Instrumentalism: On the Ethics of Using Fetal Tissue in Medical Research

Abstract

Within the context of medical ethics the term 'instrumentalism' is broadly understood as the practice of 'using people' to achieve some end, where the end is considered to be of some good. It is a practice that has recently come under fire in light of developments in medical research that propose to use fetal tissue obtained from elective abortions. Ethicists opposed to this kind of instrumentalism usually invoke Kant's dictum that one should never treat humanity only as a means but always as an end in itself, and allege that the instrumental use of others is 'dehumanizing' and immoral. Moreover, opponents of fetal instrumentalism claim that using fetal tissue in research is a morally tainted, 'doubly' offensive practice since it depends on tissue obtained from voluntary abortions. In this thesis, I challenge both of these claims and argue that using fetal tissue in medical research constitutes an acceptable kind of instrumentalism. Furthermore, I argue that the issue of abortion and the use of fetal tissue in research are two ethically separable issues that warrant distinct ethical judgments. My project begins with an analysis of instrumentalism, which is then applied to show how using the aborted fetus to attain valuable therapeutic goals is a morally justified instrumentalism. I then proceed with an evaluation of the arguments central to the instrumentalist debate, and show how the normative separation between abortion and fetal tissue use is possible.