In the case of a couple losing a child under legal reasons, there are various things to look at.  Legally and ethically, the couple is not allowed to keep their infant in the home due to an unsafe environment.  Under a care-based ethical decision, the child could not be left there.  No one would want to be kept in a home where they are not being cared for.  Growing up as a child that does not want to be stuck in a situation like this, we would not want to do it to our kids either.

Taking the child from the home where they have been living, and are happy could cause resentment from the child.  This would go against treating someone how they would expect to be treated.  The law determined it was necessary to place the infant in another home.  The ethical decision would have provided the same response.  The initial decision was supported by both.  The decision to take the child and place them back with the natural parents was only supported in the legal sense.

Another approach to looking at this dilemma is the rules-based school.  The decision was made on a legal level based on rules that were in place.  Someone had the belief that a couple with drug addiction should not be allowed to have a child in their care.  It endangers the health and safety.  The rule that someone came up with states that the child should be placed in a safer environment.

Giving the child back to the natural parents was also a choice made on rules, because the rights of the parents were not taken away.  The only way these rules would not have worked, was if the parent’s rights were taken away.  The child not wanting to go back to the natural parents gives an ethical dilemma that is not supported by the laws and rules.  Whoever has the rights to custody of the child is determined by the rules.  The ethical decision and the legal decision do not go hand in hand with this dilemma.

The rules based school supports ideas that become rules for everyone to follow.  These rules are so widely believed that they are made for everyone to follow.  Like the rules based school, the care based school is also based on widely believed ideas.  They look at what is best for the individual.  They both require a decision or choice to be made.

The rules based school, unlike the care based, follows the law portion more than the ethical portion.  Care based is a principal school.  It teaches to consider feelings and what would be done in someone else’s shoes.  The rules based school is less flexible in the matter of decisions being made on various situations.  The care based school is flexible to each situation.

The rules based school of ethics could be used in real life situations involving the law.  Looking at the definition of the school and how laws are made show this connection.  It is further supported by the explanation of the rules-based school.  Rules-based ethics focuses on duties and rights, the principles we choose to follow in making tough decisions and our most general expectations for human behavior:

The care-based school could be used in situations that require a choice between what’s right and wrong.  Moral dilemma calls for the use of this schools belief.  How we want to be treated should be how we treat others.  When the decision is being made to act a certain way towards someone, the care-based ideal should be taken into consideration.

Aristotle would look at each of these and assess whether or not they go to one extreme or the other.  As long as each of the actions taken stay within the means that should be used most effectively, Aristotle would agree with the solutions.  The feelings of each party involved in the dilemma would be looked at and determine the best course of action.