Joseph Fletcher Situation Ethics Essay

Assess the view that situation ethics is of no help with regard to the issue of euthanasia
Joseph Fletcher proposed an ethical theory which aimed to provide a middle ground between legalism and antinomianism, he said that we should be able to follow rules situationally so that morals can be determined on a case by case basis. There is one absolute in situation ethics and this is agape love, otherwise the theory is relative to each situation. Fletcher believed that if you apply agape love (unconditional, generous love) you will be able to find the most moral action. Fletcher was influenced by Jesus in Christianity who emphasised the important of agape love which was shown through Jesus’ actions and teachings of “love God and love your neighbour” (Ten Commandments). Subsequently, you should do the action that brings about the most agape love.
Situation ethics is based on six
Euthanasia (an intentional effort to permanently terminate one’s life), is a highly debate ethical issue, some believe that we should abide by pro-life choices, on the other hand other highly favour the pro-choice aspect. However, according to situation ethics if the most amount of agape love will be produced from committing the act of euthanasia, then it is permitted to kill oneself. However, many other deontological theories such as Kantian ethics may believe that euthanasia as an act itself is intrinsically wrong because by using innate moral reason, one can conclude that euthanasia is an immoral action, therefore one must use their innate sense of duty and good will in order to prevent any such acts of euthanasia to be prohibited, because this is my duty. Situation ethics has many problems. One such problem is that this theory is based on love, a facet which is relative and subjective to each individual, one may have a different perspective and view on love than someone else, therefore how someone may act in