The question between whether abortion is morally right or wrong has been talked about for years and no common ground has been made. Judith Thomson, a believer in Pro-choice, argues that abortion is not wrong because the mother should have a choice of what happens to her body. In response to this, Donald Marquis who is against abortion believes every fetus is a human with a right to have a future like ours. Each Ethicist gives examples and theories as to why abortion is wrong or right. In this essay, I will attempt to show that abortion is okay in some cases, and Donald Marquis’s views and arguments are broad and incorrect.…
The debate about abortion focuses on two issues; 1.) Whether the human fetus has the right to life, and, if so, 2.) Whether the rights of the mother override the rights of the fetus. The two ethicists who present strong arguments for their position, and who I am further going to discuss are that of Don Marquis and Judith Thomson. Marquis' "Future Like Ours" (FLO) theory represents his main argument, whereas, Thomson uses analogies to influence the reader of her point of view. Each argument contains strengths and weaknesses, and the point of this paper is to show you that Marquis presents a more sound argument against abortion than Thomson presents for it. An in depth overview of both arguments will be presented in the paper, as well as a critique of both the pros and cons that stem out from the question-begging arguments.…
The statement "defense of abortion", gives us an another view to a problem of abortion. Mostly, Judith Jarvis Thompson protects pro-choice side, and she says that abortion is not immoral, and that it is logically correct action. However there are a lot of anti-abortion philosophers who are not agree with it. So Judith Thompson gives an arguments to proof her sides correctness. She says that mother has all rights to do anything with her body and things in her body. Judith Jarvis Thompson also believes that fetuses are not persons, and killing them is not immoral. However she says that there are also situations, when abortion is incorrect. Also she gave 3 main thought experiments to get another point of view to abortion.…
She justifies this point with the violinist case, which states that a famous violinist is about to die so his fan base nonconsensually kidnaps you and hooks your origins up to his for 9 months until he can get better and live on his own again. As the reader, you can choose to stay hooked up to him or cut the cords, which would kill the violinist, but allow you to live your life as you did previously. Thomson argues that it would be extremely unfair and immoral to you to force you to stay attached to the violinist, as you had nothing to do with him being connected to you in the first place. She goes on to compare this to nonconsensual intercourse that causes pregnancy and states that it is morally acceptable to abort the fetus because, just like being attached to the violinist, a woman did not ask for or do anything to warrant being pregnant. Her next argument was on the topic of abortion when the mother's life is at risk.…
After reading “A defense of Abortion” by Judith Jarvis Thomson and what he had to say with his violinist analogy involving the kidney replacement. I agree with what he has to say on not only abortion itself but, whether or not a fetus should have the right to the women’s body. I don’t think that the fetus should be given the right to use the women’s body because what if she does not what to have a baby and ends up getting pregnant anyway. Also, each time a woman engages in sexual intercourse, she is not inviting the fetus to live inside her body. This is why birth control and other contraceptives are not a sure deal when dealing with sexual intercourse. What if the birth control method fails and the women end's up getting pregnant? She did…
The title is somewhat misleading because it's not a complete defense of Abortion it's more of a minimal defense. In Thomson's essay, she states that Abortion is not necessarily morally impermissible which means that there are times when it is permissible and there are times when it is not. She begins the essay by pointing out that people debate on whether or not a fetus is a person. Many people feel that If we had an answer to that then that would make things a whole lot simpler and we would know that if a fetus was a person then it would be morally impermissible to go forth with an abortion and if the fetus wasn't a person that it would be morally permissible to have an abortion. For the sake of argument, she goes on to say that a fetus is a person and even though that may be the case there are still many scenarios in which abortion is morally permissible.…
Does a fetus have the right to the mother’s body? If a woman allows herself to engage in sexual relations, fully aware of the possibility of pregnancy, then the mother should indeed be responsible for the living fetus and should allow the fetus a right to her body. This argument is not valid in a case where sexual relations are forced upon a woman. However, this argument still holds the mother responsible for the fetus’s life even though the mother’s life may be at risk. Thomson’s response to this is that even though we could of potentially done something to avoid pregnancy, most people won’t want to accept responsibility.…
