Joseph Francis Fletcher (April 10, 1905 – October 28, 1991) was an American professor who founded the theory of
situational ethics in the 1960s. A pioneer in the field of
bioethics. Fletcher was a leading academic proponent of the potential benefits of
abortion
Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
,
infanticide
Infanticide (or infant homicide) is the intentional killing of infants or offspring. Infanticide was a widespread practice throughout human history that was mainly used to dispose of unwanted children, its main purpose being the prevention of re ...
,
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...
,
eugenics
Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human phenotypes by inhibiting the fer ...
, and
cloning
Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical genomes, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction; this reproduction of an organism by itself without ...
. Ordained as an
Episcopal priest, he later identified himself as an
atheist.
Early life and education
Joseph F. Fletcher was born in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
on April 10, 1905. He graduated from
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...
and later attended the
Berkeley Divinity School and
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
.
Career
Fletcher, a prolific academic, taught; participated in symposia; and completed ten books, and hundreds of articles, book reviews, and translations. He taught ''Christian Ethics'' at
Episcopal Divinity School (established to train people for ordination in the American
Episcopal Church),
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...
, and at
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...
from 1944 to 1970. He was the first professor of medical ethics at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
and co-founded the ''Program in Biology and Society'' there. He retired from teaching in 1977.
In 1974, the
American Humanist Association
The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a 501(c) organization, non-profit organization in the United States that advances secular humanism.
The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 and currently provides legal assistance to defe ...
named him Humanist of the Year. He was one of the signers of the
Humanist Manifesto.
Fletcher grew to believe strongly in the right to die with dignity, and he served as president of the
Euthanasia Society of America (later renamed the Society for the Right to Die) from 1974 to 1976. He was also a member of the
American Eugenics Society and the
Association for Voluntary Sterilization.
Personal life and death
Fletcher was active in social causes throughout his life, including labor rights. He supported the
Southern Tenant Farmers' Union and was assaulted on two occasions while lecturing in the South. During the McCarthy era, he was criticized by congressional committees and was labeled "the Red Churchman" by
Senator Joseph McCarthy.
In the late 1960s, Fletcher publicly renounced his belief in God and identified as a humanist, although he maintained relationships with religious organizations and clergy members.
He was married to Forrest Hatfield Fletcher, who collaborated with birth control advocate
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger ( Higgins; September 14, 1879September 6, 1966) was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse. She opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, founded Planned Parenthood, and was instr ...
. She died in 1988 after 60 years of marriage. Fletcher later married Elizabeth Hobbs Fletcher. He had one daughter, Jane Fletcher Geniesse, and a son,
Joseph F. Fletcher Jr., who was a
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
historian.
Fletcher died on October 28, 1991, at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
Medical Center in
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...
, from
cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina, heart attack), heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumati ...
. He was 86 years old.
Quotes
* "mercy killing" is justified for "an incorrigible 'human vegetable,' whether spontaneously functioning or artificially supported,
hois progressively degraded while constantly eating up private or public financial resources in violation of the distributive justice owed to others." Joseph Fletcher, "Ethics and Euthanasia," in Horan and Mall, eds., Death, Dying, and Euthanasia, p. 301.
* "People
ith children with Down's syndrome">Down's_syndrome.html" ;"title="ith children with Down's syndrome">ith children with Down's syndrome.. have no reason to feel guilty about putting a Down's syndrome baby away, whether it's "put away" in the sense of hidden in a sanitarium or in a more responsible lethal sense. It is sad; yes. Dreadful. But it carries no guilt. True guilt arises only from an offense against a person, and a Down's is not a person."
Notable works
* 1954 ''Morals and Medicine'' N.J.: Princeton University Press.
* 1966 ''Situation Ethics: The New Morality'', Philadelphia: Westminster Press. (translated into 5 languages)
* 1974 ''The Ethics of Genetic Control: Ending Reproductive Roulette''. New York: Doubleday.
Notes
References
Joseph Francis Fletcher Papers, The Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, Department of Historical Collections and Services, University of Virginia with:
** "Memoir of an Ex-Radical," Box 20: 29
** "Recollections," Box 20: 31
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Joseph
1905 births
1991 deaths
American Eugenics Society members
Christian ethicists
20th-century American Episcopal priests
Episcopal Divinity School faculty
Harvard Divinity School faculty
University of Virginia faculty
American humanists
American atheists