RELIGION AND SOCIETY

Rebecca Doyle

Unit 2: Ethics and Morality

Area of Study 3: Contemporary Ethical Issues
in Pluralistic Society

On completion of this unit the student should

be able to analyse and evaluate two or more
debates on contemporary ethical issues in
pluralist society.
Students will be able to:

State the reasons why the issues are ethical

issues,
Identify the individuals, groups and traditions
involved and their ideas, values and ethical
principles,
Reference relevant authorities.

Setting Up the Unit

ABC Foreign Correspondent; The Baby

Maker

SBS; Indias Baby Factory

De Bonos 6 Thinking Hats

White:

Red:

In what way could the industry be regulated?

How could transactions be improved to become more
humanising?

Yellow:

Is this program morally acceptable?

Do you think the same about private surrogacy, why/why not?

Green:

Who are the stakeholders (who benefits)?

Why India?

How is commercial surrogacy beneficial for the stakeholders?

What other benefits are there that are unique to commercial
surrogacy and who benefits?

Black:

Who should be appointed to regulate commercial surrogacy as

it is an international affair?
What risks are involved in the surrogacy process and to whom
are they most relevant?

Analysing Surrogacy

Surrogacy and the Catholic Church.pptx

Indian surrogacy saga

You Right v Their Life

A price on life?

Time to legislate Surrogacy?

Can you sell children?

Tony Abbott rules out national laws on overseas

surrogacy

Surrogacy in Australia

An experience of Altruistic Surrogacy

Working Towards a Final Assessment

A Second Case Study: Asylum Seekers and Detention

Centres

Introduce Students to the Facts and Figures

Students to evaluate if the issue is ethical, consider
resolutions, emotions, areas of caution, benefits and
reservations.
Students are to identify the individuals and groups and their
arguments.
In groups, students will compare and contrast the Catholic
perspective (which they must research and reference
authorities) and another tradition (equally researched)
These

perspectives should be presented creatively on an single

sided A4 sheet to be distributed throughout the class and
presented in a jigsaw activity

Working Towards a Final Assessment

A Third Case Study: Students Own Choice

Inquiry Based Learning

The same process will be undertaken, this time

with students selecting their own topic.
IMPORTANT! There should be a proposal for this
task submitted before it is undertaken so that
the teacher can guage the appropriateness of
the topic before the presentation.
Students will present the bones of their debate
in a 5 minute presentation to the class with a
more detailed written submission to the teacher.

Final Assessment

Essay Format:

Students will respond to an essay question referring to

at least two of the ethical debates which they have
studied.

As Australian society moves into a new age,

accepted values and principles are challenged and
shifted and unexplored possibilities and dilemmas
are unearthed.
Discuss two current debates concerning
contemporary ethical issues with reference to
individuals, groups and traditions involved.

References

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, (2011), Religion and Society: Victorian Certificate of
Education Study Design, http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/vce/religion/religionsocietysd2011.pdf
Daniel, Z. (2014, April 15), The Baby Makers, (ABC Foreign Correspondent),
http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2014/s3986236.htm
Hakim, Y. (2009, February 22), Indias Baby Factory, (SBS Dateline),
http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2014/s3986236.htm
de Bono Thinking System, (2013), Six Thinking Hats,
http://www.debonothinkingsystems.com/tools/6hats.htm
Larson, B.(2008). Blooms taxonomy. InThe encyclopedia of tourism and recreation in marine
environments. Retrieved from:
http://search.credoreference.com.ezproxy1.acu.edu.au/content/entry/cabitrme/blooms_taxonomy/0
L. McLean, personal communication, June 23, 2014
Schnborn, C. (2011), YOUCAT: Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, Germany: Pattloch Verlag
GmbH & Co. KG.
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, http://www.asrc.org.au/about-us/how-we-help/asylum-seekers-stories/
The Herald Sun (2014, October 9), Indian surrogacy saga: Australian couple abandons baby in India,
http://www.news.com.au/world/indian-surrogacy-saga-australian-couple-abandons-baby-in-india/storyfndir2ev-1227084223406
Peatling, S. (2014, October 9), Tony Abbott rules out national laws on overseas surrogacy, (The Sydney
Morning Herald), http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-rules-out-nationallaws-on-overseas-surrogacy-20141009-113n65.html#ixzz3FvZoNUdj
Barless, T. (2014, August 10), When altruistic surrogacy goes wrong, (The Age National),
http://www.theage.com.au/national/when-altruistic-surrogacy-goes-wrong-20140809-101bo5.html