Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude - 4 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Abortion rights vs Ethics

Why in news:

• The Indian Supreme Court recently made a historic decision by permitting all women, even unmarried women, to undergo abortions up to 24 weeks.

Abortion Rights and Ethical Dilemmas

• Introduction
  • Recent landmark judgment by the Supreme Court of India allowing abortions up to 24 weeks for all women
• Issues with Respect to Women's Rights
  • Woman's right over her body and freedom of choice
  • Unwanted pregnancies affect both physical and mental health
  • Right to abortion is vital for gender equality
  • Portfolio of pregnancy rights should enable women to make a free choice
• Issues with Respect to Fetus
  • Right to life (Article 21) vs. motherly care and bond
  • Abortion viewed as the murder of a living being
• Issues with Respect to Society in General
  • Responsibility of the state to value each life
  • Abortion should not be a mechanism of social control
  • Parent's desire for better life for existing children

Arguments Against Abortion

• Some view abortion as a way for society not to cater to women's needs
• Women's needs for financial and social survival as mothers are needed for equality

India's Stance on Abortions

• Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2021
• Abortions allowed up to 24 weeks in specific circumstances
• Liberal achievement compared to countries where abortions are not allowed

Way Forward

Ethical Approaches

• Four principles are commonly invoked in ethical approaches to abortion: Respect for patients’ autonomy, Nonmaleficence, Beneficence, and Justice.

Overlapping Issues:

• The abortion dilemma involves overlapping issues from different realms such as legal, medical, ethical, philosophical, religious, and human rights.
• It is important to analyze the issue from different perspectives.

No Hard and Fast Rule:

• There cannot be any hard and fast rule regarding abortion.
• It should be discussed and deliberated upon to evolve a common consensus.

Gaslighting

Why in news:

• Merriam-Webster, the oldest dictionary publisher in America, has selected "Gaslighting" as its Word of the Year in a recent decision.

What is Gaslighting

• Gaslighting is a term used to describe a form of psychological manipulation used by abusers to control and manipulate their victims.
• According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, Gaslighting involves a series of tactics used by abusers that lead the victim to question their own thoughts, perception of reality, and memories, causing confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.
• Gaslighting creates an imbalance of power between the abuser and the victim, where the abuser is in control and the victim is vulnerable to manipulation.
• The abuser often exploits the victim's vulnerabilities related to their gender, sexuality, race, nationality, or class.

Origins and History of Gaslighting

• The term Gaslighting originated from a 1938 play called "Gas Light" by Patrick Hamilton and the movie based on the play.
• The play and the movie revolve around a man who attempts to make his wife believe that she is going insane, using tactics such as manipulating the gas lights in their home.
• The term Gaslighting has been used in psychology and popular culture to describe similar manipulative behavior.

Impact of Gaslighting on Mental Health

• Gaslighting is designed to create uncertainty and self-doubt in the victim, leading to harmful effects on their mental health.
• A victim of gaslighting may experience symptoms such as anxiety, depression, disorientation, and lowered self-esteem.
• Gaslighting can also lead to a sense of helplessness and dependency on the abuser, making it difficult for the victim to leave the relationship or seek help.

Some Common Signs of Gaslighting

The “Twilight Zone” Effect:

• Victims of gaslighting often report feeling like a situation is surreal and it’s happening on a different plane from the rest of their life. They may feel like they are losing their mind or that their memory is faulty.

Exaggeration Accusations:

• Gaslighters often tell their victims that they are exaggerating, being too sensitive, or being irrational. This makes the victim doubt their own feelings and perceptions.

Confusion and Powerlessness:

• Victims of gaslighting often feel confused and powerless after leaving an interaction with the gaslighter. They may feel like they cannot trust their own judgment or decision-making abilities.

Isolation:

• Many gaslighters make efforts to isolate their victims from friends, family, and other support networks. This creates a sense of dependency on the abuser and further erodes the victim's confidence.

Tone Policing:

• A gaslighter may criticize the tone of voice if the person challenges them on something. This is a tactic used to flip the script and make them feel that they are the one to blame, rather than the abuser.

A Cycle of Warm-Cold Behavior:

• Gaslighters may alternate between verbal abuse and praise, often even in the same conversation. This is done to throw the victim off balance and make them feel unsure of how to respond.