Jonathan Glover, in his article Matters of Life and Death casts dispersions on both pro-abortion and anti-abortion debates citing them as too knee-jerk emotional reactions diminishing the inherent complexity of the other side (1. Glover, CC2006, p. 0110). Glover comprehensively addresses the key points of both sides of the abortion debate and evaluates their inherent virtues, especially for those who hold these opinions, then methodically points out its flaws. Ultimately, Glover comes to the conclusion that though a fetus is a human at the moment of conception, the right to abort lies with the mother and her own self-determination.…
Mary Anne Warren argues the position that abortion is morally permissible because the fetus is not a person therefore has no rights therefore not immoral to be killed. I shall argue that Warren’s position is invalid since her argument “appears to justify not only abortion, but infanticide as well.”…
One of the biggest moral issue today is woman's rights with abortion. Many people argued for the rights to keep abortion while others argued for banning it. In the article "The Rights of a Woman Do Not Outweigh the Rights of A Child" by Judith Jarvis Thomson, who is a philosopher and invented an analogy for her debate, talks about how a child has more right than the mother in the case of abortion and that abortion is the same thing as "killing" , Thomson says. Thomson claims the idea that anyone can argue that all abortion is impermissible. The article "Abortions Should Be Restricted to Before Twenty Weeks Gestation" by Douglas Johnson who is…
Due to boldily autonomy and the clear distinction between a fetus and a rational, self-aware person, abortion is morally permissible practically whenever the mother chooses it, given it is done humanely. Most people would agree that in cases where the woman did not choose pregnancy, like rape, abortion should be morally permissible due to bodily autonomy and the immorality of asking someone to undergo psychological and physical trauma due to something beyond their control. This is supported by the Famous Violinist argument which explains that women, especially those who are pregnant due to rape, are not morally obligated to endure this immense sacrifice, even if it would be nice to do so (Singer, 1975, p.113-114). Whilst Thomson’s argument has fallen under criticism based on utilitarianism, these arguments are countered by Singer’s deconstruction of the Conservative Argument and its flawed perception that human life is inherently special, which demonstrates the moral permissibility of most abortions. The Conservative Argument’s premise that a fetus is an innocent human can mean two things: either the fetus is a person that has self-awareness and rational thought or a fetus is a member of the human species (Singer, 1975, p.117).…
Today in the United States as well as all around our world, one of the most contested and debated issues, that everyone has some sort of opinion on is the subject of abortion. There are many different thoughts, ideals, and opinions on whether or not abortion is right, wrong, or even morally sane to do. There are clinics and hospitals that perform the procedures and at many of these locations there are groups who will hold protests against the operation as well as those who support it. But all of those issues are not what this essay is going to be about, this is going to inform you about whether or not all arguments about the subject abortion come down to the question of what is the moral status of the fetus.…
Abortion is a constitutional issue that questions whether it is ethically acceptable or a violation of the Constitution. It is a constant debate that revolves around moral, religious, and political values and effects several groups including pro-life supporters, pro-choice supporters, the state government, the federal government, courts, mothers, fathers, and most importantly, the child inside the womb. For one reason or another, these groups have their reasons and this essay will explore those arguments and their ethical value, while citing many of the conflicts that have arose in the United States over this highly controversial, constitutional topic. I believe that abortion should be outlawed in the United States with the exception of rape cases and other severe situations.…
Throughout history, abortion has always had a controversial presence within the United States. The Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade determined the future of abortions and was a victory for women’s rights. The court ruled in a 7-2 majority that an abortion during the first two trimesters of a woman’s pregnancy was legal, due to the right of privacy given by the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. Since then, american citizens have been forced to classify themselves as “pro-choice” or “pro-life”. The controversial nature of this behavior causes many arguments and disagreements between people, and especially between politicians. In the 21st century, the growing diversity of America has brought more attention to the debate on whether abortion is…
During the past century, abortion has joined race and war as one of the most debatable subjects of controversy in the United States. It discusses human interaction, where ethics, emotions and law are combined. Abortion poses moral, social and medical dilemmas that focus many individuals to create an emotional and violent atmosphere.…