Situation Ethics: Joseph Fletcher

Booklet 2

AO1 - Topics

Situation Ethics is a relativistic and consequentialist /teleological theory

The reasons why Fletcher rejected antinomianism and legalism

The concept of ‘agape’ love; Fletcher’s four working principles and the six fundamental principles

The biblical evidence used to support the relativistic approach taken by Situation Ethics – the teachings of Jesus and St Paul

Candidates will be expected to give examples of the application of Situation Ethics

Candidates should consider the degree to which Situation Ethics is compatible with the traditional ethical teachings of one major world religion

AO2 – Issues – Evaluation

Strengths and weaknesses of Situation Ethics Does ‘agape’ provide an adequate basis for moral decision-making? Could the principles of Situation Ethics promote injustice and /or morally wrong behaviour? To what extent can Situation Ethics as a relativistic and teleological theory work in today’s

society? How far is Situation Ethics compatible with a religious approach to moral decision making?

Biblical evidence used to support the relativist approach taken by Situation Ethics

Situation Ethics has its origins in the teachings of Jesus and St Paul found in the New Testament of the Bible.

Use the Bibles or the internet to find these Bible verses. Write up a summary of each one and an explanation about how it can be linked to the

various elements of Situation Ethics, use Bible commentaries on the internet A- B – complete the table, C-E complete five of the quotes

Bible Quote What happens in the passage? How does it link to elements of Situation Ethics?Mark 12:29-31

Christians claim that agape is a “willful love, a determined love that generously chooses for the interests of another.” Also that agape is a love that grows out of knowledge. It comes from knowing the true God in all of His greatness and grace

John 15:9-13

1 John 4:7-12

Luke 10:25

Mark 2:27

John 5:1-16

Luke 6:27

1 Corinthians 13

Paul argues that love is an action, not an emotion. The kind of love Paul talks about is seen, experienced, and demonstrated. A person who exercises agape love does not lose patience with people. Love never says, “I’ll give you just one more chance.” Love is patient. It connects to . . .

Euthanasia- an example of the application of Situation Ethics

January 2011 Explain religious arguments supporting the use of Situation Ethics in making moral decisions.

1 Euthanasia

There are three types of Euthanasia:1. Voluntary Euthanasia: When a terminally ill person requests death2. Involuntary Euthanasia: When a person is killed to save them from more pain, even if they don’t request it3. Non-Voluntary Euthanasia: When a person is unable make the request themselves

For some people, the most important question about euthanasia is "Is it ever right to kill an innocent human being?"

Deontologists believe we all need rules to live by, and everyone recognises the power behind the rule "Do not kill".

Some people choose to break this rule in some circumstances.

Teleologists believe there are occasions when 'the end justifies the means'.

This can be shown in Jesus’ desire to put people before laws. For example Jesus broke Sabbath laws to heal on the Sabbath. Also this principle of people first or personalism ties in with other actions of Jesus as recorded in the bible. Fletcher claimed that the ruling norm of any Christian decision is love, nothing else (not deontological rules) - St. Paul taught love as the highest principle above the Law - 1 Corinthians 13. He also stated in Galatians 5v14. “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’

There are other issues raised by euthanasia, however. If euthanasia was legal, what effect would this have on the elderly, people with disabilities, the terminally ill? It isn't merely a consequentialist consideration - weighing up the amount of anxiety caused by a change in law. It is about the way we view people. Are some lives worth less than others?

2 Situation Ethics

Joseph Fletcher-- Former President of the Euthanasia Society of America

"Doctors and laymen have asked lawmakers to legalize direct euthanasia, thus far unsuccessfully. While this writer's decision is in favor of the direct method, it may be necessary to settle temporarily for an intermediate step in the law... To bring this matter into the open practice of medicine would harmonize the civil law with medical morals, which must be concerned with the quality of life, not merely its quantity."Moral Responsibility: Situation Ethics at Work, 1967

Situation Ethics is easy to apply here. Quite simply, you can dispense with rules about killing, because the most loving thing to do may well be to give someone a peaceful death. Situation Ethics is personal - it puts people before rules. It is also pragmatic, allowing us to do whatever works best in the circumstances. What is the use in keeping someone alive to suffer?