The Definition of Gaslighting in Modern Times

• Gaslighting is a term that has gained significance in modern times due to misinformation, conspiracy theories, and deepfakes.
• It involves psychological manipulation, leading the victim to question their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories.

Gaslighting and Gender and Medicine:

• Women may be gaslighted by doctors who stereotype them as irrational, leading them to believe that their health concerns are not valid.
• Public or collective gaslighting can cause women to second-guess themselves due to widely shared statements on social media.
• Transgender individuals may be gaslighted by being told that they have a mental health disorder.

Gaslighting in the Legal System and Race:

• Abusers may gain control of the narrative in the legal system, using stereotypes about women as irrational and aggressive to cause them to question their own stories.
• Gaslighting and race involve the perpetuation of a white supremacist reality by pathologizing those who resist it.

Gaslighting in the Workplace and Politics:

• Gaslighting in the workplace occurs when a person in a position of power causes someone to question themselves in a way that negatively affects their career or confidence in their abilities.
• Politicians and political entities may use gaslighting as a tactic to manipulate public discourse and gain support for or against a certain viewpoint.

Corruption in Civil Services

Context:

• Corruption is a dishonest and unethical practice that can be committed by individuals or organizations.
• Types of corrupt practices include bribery, nepotism, embezzlement, and abuse of power.
• India is ranked 85th out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index.

Understanding Corruption in Civil Services: Types and Examples

Bribery:

• Bribery involves offering or providing a benefit to influence the actions or decisions of a public servant improperly.
• It can influence the allocation of monetary benefits and speed up the granting of permits and licenses.
• Known as "grease money."

Extortion:

• Extortion involves pressuring someone to give something to a public servant in exchange for acting or not acting in a specific way.
• It differs from bribery in the use of violence or the threat of violence to extract money.

Embezzlement:

• Embezzlement is the theft of public resources, financial or otherwise, by public employees who are responsible for their care.

Fraud:

• Fraud involves a public servant's actions that mislead other people or organizations into giving them a benefit that they would not otherwise receive.
• It is an economic crime that involves deception for personal gain.

Abuse of Power:

• Abuse of power occurs when a public employee improperly uses their position of trust to benefit themselves or another public employee, individual, or group.
• It can involve discrimination against other public employees, people, or entities by abusing positional authority.

Conflict of Interest:

• A conflict of interest arises when a public servant acts or fails to act in a situation where their personal interest or that of connected people or entities is affected.

Insider Trading/Abuse of Privileged Information:

• Insider trading or abuse of privileged information is the use of confidential information or knowledge by a public official for personal gain or the gain of others close to them.

Favoritism:

• Favoritism is the practice of granting preferential treatment or favors by a person in a position of trust based on preconceived notions such as friendship, prejudice, or family relations.

Obstruction of Justice:

• Obstruction of justice occurs when the natural course of justice or fairness is obstructed to benefit a select group of people or groups.
• A prime example is the selective application of regulations.

Influence Peddling:

• Influence peddling is the practice of using one's power to improperly influence a person, organization, or government in exchange for money, loyalty, or other unfair advantages.

Understanding the Causes of Corruption in Civil Services

Introduction:

• The term “corruption in the civil service” refers to the unethical and corrupt practices of government officials. Developing countries like India are more prone to the negative effects of corruption due to various reasons.

Causes of Corruption in Civil Services

• Poverty and Poor Wages:
  • Inadequate compensation and poor wages provided to public officials can lead to corrupt practices.
  • Lack of insurance and developed market can result in risk-taking behaviors.
• Complex and Ill-Defined Laws and Regulations:
  • Opportunities provided by ambiguous and inadequate laws and regulations can lead to corruption.
  • Absence of properly established regulations, rules, or codes of behavior that apply to public officials, as well as a lack of enforcement agencies.
• Lack of Watch-Dog Agencies:
  • Inadequate watchdog agencies can encourage corrupt practices.
  • Insufficient mechanisms to hold government officials accountable.

