Issues of Human Life and Death | AQA A-Level Religious Studies (7062)
Issues of Human Life and Death
- 109 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Component 1 Section B: ethics and religion
- Component 1
Embryo research, cloning, designer babies, abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment, judged by each of the three normative theories..
It covers embryo Research, Cloning and Designer Babies, animal Ethics and the Three Theories, evaluating the Three Theories on Life and Death, defining the Issues of Human Life and Death, abortion and Double Effect, euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, capital Punishment and the Three Theories and comparing the Theories on Life and Death.
Sample questions from Issues of Human Life and Death
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Embryo Research, Cloning and Designer Babies
Why does natural moral law oppose the creation of designer babies?
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Because selecting genetic traits treats children as commodities and violates the precept to reproduce according to natural processes. -
Animal Ethics and the Three Theories
How does situation ethics evaluate animal experimentation?
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By considering whether the benefits to humans represent the most loving outcome and whether alternatives exist. -
Evaluating the Three Theories on Life and Death
What is a key weakness of situation ethics in applied ethics?
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It provides no clear guidance and may be used to justify almost any action. -
Defining the Issues of Human Life and Death
Define abortion.
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The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, resulting in the death of the embryo or foetus. -
Abortion and Double Effect
How might the doctrine of double effect permit a medical procedure that indirectly causes fetal death?
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If the intention is to save the mother's life and the fetal death is a foreseen but unintended side effect. -
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
How does the principle of double effect apply to administering pain relief that may hasten death?
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It permits this if the intention is to relieve suffering and death is a foreseen but unintended consequence. -
Capital Punishment and the Three Theories
What virtues and vices does virtue ethics consider when evaluating capital punishment?
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Whether it cultivates virtues such as justice and protection of the innocent or vices such as vengeance and cruelty. -
Comparing the Theories on Life and Death
What type of ethical approach does situation ethics take to life and death issues?
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A teleological approach, focusing on the consequences of actions and whether they produce the most loving outcome.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Embryo Research, Cloning and Designer Babies | Recall questions on how natural moral law, proportionalism, situation ethics and virtue ethics judge embryo research, reproductive and therapeutic cloning and the genetic selection of designer babies. | 17 |
| Animal Ethics and the Three Theories | Recall questions on why natural moral law generally permits eating animals, and how all three theories judge intensive farming, animal experimentation, animal cloning, blood sports and xenotransplantation. | 16 |
| Evaluating the Three Theories on Life and Death | Recall questions on the strengths and weaknesses of natural moral law, situation ethics and virtue ethics in life and death cases, from rigid absolutes lacking compassion to the risks of flexibility. | 16 |
| Defining the Issues of Human Life and Death | Recall questions on embryo research, cloning, designer babies, abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment as terms. | 11 |
| Abortion and Double Effect | Recall questions on why natural moral law forbids abortion, the four conditions of double effect, and the proportionalist, situationist and virtue ethics positions on abortion. | 15 |
| Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide | Recall questions on natural moral law's opposition, double effect in pain relief, killing and letting die, and the proportionalist, situationist and virtue ethics assessments of euthanasia and assisted suicide. | 15 |
| Capital Punishment and the Three Theories | Recall questions on Aquinas's natural moral law justification and how that position has evolved, why double effect is not applied, and the proportionalist, situationist and virtue ethics assessments. | 11 |
| Comparing the Theories on Life and Death | Recall questions on the type of approach each theory takes and on the weaknesses of virtue ethics in these cases. | 8 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Religious Studies Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 3,683 questions with their answers.