Decision making in couples regarding childbearing : an ethical appraisal

Abstract

It is not a cliché to say that families are at the heart of society. Aristotle considers a family as a community within a larger one and children a common good, both in their inception and their upbringing. Aquinas builds on this philosophy. He states that a family’s call is to lead a virtuous life, which can only be achieved when it lives within a larger community. He speaks of the common good as the goal of political authority and goes on to say that the individual good is subordinate to the common good. Catholic Social teaching formulated the subsidiarity principle, which was implied as far back as Aristotle’s time but had not been stated yet. This principle has been applied to various settings, including the political and social welfare scenarios. China’s one-child policy gives a very clear picture as to how this principle was thwarted and reinterpreted for economic gain, by invoking the common good, with underlying totalitarian rule. Conversely it is certainly true that various socio-economic factors affect family life and fertility. Among these are housing prices and rental rates, minimum wage, and female participation in the work force, besides higher educational attainment for both sexes, which in itself delays starting a family. Family policies differ among countries, according to underlying political aims, history and culture, and are now seen as very important ways to increase fertility, which is below replacement level in a large majority of developed countries. The aim of this dissertation is to discuss the role of the State with respect to families’ decisions as to childbearing in the light of the common good and of the principle of subsidiarity.