Prevalence of Corruption in Civil Services

• Politicization of the Civil Service:
  • A highly politicized civil service can create unethical civil officials who forgo the interests of the public.
  • Politically influenced decision-making can lead to corruption.
• Lack of Accountability in Public Organizations:
  • Colonial history and the absence of a full-fledged democratic system are primary reasons for the poor quality of accountability in government.
  • Patrimonial economic management and incentives - political and personal loyalty and obedience were rewarded more than merit.
• Weak Institutions for Enforcing Accountability and Ethical Standards:
  • Lack of institutional mechanisms to enforce accountability and ethical standards.
  • Failure of formal and informal systems to manage society through a framework of social, judicial, political, and economic checks and balances.
• Excessive and Opaque Regulations:
  • The complexity and opaqueness of regulations can lead to corrupt practices.
  • Regulations that guarantee accountability and transparency become difficult to implement and enforce when formal and informal systems fail.

Conclusion:

• Corruption is primarily a governance issue that arises due to the failure of institutions and a lack of capacity to manage society. To prevent corruption in civil services, it is important to create an environment that promotes transparency, accountability, and ethical behavior.

Strategies for Combating Corruption in Civil Services

• Strengthening Rewards and Penalties System:
  • Rewarding integrity and punishing illegal behavior can be an effective strategy to combat corruption.
• Restructuring Bureaucracies:
  • Decentralization
  • Bureaucratic discretion
  • Bureaucratic competition
  • Staff rotation
  • Whistleblowing
  • Streamlining regulation
  • Electoral incentives
    Changing the way bureaucracies operate can be a solution to tackle corruption.
• Educational Campaigns:
  • Informational anti-corruption interventions can be helpful in combating corruption.
  • The use of educational campaigns with remarkable effectiveness can be seen in the case of Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in the 1970s.
• Enumerating Ethical and Public-Spirited Civil Servant: An ideal official should have certain characteristics, such as:
  • Ensuring there are no open cases within their jurisdiction
  • Exhibiting high levels of probity and integrity while in office
  • Being proactive in communicating government policies to the public
  • Having compassion for the suffering of marginalized groups.
• Reflecting on the Importance of ‘Good Institutions’ for ‘Good Governance’:
  • Re-engineering institutions and streamlining processes to cut down delays and ensure timely delivery of services can help promote good governance and reduce corruption.

Case Study - 1: Conflict between Development, Environment and Human Rights

As the Managing Director of Metro Rail Corporation (MRC) in a metropolitan city, you have been tasked with the construction of a metro track and parking space in a densely forested area of the city. Unfortunately, this will require the removal of thousands of trees and the displacement of underprivileged families living in the area. After learning of the situation, the locals have begun protesting against the project. This is due to their strong emotional attachment to the forest and concerns over the environmental damage that will result from the development.

Despite this, the minister who has direct control over the MRC is pressuring you to proceed with the project as soon as possible. However, you are aware that going against the minister's orders will have serious consequences.

(a) What are the ethical issues involved in this situation, and what options are available to you to resolve them?
(b) What course of action would you like to take in this situation? (250 words)

As the Managing Director of Metro Rail Corporation, my primary responsibility is to ensure the project's sustainability while fulfilling my constitutional and ethical obligation towards the environment and the underprivileged.
According to the Gandhian philosophy, public servants are trustees of natural resources, and development should be inclusive of all voices without compromising future developmental needs.

Stakeholders Involved
(i) Government
(ii) Underprivileged people living in the forest area
(iii) Members of Civil Society protesting against environmental damage
(iv) Metro Rail Corporation
(v) Future commuters
Ethical issues involved:
(i) Development vs Environment: Infrastructural development is essential to accommodate the growing demand of urban populations, but environmental protection is necessary for sustainability of life and cannot be ignored.
(ii) Rights of Underprivileged: Development should not be done at the cost of marginalized sections, and their rights should be safeguarded at any cost. Evicting people from their homes is unjust.

Various options available:
(i) Starting the felling of trees and eviction process as per the orders
(ii) Stop the felling of trees and eviction orders
(iii) Forming a committee to resolve the issue

To ensure sustainability of the project and not compromise on the needs and rights of either side, the following steps can be taken:
(i) Establish proper two-way communication between protestors and authorities
(ii) Put a plan for rehabilitation of underprivileged into action
(iii) Reconsider the project's design to minimize harm to the environment
(iv) Motivate protestors to help local authorities create a bigger green patch in the city
(v) Form an independent committee involving civil society members, environment experts, design engineers, and government representatives to resolve the issue

Development needs cannot be compromised, but environmental protection is a state responsibility, and a proper balance between the two is essential for a peaceful existence, as mandated by Directive Principles of State Policy.

