Abortion Flashcards
What is the upper limit of abortion? In what circumstances can this be broken?
24 weeks unless the baby is handicapped.
When was abortion made legal for the first time in the UK?
The 1967 Abortion Act.
How many doctors have to agree before a woman can have an abortion?
2.
What 3 reasons can a woman give for wanting an abortion?
- Risk to the mother’s mental or physical health
- Risk of serious mental or physical handicap
- In an emergency to save the mother’s life.
When are abortions illegal in the UK?
If they are based on the gender of the baby.
How does an abortion differ from a miscarriage?
An abortion is the deliberate termination of a pregnancy, a miscarriage is unintentional.
What does ‘imago dei’ mean?
Made in the image and likeness of God.
Give an argument that MP Jill Knight used to oppose abortion.
“Babies are not like bad teeth to be jerked out just because they cause inconvenience.”
Give an argument that Judith Jarvis Thompson used in favour of abortion.
She uses the analogy of the violinist to compare being forced to carry a pregnancy to full term is like being kidnapped against your will.
Give a weakness of Jill Knight’s argument.
She does not recognise that in cases of rape, the mental trauma caused to the Mother by forcing her to have an abortion is more than simply mild ‘inconvenience’.
Give a weakness of Judith Jarvis Thompson’s argument.
She does not recognise that most women have consented to sex, fully knowing the implications.
What is the personhood criteria?
G - Genetically human I - Independent being (can survive without help) A - Self aware [n] T - Thinking beings (Capable of rational thought) S - Sentient beings (Can feel pain/pleasure)
At what stage can a foetus realistically survive outside the womb?
21 Weeks.
At what stage is the foetus self aware?
18 Weeks.
When are human beings capable of rational thought?
Around 2 years (excluding the handicapped)
