Abortion Flashcards
Define abortion under normal circumstances
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.
Thomson
abortion is not always morally permissible but is permissible under normal circumstances
Violinist Case
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.
Thomson’s Argument for Permissibility of at least some case(s) of abortion
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.
Argument for Permissibility of Abortion under Normal Circumstance
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.
Objection to 2)
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.
Thomson’s response: argument against (only) allowing abortion in cases of rape
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.
Objection to 2)*
The woman’s right becomes stronger, rather than the fetus’s right becoming weaker.
Conclusion for Thomson
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.
Warren
abortion is always morally permissible
Define The Moral Community
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.
Warren’s Traits of Personhood (Draft)
- Consciousness
- Reasoning
- Self-motivated activity
- The capacity to communicate
- Presence of self-awareness
Argument for Moral Permissibility of Abortion:
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
Objection: Infanticide
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
Don Marquis
abortion is not always morally permissible and is impermissible under normal circumstances.