A Duty to Adopt?. (7th January 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Friedrich, Daniel
• Is Part Of: Journal of applied philosophy. Volume 30:Number 1(2013:Feb.)
• Page Start: 25
• Page End: 39
• Publication Date: 2013-01-07
• Subjects: Philosophy -- Periodicals; Ethics -- Periodicals; Social ethics -- Periodicals; 100
• DOI: 10.1111/japp.12003
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0264-3758

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>All over the world millions of children are without parental care. As a consequence they are liable to suffer serious harm. I argue the general duty to assist those in need extends to children without parental care and that some people are under a moral duty to adopt rather than have biological children. I defend this claim against the following objections: (1) intimate decisions are excluded from the duty to assist, (2) adopting children is too costly to be required by morality, (3) the duty to assist is a collective duty, (4) the duty to assist is an imperfect duty, and (5) there are, in fact, very few adoptable children.</p> </abstract>