Relativism is at the heart of the theory. This means that in any situation, when faced with a difficult decision about whether to help someone to die, we need to act out of love, which means ignoring any hard and fast rule and doing what the situation requires. Jesus for example, attacked the Pharisees’ insistence on following the Torah or Jewish Law. Matthew 23v23.

Situation Ethics isn't helpful when it comes to legislation, largely because the situation ethicist would ignore any rules that were made anyway if the situation demanded it. Situationists may well be worried that a law that allowed euthanasia might put pressure on people who didn't want to die. They might argue that there need to be great safeguards against the misuse of any euthanasia rules. However, they are likely to argue in favour of allowing euthanasia.

Situation Ethics is based on the single maxim of agape love. An action is deemed right if it results in love, wrong if it results in selfishness – its morality is dependent on the situation. One of the six fundamental principles of Situation Ethics is ‘Only the principle of love provides a reasonable base by which to make judgements of right and wrong.’ Jesus and Paul taught love as the highest principle above the law.

1) Euthanasia is right (loving): If someone in great pain with a low quality of life the most loving action might be to release them from the pain.

2) Euthanasia is wrong (a selfish act): If a greedy relative puts pressure on an elderly person in order to gain money from the will.

3 Religious attitudes to Euthanasia

Over the last few decades advances in medicine and medical technology have made it increasingly possible for life to be prolonged. It has been suggested, however, that doctors too often employ extraordinary methods in order to keep a patient alive — methods which may be unnecessary, given the patient's prognosis. A movement has arisen which purports to end prolonged dying. These people advocate what is known as euthanasia or mercy killing.

What exactly is euthanasia? It is the practice of mercifully terminating life when a person is hopelessly ill or injured in order to hasten the relief of death. There are two forms of euthanasia which have been defined. Passive euthanasia is a refusal to use life-sustaining medical equipment to prolong life when there is no prospect of recovery. Active euthanasia is when one deliberately takes action to end a person's life. This form is certainly subject to Biblical scrutiny.

The Roman Catholic Position

Catholic theologians almost universally condemn active euthanasia as murder — therefore it is classified as a mortal sin. The reasoning for this teaching is that God has supreme dominion of His creation and there is a purpose for human suffering. In the New Testament there are at least five different places where there is a Biblical commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” (Matthew 5:21, 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9). It is upon these verses that the Roman Catholic Church bases its argument against euthanasia.

The Protestant Position

In the protestant religion there are a variety of views on euthanasia. Those who are opposed to the practice cite the teachings of Jesus against killing and suicide. They will also strongly argue that no man can “play God” and determine when human life should be limited.

Those in favour of legalized euthanasia often use Joseph Fletcher, well-known humanist, as their main advocate. Mr Fletcher argues that euthanasia should be legalized because:

1. Suffering and pain are purposeless, demoralizing, and degrading.2. Human personality and dignity are of greater value than life itself.3. Jesus statement in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the merciful,” is just as important as “Thou shalt not kill.”

Furthermore, one of Fletcher’s six fundamental principles is ‘Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively’ this reflects the Christian belief in ‘free will’/autonomy.

4 Arguments against Euthanasia

1. If euthanasia was made legal it would be virtually impossible to determine whether the motive of the killer came entirely from compassion or whether it came from greed or other selfish reasons.

2. No law having to do with mercy killing would be able to account for every circumstance, and therefore would be either so complex as to make dying longer and less dignified, or it would have so few controls that abuses would occur. (Can you imagine each case being contested and being tried in our legal system?)

