Abortion

Question 1

Define abortion under normal circumstances

Answer 1

an early term abortion where the fetus is presumed healthy, continued pregnancy does not endanger the woman’s life, and the pregnancy is not the result of rape.

Question 2

Thomson

Answer 2

abortion is not always morally permissible but is permissible under normal circumstances

Question 3

Violinist Case

Answer 3

Thomson mentions a case where you find yourself kidnapped and your circulatory system plugged into the system of a famous violinist. It turns out that the violinist has a kidney ailment and must remained hooked up to you for 9 months in order to survive and cannot survive without you.

Question 4

Thomson’s Argument for Permissibility of at least some case(s) of abortion

Answer 4

1) In the violinist case, it is clear that one’s right to decide…outweighs the violinist’s right to life.
2) If (1), then (3)
3) /:. In any case of abortion relevantly similar to the violinist case, the woman’s right to decide what happens in/to her body outweighs the fetus’s right to life.
4) If (3), then (5)
5) /:. In any case of abortion relevantly similar to the violinist case, abortion is morally permissible.

Question 5

Argument for Permissibility of Abortion under Normal Circumstance

Answer 5

1) In any case of abortion relevantly similar to the violinist case, abortion is morally permissible.
2) The violinist case is relevantly similar to abortion under normal circumstances.
3) /:. Abortion under normal circumstances is morally permissible.

Question 6

Objection to 2)

Answer 6

The violinist case is only similar in cases of rape and is therefore dissimilar with cases of abortion under normal circumstances because it was included in our definition of normal circumstances that the pregnancy was not a result of rape.

Question 7

Thomson’s response: argument against (only) allowing abortion in cases of rape

Answer 7

1) There is no difference in the rights deserved by persons conceived normally and persons conceived through rape
2) If (1), then (3)
3) /:. There is no principled reason to claim that the moral permissibility of abortion is different in cases of rape compared to other cases.

Question 8

Objection to 2)*

Answer 8

The woman’s right becomes stronger, rather than the fetus’s right becoming weaker.

Question 9

Conclusion for Thomson

Answer 9

She is able to show a compelling argument for allowing abortion in cases of rape, but is unable to show that abortion is permissible under normal circumstances.

Question 10

Warren

Answer 10

abortion is always morally permissible

Question 11

Define The Moral Community

Answer 11

The moral community consists of all the entities which have moral standing: ‘X has moral standing’ = for any action, how that action affects X must be taking into consideration when determining the morality of that action.

Question 12

Warren’s Traits of Personhood (Draft)

Answer 12

1. Consciousness
2. Reasoning
3. Self-motivated activity
4. The capacity to communicate
5. Presence of self-awareness

Question 13

Argument for Moral Permissibility of Abortion:

Answer 13

1) Abortion is morally impermissible only if a fetus is a person
2) A fetus is a person only if it has a certain number of morally-significant characteristics (where the specific number necessary would be determined by one’s theory of personhood).
3) A fetus does not have enough morally significant characteristics (provided any reasonable theory of personhood).
4) /:. Abortion is morally permissible

Question 14

Objection: Infanticide

Answer 14

Warren’s theory cannot account for why infanticide is wrong

1) If Warren’s account is correct, then infanticide is not morally wrong.
2) Infanticide is morally wrong
3) /:. Warren’s account is not correct

Question 15

Don Marquis

Answer 15

abortion is not always morally permissible and is impermissible under normal circumstances.

Question 16

Account of the wrongness of killing

Answer 16

Don Marquis begins by assuming that killing others is wrong. He thinks that the reason why killing is wrong is because of (FLO)

Question 17

(FLO)

Answer 17

If an entity has (or can look forward to) a future like ours (a future of value), then killing that entity is wrong.

Question 18

Argument for (FLO)

Answer 18

1) For a theory about the wrongness of killing to be correct, it must be able to explain the judgment we ordinarily make about when killing is permissible and when it is not
2) FLO is able to explain these judgements, and its alternatives cannot
3) /:. FLO, and not its alternatives, is correct

Question 19

Argument for Impermissibility of Abortion

Answer 19

1) (FLO)
2) If (FLO), then it is wrong to kill an entity with future of value.
3) Abortion is the killing of an entity with a future of value
4) /:. Abortion is wrong.

Question 20

Objection: Contraception and Abstinence

Answer 20

1) If (FLO), then it is wrong to make it such that an entity with the potential for a future of value does not experience that future of value.
2) Both abstinence and safe sex practices make it such that an entity with the potential for a future value does not experience that future of value.
3) /:. If FLO, then both abstinence and safe sex practices are wrong.
4) Abstinence and safe sex practices are not wrong. (intuition?)
5) /:. FLO is not correct

Question 21

Reponse: I object to premise (2)

Answer 21

at the time when safe sex and abstinence are practiced, there is no entity to have a future of value because the entity does not exist yet. FLO only accounts for the future of value of entities, not the future of value of future entities.

Question 22

Thomson

Answer 22

1) her view
2) Violinist case
3) argument for permissibility of some cases
4) argument for permissibility under normal circumstances
5) the rape objection to premise 2
6) argument against only allowing cases of rape
7) woman’s right increase objection to 2*
8) conclusion

Question 23

Warren

Answer 23

1) her view
2) define moral community
3) warren’s draft list of personhood
4) argument for moral responsibility
5) infanticide objection

Question 24

Don Marquis

Answer 24

1) his view
2) account of wrongess of killing
3) define (FLO)
4) argument for (FLO)
5) argument for impermissibility of abortion
6) (unsucessful) contraception/abstinance objection to premise (2) in (FLO)
7) response: objection premise 2 (future of future entities)