Utilitarianism Versus Deontology

UTILITARIANISM VS. DEONTOLOGY 1

Utilitarianism vs. Deontology

Patricia Kohler

Ethics in Contemporary Society

07-07-16

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UTILITARIANISM VS. DEONTOLOGY 2

An ethical dilemma currently occurring in the Stanislaus County Animal Shelter is the act of euthanizing unborn kittens to a feral cat being spayed. Is it morally and ethically right to end the life of a healthy animal just for the sake of keeping them off the streets? I will be looking at this issue through the ethical theories of Utilitarianism and Deontology, as well as trying to find a solution through Care Ethics.

The issue at hand here is the shelter staff is running a TNR program, which is trap, neuter and release feral and stray cats. When a female comes in pregnant, the kittens are euthanized humanely while still in the uterus. The cats are caught in traps and released back into the same neighborhood they came from. The majorities of these cats are feral and have had little or no contact with humans. They are very aggressive and cannot even be held outside of a cage. Letting these kittens go is a way to help the feral cat population as well as save these kittens from an untimely death or suffering on the streets. Some people would like to see these kittens raised and fostered and adopted out if possible. How do you foster a feral pregnant cat that has no intention of letting a human near it, let alone its kittens? This is where the argument starts.

Some people who help with the TNR program are very upset that those kittens are killed. They believe shelter staff are portraying an unethical concern and following the Deontology theory. In other words, they are just doing what the administration tells them to do, their duty, without understanding the consequences of their actions. Shelter staff believes in the TNR program and believe they are helping the homeless cat

UTILITARIANISM VS. DEONTOLOGY 3

population of our county by humanely euthanizing kittens that don’t stand a chance of survival in the streets. They are practicing Utilitarianism theory, which is the concept that the act itself is morally right because it is a good outcome for the group. The group, in this case, is the population of homeless cats.

The Utilitarianism side of the argument would like people to know that feral cats do not live a good life on the streets. The average life span of a feral cat is two years. This is due to disease, harm from other animals, harm from humans, and starvation. According to an article based on a study done on the reproductive rate and kitten survival rate, (JAVMA, vol225, no.9, Nov. 1, 2004) the numbers prove to be alarmingly high for reproduction and very low for survival. Each feral cat in a colony can have 1.4 litters per year, with 3-5 kittens in each litter. A colony of feral cats can have at least 10 adult female cats and 3 adult males. This means in one small area of town, a colony can produce 30 to 60 kittens in under a year. There are thousands of cats colonies roaming around our county. The study also showed 75% of the kittens born in these colonies died before they were 6 months of age. Thus the shelter staff believes