De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde

School of Diplomacy and Governance

WOMEN & POWER

Feminism and the Ethics of Care

Submitted by:
Del Prado, Bianca Manuel
 Feminist Ethics aims to “understand, criticize, and modify” how gender works in our
moral beliefs and practices (Lindemann 2005) and methodological approaches to ethical theory.
More specifically, feminist ethicists have a dual view of gender, (2) historically available
privileges for men, and / or (3) a view of gender-suppressing societies. Aiming to understand,
criticize, and modify nature and methods, orders that harm others, especially historically
subordinate girls and women, along gender aspects, including sexuality and gender identity Is
permanent or customary. Since oppression is often closely associated with ignoring the
perspectives of those who are left behind, different approaches to feminist ethics make a
commitment to better understand the experience of those who are oppressed by gender. I'm
sharing. This commitment leads to a tendency for feminist ethics to take into account empirical
information and material circumstances.
Most people probably associate feminism with the claim that all women are oppressed in
the sense that they are powerless. As a result, they must work to overcome oppression and
exercise their right to free will. Feminism, among other things, is about challenging gender
norms and stereotypes to free women from societally assigned roles. Feminism is a way of
thinking about social life, politics, and ethics that is dedicated to eradicating prejudices that cause
women to be treated less favorably than males. The first thing to note is that there is no clear-cut
definition of feminism. Despite shared issues, each subsequent wave of feminism has had a
different focus as well as internal differences on particular viewpoints.
Traditional supporters of feminist ethics include 20th century theorists Carol Gilligan and
Nel Noddings. Gilligan's influential 1982 book, “In a Different Voice” asserted that Sigmund
Freud's theory of psychoanalysis and Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development were
biased and male-oriented..In these dominant psychological accounts of human development,
male development is taken as the standard and female development is often judged to be inferior
in various respects. Gilligan argued that if women are more emotional than men, and tend to
focus more on relationships than on rigid rules, this is not a sign of them being less ethical, but
rather of different values that are both valuable.
In Texas, two bills will succeed in banning abortions at all stages of pregnancy, with no
exceptions for rape or incest and with narrow exceptions for the life and health of pregnant
people: Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, which came into force on September
1, 2021. More than 200 people gathered in front of a federal courthouse in Houston, Texas, to
express their anger after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision,
eliminating the U.S. constitutional right to an abortion. One of the protestors, Katy Jewett, said
that abortion saved her life after she struggled with stage four metastatic breast cancer. Jewett
had an abortion after seeking medical advice. She believes that the pregnancy would have caused
her estrogen levels to spike and speed up the cancer, so she is afraid that other women may suffer
the same fate if doctors are forced to advocate for abortions in such cases. She said that there are
no ‘good’ abortions. There is only abortion. Texas has a law that bans abortions starting from
conception and requires abortions even in cases of rape or incest or if the fetus has severe
abnormalities. The law specifically excludes pregnant people who are at risk of dying or
suffering ‘substantial impairment’ from receiving abortions.
Feminist theory has risen to prominence in society as a voice on women's issues that have
historically been hidden or repressed. Feminist advocates have worked to give women a voice,
recognition of their abilities, knowledge and unique skills, as well as workplace equality and
educational opportunities. those who were once considered radical feminists. Since the middle of
the 20th century, the feminist movement has focused on the issue of abortion in order to extend
the liberation of women. Some women feel devalued by the abortion movement, which puts so
much emphasis on terminating pregnancies. More recently, the value of motherhood has become
an important part of feminist theory. We need to rethink the abortion debate in light of the value
of motherhood. Pro-choice advocates believe that abortion is an important option for all women,
though it may not be necessary for every woman. In her article “Abortion Through a Feminist
Ethical Lens,” Susan Sherwin explains that pregnancy can make many women sick, sometimes
too sick to continue work, school, or household chores: “Not every woman can put her work,
career, and studies on hold. People who are too young, too old, or in a lasting relationship may
realize that they cannot properly care for their children at this time.” (Sherwin 1991). Interfering
with a woman's life plans can have far-reaching consequences for her well-being. This view
suggests that some women do not have the resources available to take care of a child, which
would only make her situation worse.
In almost all revised texts that have been written on abortion, the authors have refrained
from drawing an absolute conclusion. Some pro-choice feminists argue that the controversy
surrounding abortion is a valid reason to keep the practice legal. It’s safe to say that feminism
thrives on the views of people who have been oppressed by patriarchy for centuries. Hence views
of feminist ethics are indeed the voice of the oppressed. Regardless of how radical feminist
thinking on terminating a pregnancy may be, it should not be expected to concede on its claims.
However, when it comes to feminism, it has been around for only about two and a half
centuries, and in the academic world it has been around only for about seventy years. It takes
more time to mature before the effects of oppression are annihilated. It would be impossible to
have both pro-choice and pro-life supporters earn equal opportunities, feminist views should be
allowed more voice, more support, and permeation of both philosophical and scientific texts on
abortion. Decisions that involve women should be decided by women.

SOURCES
Sherwin, Susan. (1991). Abortion Through a Feminist Ethics Lens. In Marilyn Pearsall (Eds.)
Women and Values (pp. 344-354). Belmont , CA:Wadsworth .
Norlock, K. (2019, May 27). Feminist ethics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved
July 24, 2022, from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-ethics/
Méndez, M. (2022, July 20). Texas laws say treatments for miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies
remain legal but leave lots of space for confusion. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 24, 2022,
from
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/20/texas-abortion-law-miscarriages-ectopic-pregnancies/
Abortion in Texas. ACLU of Texas. (2022, July 11). Retrieved July 24, 2022, from
https://www.aclutx.org/en/know-your-rights/abortion-texas