Reconstruction Since abortion is the epitome of a controversy topic, it often instigates passionate debates. In Judith Jarvis Thomson's "Defense of Abortion", she provides a pro-choice perspective. Her standpoint centralizes on evaluating the situation independently as opposed to gaging the cases in a black and white manner. Through rather outlandish depictions such as the violinist, she delineates a thought-provoking scenario for her arguments. Analysis Perhaps the most popular argument made against abortion is that the fetus is a person. Based on this assertion, the fetus has a moral right to life. The problem that Thomson identifies is that most of the anti-abortionist and pro-life supporters rely solely on this aspect for their argument and do not rationalize any other matter. For the sake of the discussion, Thomson accepts that the fetus is a human being. However, this logic does not forbid all abortions. To illustrate her view better, she describes an interesting example involving a famous violinist. The violinist has a fatal kidney …show more content…
Thomson asserts that it would be admissible to unplug it since you were kidnapped and suddenly bestowed with this liability without your consent. She connects this situation with a rape-induced pregnancy. By making the readers imagine themself in a similar situation, she is successful in her argument. Although we cannot fathom what a woman who got pregnant due to sexual assault is experiencing, the readers are able to attain a glimpse through Thomson's representation. Because it was involuntary, aborting the fetus will not be unjust. Therefore the right to life does not entail security from getting killed in general, but rather not to be killed unjustly. Her main argument is that there is no definite answer as to whether abortion is morally right or wrong. It all depends on each
For example, she addresses the assumption that a fetus has a right to life by arguing that this right cannot be absolute, since it would lead to ridiculous consequences. She writes: "If the right to life is absolute, then no woman has the right to remove a fetus from her body, even if it is threatening her life. Clearly, this is an unreasonable conclusion" (Willis, 2007) . By employing logical reasoning, Willis is able to highlight the weaknesses in the anti-abortion arguments, as well as expand the reasoning he utilizes when addressing abortion, as well as persuade his audience that a more nuanced and empathic approach to abortion is needed.
This case has managed for abortion to become a hot topic in America. Throughout her paper, Judith Jarvis Thomson presents an argument that describes why abortion is moral. The purpose of Thomson’s argument is to dictate to the reader that a fetus is a creature that does have rights, however, a fetus does not have the right to a mother’s body; therefore abortion is permissible in a way does not hurt a creature not being born yet, and that a mother has the right to determine what is happening to and as well as within her
Rosalind Hursthouse has a very different opinion on abortion and does not relate it to the murder of children or the rights of women. Instead, she justifies it through what a virtuous person would do. In the case study with the Thompson’s, Hursthouse would relate it to the relevance of the familiar biological facts and how pregnancy is a known result of sexual intercourse. The fact that Linda’s fetus is four months old would not be of relevance in Hursthouse’s opinion as clear lines are not visible as to when the fetus is attached and developed. The main focus of Hursthouse would be to question whether the abortion would be a result of a person acting “virtuously or viciously or neither” (Hursthouse 474).
I also do agree with her position that the mother has the right to abort if needed to for her own health and safety. A part I didn’t find proper was the example she gave for justifying abortion because it would postpone a trip to Europe, making it justifiable. It’s understandable if the mother needs to abort for her own safety but not for a trip to Europe that can be postponed. It did get the point across that the mother has the choice to abort because the fetus doesn’t have the same rights as she
The hospital director admits that the kidnap was wrong and faults its permissibility but insists that unplugging yourself from the violinist would deny him a chance to live. He however promises you that the violinist will recover in nine months after which he can be safely unplugged. The violinist fictional case forms the premise for Thompson’s defense for abortion. He draws several conclusions from the fictitious story.
In A Defense of Abortion Thompson presents an argument against the morality of abortion by showing the superiority of women’s rights through several different analogous cases. The case of focus will be case eight, “ A Selfless Brother’s Box of Chocolates.” In scenario one, Thompson argues that an older brother has a box of chocolates while his younger brother has nothing; the question of appeal is does the younger brother automatically have a right to these chocolates? The box of chocolates represents a woman’s body while the younger brother represents the fetus. Although it would be nice for the older brother (mother) to share his box of chocolates (mothers body) he is not obligated to share them with anyone even if he is perceived as a selfish, greedy, or a stingy person.