3. Supposed terminal illnesses can be misdiagnosed so that patients may feel inclined to make needless requests for a merciful death. Even conditions thought to be terminal may undergo unexpected remission. The medical books are full of cases where near-death patients experience remarkable recoveries.

4. Mistakes can be made with regard to supposed “incurable” diseases. The disease may be incorrectly diagnosed or may be able to be survived or cured.

A Biblical Argument against Euthanasia

The story of Job can be seen as an example for euthanasia. If Job had taken the advice of his wife (Job 2:9), “then said his wife unto him, ‘Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die.’” For those who accept euthanasia, this would be the answer. Job replied (verse 10): “But he said unto her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?’ “The Bible says that God preserved Job's life and blessed him. The Bible teaches that suffering enables a Christian to learn humility, and in so doing, they become better equipped to comfort others.

The Bible teaches that performing active euthanasia causes the administrator of death to sin, and at the same time suicide for the one who requests such death. Also that taking your own life, although it may be by the hand of another is still murder — self-murder. Many Christians claim that mercy-killing directly contradicts Biblical teaching.

CONCLUSION

Many Christians believe they must actively oppose euthanasia. John J. Davis explains, “Human life is sacred because God made man in His own image and likeness (Gen. 1:26,28). This sacredness (holiness) extends throughout human life and is not simply limited to those times and circumstances when humans are strong, independent, healthy, and fully conscience of his relationship to others.” Based on Euthanasia by Bill Goring © 1995

Without using your notes complete this table to consolidate your knowledge. Check it using your notes and Principles cards

Feature of Situation Ethics How it can be linked to euthanasia

Explain the religious arguments in favour of using Situation Ethics to make moral decisions.

Introduction - Situation Ethics is a theory

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

When faced with a moral issue such as euthanasia a Situationist would look to the teachings and actions of Jesus in

the Bible and Fletcher’s interpretation of Jesus’ message. They would claim the ruling norm of any Christian decision

is love, nothing else based on St Paul’s _

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Religious arguments can be used in favour of using Fletcher’s four working principles, for example, the principle of

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

In addition Jesus can be said to have been in favour of relativism because (Mark 2v27)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Another religious argument in favour of using Situation Ethics to make moral decisions is that the first of the six fundamental principles of Situation Ethics is (Galatians 5v14)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Jesus and Paul taught love as the highest principle above the law.

Another of the six fundamental principles is ‘Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively’ this reflects the Christian belief

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Furthermore, Fletcher’s sixth fundamental principle is

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Finally, ___________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

To what extent is Situation Ethics compatible with the traditional ethical teachings of one major world religion? Christianity

May 2013- Explain why some religious believers reject the use of Situation Ethics whilst others accept it.

It can be argued that Situation Ethics is compatible with Christianity because scholars such as Fletcher, Tillich and Bishop Robinson based their situationist approach on the teachings and actions of Jesus and St Paul.

Jesus’ teachings – Mark 12:29-31 and 1 John 4:7-12

Jesus’ attitude to the law – Mark 2:27

Jesus’ actions - John 5:1-16

The six fundamental principles are compatible with the teachings of Jesus and Christianity – Luke 10, Luke 6:27 and 1 Corinthians

Situation Ethics accepts Christian teachings about autonomy and free will

However, others claim that Situation Ethics is not compatible with the teachings of Christianity. Many Christians accept the Natural Law approach to ethics, Pope Benedict rejected Situation Ethics and supported Natural Law which he claimed ‘remains timely’.

Situation Ethics rejects basic Christian beliefs such as following the absolute moral and religious law of the 10 Commandments.

Followers of Situation Ethics could reject traditional teachings of the Church regarding sex and relationships.

Situation Ethics claims that humans can have ultimate responsibility in decision making whereas Christianity has always taught that God is the source of ultimate authority

Situation Ethics focuses on St Paul’s teaching about love, however, he identified other desirable qualities ‘the fruit of Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, …’ Galatians 5:22-23