Judith Jarvis Thomson's Defence on Abortion
Judith Jarvis Thomson's defence on abortion
Most arguments concerning the abortion issue hinge on the moral status or standing of the fetus with respect to the rights it possesses and the obligations that are directly owed to it. These arguments typically fall into two commonly termed categories: pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life advocates tend to place the status of the fetus first. They argue human beings including a fetus, have an intrinsic value that confers them the right not to be unjustly killed. Conversely, some pro-choice advocates argue the fetus lacks a virtuous characteristic that affords it any rights or significant morals, this is usually termed the 'personhood' argument.
Other pro-choice advocates such as Judith Jarvis Thomson argue contrary to the moral argument (personhood) they argue for body autonomy which places the interest of the woman first. Central to the view is the claim that no human being regardless of their moral status is permitted to use another human beings body against his or her will as a means to an end or an end in itself. Therefore the human fetus does not have the right to occupy the woman's body for survival if it is against her will.
It is viewed as an act of great generosity to continue with a pregnancy (the good Samaritan) primarily, because the woman freely lends her body to support another human-being 'voluntarily. With this being said, should a woman seek an abortion, as to maintain an autonomy over her own body this view is justified.
So within this essay we will asses what Judith Jarvis Thomson's (1978) 'famous violinist scenario' was supposed to show. Assessing whether the scenario is analogous to cases of (1) unwanted pregnancies, (2) abortion. Critic from both sides of the debate will be woven into the evaluation to provide a rounded view, for determining whether the analogy was successful with its intent. A summary will follow with the findings.
Most standardized pro-life arguments concerning the abortion
Most arguments concerning the abortion issue hinge on the moral status or standing of the fetus with respect to the rights it possesses and the obligations that are directly owed to it. These arguments typically fall into two commonly termed categories: pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life advocates tend to place the status of the fetus first. They argue human beings including a fetus, have an intrinsic value that confers them the right not to be unjustly killed. Conversely, some pro-choice advocates argue the fetus lacks a virtuous characteristic that affords it any rights or significant morals, this is usually termed the 'personhood' argument.
Other pro-choice advocates such as Judith Jarvis Thomson argue contrary to the moral argument (personhood) they argue for body autonomy which places the interest of the woman first. Central to the view is the claim that no human being regardless of their moral status is permitted to use another human beings body against his or her will as a means to an end or an end in itself. Therefore the human fetus does not have the right to occupy the woman's body for survival if it is against her will.
It is viewed as an act of great generosity to continue with a pregnancy (the good Samaritan) primarily, because the woman freely lends her body to support another human-being 'voluntarily. With this being said, should a woman seek an abortion, as to maintain an autonomy over her own body this view is justified.
So within this essay we will asses what Judith Jarvis Thomson's (1978) 'famous violinist scenario' was supposed to show. Assessing whether the scenario is analogous to cases of (1) unwanted pregnancies, (2) abortion. Critic from both sides of the debate will be woven into the evaluation to provide a rounded view, for determining whether the analogy was successful with its intent. A summary will follow with the findings.
Most standardized pro-life arguments concerning the abortion
References: 1.Marquis. Don, in 'Ethics ', Exploring Philosophy, Author, Barber. Alex, The Open University, Milton Keynes. 2.Warren. A. Mary in 'Ethics ', Exploring Philosophy, Author, Barber. Alex, The Open University, Milton Keynes. 3.Thomson. J. Judith in 'Ethics ', Exploring Philosophy, Author, Barber. Alex, The Open University, Milton Keynes. 4.Saul. Jennifer in 'Philosopher 's on abortion ', Audio 3 Track 5, The Open University, Milton Keynes. 5.Cottingham in 'Philosopher 's on abortion ', Audio 3 Track 5, The Open University, Milton Keynes. 6.Koukl Greogory, (2003) “Unstringing the Violinist,” in, Stand to Reason, accessed 28/01/2013 7.Poupard. J. Richard, (2007) in 'suffer the violinist: why the pro-abortion argument from bodily autonomy fails ' Christian research journal, http://www.equipresources.org/atf/cf/%7B9C4EE03A-F988-4091-84BD-F8E70A3B0215%7D/JAA025.pdf accessed 30/01/2013 8.Warren. A. Mary, cited in 'critique of Judith Thomson ' author. P.J. McHugh (2006) http://www.tere.org/assets/downloads/secondary/pdf_downloads/ALevel/JudithJarvisCritique.pdf accessed 29/01/2013http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5689