On the opposite side of the level headed discussion, Thomson's contention is effective and greatly convincing. She has spent more exertion persuading the perusers of her new meaning of the privilege to-life idea rather than simply assaulting all the option choices like Marquis did. Thomson's utilization of test musings was a superb technique to pass on her contemplations without the limitation and uneasiness regularly connected with a delicate, sensitive subject like fetus
Throughout Don Marquis’s article on why abortion is immoral, it is clear that he stands at a third party view on this controversial idea. Marquis is neither anti-abortion nor pro-choice, and he states different reasons why he thinks this throughout his article. Some of the reasons are that anti-abortionists’ views are too broad and pro-choicers’ views are too narrow, not enough research or factual information of the topic of abortion, and then towards the end he talks about how it may or may not be different with animals. First, Marquis talks about anti-abortion and the problems he sees from the pro-choice side, and then he talks about pro-choice and counteracts that with the problems an anti-abortionist would see. He believes abortion is immoral;
Abortion is not only a fluctuating concept in our society, but an ethical and emotional debate, as well. The image I have chosen presents concepts from a cultural and historical background, as well as presents an ethical, emotional, and logical appeal to the audience. The debate about abortion has simply been overblown and exhausted. The truth of the matter is, abortion is murder. Ending a life, whether innocent or guilty, is murder.
Patrick Lee and Robert George assert that abortion is objectively immoral. One of Lee and George’s main reason for coming to this conclusion is that human embryos are living human beings. This essentially validates that abortion is indeed the process of killing a human. Another main point said by the two is a rebuttal to a common argument used in favor of abortion, which states that a potential mother has full parental responsibilities only if she has voluntarily assumed them. The rebuttal to this was that the potential mother does indeed have special responsibilities to raise the child.
By failing to define the terms ‘fetus’ and ‘standard fetus’, he leaves open for interpretation not only the moral significance of the terms, but also their strength in relation to his argument. Marquis assumes that the fetus has a future that is just as valuable as that of an adult yet fails to grant the fetus the same moral status as an adult. This lack of consistency along with the falsity of his claims weakens his argument and leaves a large piece of the abortion question unanswered. Because many of his premises are false, I altered them to be correct which in turn resulted in an illogical sequence of evidence for Marquis’ original conclusion; rendering his argument invalid. After altering the conclusion to follow the revised premises, it only gave a suitable claim for some abortions, rather than the overwhelming majority of abortions.
This same way of thinking means that a fetus has no choice or ability to make decision when it comes to whose womb they inhabit as a result of failed contraception. Again, I am not arguing that abortion would not be morally permissible in the case of failed contraception but I am saying that there are key differences in intent and rational capacities between a malicious burglar and an unknowing fetus that weaken this analogy. Thomson also says that a burglar who breaks in should not have a right to stay in your house. While this is true, there are very few cases where a burglar will stay in your house if there intent is to steal something and get away. Staying in the house would be irrational if they want to get away with the crime.
In “A Defense of Abortion,” Judith Thomson argues with a unique approach regarding the topic of abortion. For the purpose of the argument, Thomas agrees to go against her belief and constructs an argument based on the idea that the fetus is a person at conception. She then formulates her arguments concerning that the right to life is not an absolute right. There are certain situations where abortion is morally permissible. She believes that the fetus’s right to life does not outweigh the right for the woman to control what happens to her own body.
The debate whether abortion is morally permissible or not permissible is commonly discussed between the considerations of the status of a fetus and ones virtue theory. A widely recognized theory of pro-choice advocates can be thought to be that their ethical view is that fetus’s merely are not humans because they lack the right to life since they believe a fetus does not obtain any sort of mental functions or capability of feelings. Although this may be true in some cases it is not in all so explaining the wrongness of killing, between the common debates whether a fetus does or does not obtain human hood, should be illustrated in a way of a virtuous theory. The wrongness of killing is explained by what the person or fetus is deprived of, such as their right to life; not by means of a heart beat or function of one’s body, but by the fact that it takes their ability of potentially growing into a person to have the same human characteristics as we do.
In reflection to the readings, there are many arguments that are for or against abortion. Is abortion ever justified? In feminism point of view, Susan Sherwin believes, yes, abortion is justified because it focuses on woman’s right to abortion in a liberal aspect. She also believes that woman’s right that pregnant woman are the best judge when to considering to abort the fetus. That means, the autonomy is shifted to the woman.