divided as to what acts are considered immoral, which ones not! In the two cases presented earlier, is killing considered an immoral act? The ultraconservatives would say yes outrightly! For the act itself is in defiance of the Mosaic Law 'thou shall not kill.' But killing people were rampant in the days of the bible just as the present days. Even god himself caused massive killing of people, the highest form of genocide, when Noah refused people to let them in in their ark during the Great Flood. Innocent babies were killed as consequence with the parents not painting their front doors with the sacrificial lamb's blood for the Passover!
The muslim religious extremists hold on to their belief that killing people who they consider as 'infidels' would merit them great rewards in the afterlife. What motivates a young and just-after-puberty suicide bomber to sacrifice his earthly life in killing people is the reward of being with 42 virgins in the afterlife! Killing is not regarded as immoral, in this case!
The non-believers got their system of calling morality. Being not under any church doctrines makes their notion of morality a little more pragmatic and more than philosophical.
Morality has been invented by man. Whatever it is based on, morality deals with what is the right thing to do! It is laced with elements of subjectivity. For there is no clear cut black- and- white in morality, many things are in the gray zone.
I see the evolution of practical morality in the future. Where terminally-ill patience with nothing but hopelessness on top of their constant suffering and excruciating pains can openly opt for physician-assisted end-of-life care without the fears and apprehensions of not going to heaven (for those who believe!) and with full support by their church. For doing so seems to be the right thing to do if only to make their sufferings a little less unbearable. Furthermore, I see a society that recognizes and embraces people's diversity. As it is now, morality digs that deep and big gap which divides the people. Self-proclaimed moralists are easy to render judgments, and cause indignation among others. Living in harmony seems to be the right to do, and that implies being tolerant instead of judgmental to others. This means respecting and accepting other people for who they are, regardless of race, creed and belief systems, and most importantly, sexual orientation!
I see this coming! But probably not in my lifetime...
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