Infanticide Case

Infanticide is also known as infant homicide is the killing of infants intentionally. This practice has been happening since ancient time and is still permissible in today's time. Female infants are subject to infanticide at a higher risk versus males because of the many opportunities that are possible for the male infant to grow up with. Females in some countries are not allowed to work and their rights are not as equal as men. This will be looked at by the mother or father as an expensive problem to deal with especially in poor countries where money and jobs are scarce. Infanticide is present in not only poor countries but overpopulated ones as well. Countries heavy populated such as China, still practice infanticide to keep down population. In this paper I will be talking about how infanticide is morally right within certain contexts, although I am not completely in agreement with it I think that in certain situations that it is necessary.

Cultural Relativism is defined as a theory that is neither right nor wrong. Instead the standards and morals that are different among cultures are taken into consideration. The idea of cultural relativism is based on the belief that no one culture can try to define what's right or wrong for other cultures, but the beliefs and practices must be looked at as either evil or good based on the culture standards that are set. Ethical relativism represents that there is no moral absolute that there is no right or wrong morally. That our moral evolve and change over a period of time. Moral objectivism is defined as no one person acts are right or wrong free of human opinion. Deontological ethics are defined as some acts being morally wrong within it such as: lying, and murder. Moral rightness or wrongness of an act is determined on the qualities of not on the nature of its consequences. Teleological ethics is defined as a theory that derives moral obligation from what is desirable or good to achieve and end.

I can argue that infanticide occurs within situations like poverty. In Pakistan where jobs are not in abundance and women are not allowed to work. Infanticide is on the rise, 1,200 newborns have been found killed and dumped in Pakistan the past year that is a 200 increase from the year before. Girls are the majority of the dead infants found throughout Pakistan dead, girls are looked at as an expensive problem for a family in Pakistan because of their inability to work. In China a country where overpopulation and poverty in some parts are high, many families turn to infanticide. China has a one child policy where if a family has a girl the first time they are allowed to try one more time for a boy. Some women prefer a boy and if they have a girl will turn to suffocation or strangling to rid the child.

Does infanticide within the context of extreme poverty promote the greater good? Looking at it from the perspective of teleological ethics