Consequentialism
According to consequentialism theory, the morally right action one should take is the one that will result in the best overall consequences (Leroch 2014). In this case, helping Puerto Rican children be healthier and live longer is the stated moral good, therefore, to Consequentialists, any actions that promote such a consequence are considered morally or ethically correct. Critics consider it unfair to fine poor parents who do not or are not able to help their obese children eat healthier, exercise more and lose weight (The Guardian 2015). However, plain consequentialism does not take fairness or unfairness into consideration, with achieving the desired goal or consequence of obese children losing weight as the only important …show more content…
Society should consider promoting better health and longer life among its citizens to be a good, ethical end. Obese children tend to grow up to be obese adults who will suffer from a wide range of health-related issues and have shorter lifespans compared to their non-obese peers (Preston & Stokes 2011). However, the means of achieving this instrumental good is not so easily labeled. Taking a one-on-one approach to identifying obese students, meeting with his/her parents, then educating and encouraging them to feed their children healthier foods and get more exercise are positive means to achieving the desired ends. At the same time, roughly 45 percent of Puerto Ricans live below the poverty line (Bishaw 2012). They do not have the financial ability to buy more expensive, more nutritious foods. Both parents may also be working and have little time to ensure their children eat properly or exercise more. Penalizing poor people who cannot afford to take time off work to meet the policy’s goals is not an ethical method for achieving the desired consequence. Poor families cannot afford fines for non-compliance, so better means, such as special after-school exercise programs or clubs for identified …show more content…
Being attentive to the obese child’s needs is caring. The school working with parents to respond to the obesity issue is also caring. Educating parents on good nutrition and proper exercise regimes for their kids adds to their competence to deal with obesity (The Guardian 2015). However, a more caring responsiveness and greater consideration of the parents’ limitations is necessary for this policy to work. Parents whose families live in poverty may not have the resources to provide the required healthy meals or to take time off to ensure their obese children actually exercise. A more caring response would be to take care of this parental limitation for them by implementing a healthy lunch program along with an after-school exercise program for identified at-risk obese students. Such a response treats the parents as “inherently relational, responsive beings and [promotes] the human condition… of connectedness or interdependence” (Wallace, Hoover & Pepper 2014,