Case Study - 2: Balancing Privatization and Workers' Welfare

The State has planned to strategically divest from the State Road Transportation Corporation by allowing certain private companies to operate buses on selected routes. This decision has prompted the workers to go on strike, and as the head of the workers' union, you are involved in negotiations with State officials. During the meeting, the officials highlighted issues such as inefficiency, corruption, and declining service quality to commuters. In contrast, you presented the workers' perspective, including complaints about low wages and non-payment of salaries over the past several months. A deadlock has arisen, and neither side is willing to back down. To break the stalemate, the officials have offered you a bribe and other incentives to support the phased privatisation. The State's public transport services are in a precarious position, and the general public has expressed significant concerns.

(a) Determine the ethical predicament you are confronted with.
(b) Assess your responsibilities and obligations, and propose a plan of action.

The given case highlights a common problem with state-run public services and the ongoing privatization of public services.

(a) Restate the moral dilemma faced:

Balancing personal and professional ethics: The head of the worker union is caught in a moral dilemma between adhering to orders from superiors as an employee of the State transport corporation and supporting the demands of fellow workers as a leader of the worker union. Furthermore, the decision to accept the bribe for personal gain or uphold the rights of fellow workers for the benefit of the community adds to the dilemma.

(b) Restate the analysis of the role and duties, as well as the suggested course of action:

Analysis of Role and Duties:

The head of the worker union has a duty to fight for the rights of workers, maintain moral righteousness, and exercise administrative leadership by being accommodating and seeking early resolution of the problem.

Suggested Course of Action:

The head of the worker union should negotiate with the transport officials for a faster and meaningful resolution of the dispute while ensuring peaceful and legitimate protests. Workers should be persuaded to call off the strike so that public services can be restored at the earliest. In the long run, welfare measures should be taken for the workers, state budget constraints should be resolved, and transport services should be duly regulated if privatized.

Case Study - 3: Balancing Media Ethics and Public Safety

As a struggling reporter, you have interviewed a famous religious leader who made a provocative statement urging the community to rebel against the Supreme Court ruling on the Ayodhya verdict. If aired, this interview could potentially cause communal tensions and a law and order problem in society. However, your Editor-in-Chief has been pressuring you to bring sensational news to boost TRPs. You are aware that if you present the interview, it could exponentially grow your career.

In this situation, you face a moral dilemma:
(a) What is the ethical dilemma that you face?
(b) What are your responsibilities and duties as a responsible reporter, and what course of action should you take?

Instances of Moral Dilemmas Faced:

(i) Freedom of Speech v/s Public Safety: Although a religious leader has the freedom to express their opinion on an issue, their opinion may pose a threat to public safety.
(ii) Organizational Goals v/s Personal Ethics: A reporter may feel tempted to air sensational news to boost their news channel's TRPs, but their personal ethics may prevent them from doing so.

Roles and Duties as a Reporter:

The main objective of journalism is to provide fair, accurate, unbiased, and decent news, views, comments, and information on public interest matters. A responsible reporter must recognize that their news stories can shape public opinion on contentious issues. Therefore, they should adhere to the following journalism principles:
(i) Truth and Accuracy: Getting the facts right is crucial.
(ii) Independence: Journalists should be independent voices and not represent special interests.
(iii) Humanity: Journalists should not harm society with their reporting.
(iv) Accountability: Reporters should be accountable for the impact of their reports on society.

The Press Council of India also emphasizes that the press should not discriminate or inflame hatred based on race, nationality, religion, or gender. News coverage should promote tolerance in society, and reporters should avoid mentioning the race, religion, or nationality of the subject of news stories unless it is relevant.

Course of Action:
As a reporter, one should critically analyze interviews to determine whether the statements made are an expression of dissent or hate speech intended to cause public disharmony. If necessary, the reporter should consider re-interviewing the subject to give them an opportunity to reframe their statements in the public interest. If the statements are provocative, the reporter should not present them to the Editor-in-Chief in the interest of social harmony and law and order.

Conclusion:
The press plays a crucial role in a democracy by providing information and shaping public opinion. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and journalists must act in a responsible and ethical manner. As Gandhi said, "The sole aim of journalism should be service." The media should be a bridge between the state and the public, and it should promote tolerance and social harmony.