Morality and mortality are two words that are similar in spelling and pronunciation but have different meanings. They are often confused. We will examine the definitions of morality and mortality, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences.
Morality means the principals that one lives by which delineate right and wrong and good and evil. Morality is a set of human values that constitute a moral code that someone chooses to live by. Many believe that there are absolute moral truths. Having a set of moral standards or moral values that help one when faced with a moral dilemma actually makes one’s life easier. Life is full of choices that are not black and white. A set of rules based on moral theory will help when one is deciding what is morally right. Moral questions, moral reasoning, moral issues, moral development, and moral principals are explored in philosophy. Someone who does something morally wrong is practicing immorality. Moral relativism is a belief that there are no moral absolutes, and that morality is always related to context and culture. A morality play consists of characters representing abstract qualities, and where the lesson proves that the virtuous triumph. The word morality is derived from the Latin word moralis, which means pertaining to morals or manner.
Mortality means being subject to dying, deaths in large amounts, a measurement of the number of deaths due to a certain reason or in a certain area. Mortality and life spans vary in undeveloped countries and developed countries. A good measure of the quality of public health in a given area are health statistics related to maternal death, infant death, and child death. Maternal mortality rates fall with proper prenatal care. Infant mortality rates fall with proper postnatal care. Child mortality rates fall with proper immunization. Child mortality rates are high where communicable disease that should be controlled with immunization is rampant. The leading causes of death and life expectancy vary from geographic area to geographic area. In the United States, the Center for Disease Control keep track of death rates according to cause of death including chronic disease, and the mortality rates of the general population and life expectancy. Fatalities are not only attributable to health status, vital statistics are also kept concerning mortality rates due to accident. The word mortality is derived from the Latin word mortalis, which means subject to dying.
Examples
It is named after utilitarian ethics, which judges the morality of a decision by evaluating whether the decision contributes to the greater good. (Science Trends Magazine)
“So, governments are there to treat AIDS, child abuse, homelessness and addiction but not to disseminate a morality that might reduce them in the first place.” (The Times of Malta)
Maternal mortality became a subject of discussion this year in the state General Assembly, while in Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-1, and other members of Congress are seeking solutions to the issue on the federal level. Friday afternoon, Carter was at the Brunswick campus of the Southeast Georgia Health System to hear from obstetrician-gynecologists on what they’re seeing and what they think may be driving the numbers. (The Brunswick News)
We used a panel of data spanning 170 countries to assess the association between democracy and cause-specific mortality and explore the pathways connecting democratic rule to health gains. (The Lancet)