Judith Thompson A Defense Of Abortion Summary

In A Defense of Abortion, Judith Thompson provides a variety of thought experiments that, while based on the premise of the fetus’ right to life, argue that a woman’s choice over her body, whatever it may be, cannot be deemed unjust or immoral. In “the violinist” experiment, Thompson suggests that a pregnant woman owes nothing, let alone her life, to the fetus inside of her. Similarly, in the Henry Fonda case, she defends the idea that regardless of the cost to the woman, her refusal to see a pregnancy through is not unjust despite it being socially considered self-centered, careless, or indecent. Finally, in the “people-seeds” experiment, Thompson states that not only would it be unreasonable to hold a woman accountable for allowing herself
to make decisions, but also to reproach her for the decisions she hasn’t made. Of these experiments, the “people-seeds” example best illustrates Thompson’s point because it sets an unrealistic standard of agency on individuals.