3. The ethics advocate

Chapter 3 examines the role of the ethics advocate, who contributes to democratic public reasoning by defending a specific normative vision grounded in ethical theory. Using the controversial debate on infanticide in neonatology from a utilitarian perspective, the chapter explores how ethicists challenge prevailing moral intuitions and stimulate critical reflection. It argues that controversy is not a flaw but an essential feature of ethics advocacy, as moral progress depends on questioning common morality. At the same time, ethicists who seek societal impact must take responsibility for the practical implications of their normative claims. Ethical theories cannot be presented as merely speculative when they are intended to shape public values and policy debates. The chapter concludes that ethics advocacy enriches democratic policymaking by broadening normative perspectives, while recognising that theoretical argument alone cannot resolve pluralistic disagreement or provide a shared basis for public policy.