abortion

Question 1

illustrate the argument that the foetus has a right to life *

Answer 1

innocent humans have a right not to be killed

to kill an innocent human is always wrong

all foetuses are innocent human beings

therefore the foetus has a right not to be killed

abortion is the deliberate killing of the human foetus

therefore abortion is always wrong

Question 2

arguments against the foetus having a right to life *

Answer 2

what is it about human life that makes it more valuable than other forms of life

if we say a zygote has a special value simply by being human, is this speciesist - arguably other species of animals have qualities that we would want to protect

therefore is a zygote a human being with a right to life - does it have the same moral claim to life as a child

Question 3

arguments that the foetus doesnty have a right to life

Answer 3

persons are individuals with self-awareness and the ability to value their existance - want to live into the future, if under anaesthetic but can wake up then you still have those rights

only persons have a right to life

a human foetus is not a person - they dont fulfil the above criteria

the human foetus does not have a right to life

therefore abortion is morally permissable but not necessarily desirable

Question 4

arguments against the concept that foetus’s are not people so dont have the right to life *

Answer 4

neonates, young adults and adults with severe mental disability lack self awareness and autonomy

therefore these individuals are not persons

so dont have a right to life

therefore infanticide and killing those with mental disability would be morally inpermissible

Question 5

argument that a women has the right to choose *

Answer 5

as individuals we have a right to choose what happens to and what doesnt happen to our bodies

a women can make an autonomous choice to have an abortion

therefore provided the choice is autonomous it is morally permissible for a women to have an abortion

Question 6

arguments against the rights of the mother to choose *

Answer 6

the right to choose can be limited if the choices harm others

an abortion harms the foetus

therefore a women’s right to choose abortion can be refuted because it harms the foetus

Question 7

argument against the idea a woman’s autonomy should be lost because she is harming someone else *

Answer 7

if we are arguing the foetus is not a person, does it count as legitmate harm to refute her autonomy

does it count as harm at all when the foetus has no CNS or consciousness

Question 8

what are the issues with just talking about rights

Answer 8

is it helpful

do they encourage confrontation

should we be focussing on the moral agent

Question 9

describe Thomson’s violinist *

Answer 9

imagine you woke up and found a concert violist attached to you - he is relying on you to survive

in 9 months time his body will have recovered significantly for him to be removed from your body

do you have a moral duty to keep the violinist attached

Question 10

is there a duty to save life *

Answer 10

we have a duty not to kill deliberately

it is generally a good thing to save those in need

we may have a duty to save others in certain situations

but we cannot have a duty to save everyone irrespective of the cost to ourselves

Question 11

is pregancy above the call of duty &*

Answer 11

a foetus may have a similar right to life as that of an adult - but preg is a severe physical and financial burden to the mother

we do not have a moral duty to put our lives at risk or endure physical burdens to save others

therefore a women does not have a moral duty to continue a pregnancy

Question 12

what are the women’s duties if the preg was planned *

Answer 12

does she have a duty to continue the preg - arguably for other things you can change your mind in the future because you see things from a different light

Question 13

even if an abortion is morally permissible, what does it not mean

Answer 13

that the abortion is a morally good thing

that the foetus has no moral value

that the mother has no obligations to the foetus

Question 14

what are maternal obligations*

Answer 14

do mothers have an obligation to stop smoking, drinking or eating soft cheese and pate

do they have to have a c section because their child would be harmed otherwise

Question 15

where does the foetus fit into the law *

Answer 15

teh foetus has no legal rights until birth

teh fact that a women is pregnant doent affect her legal rights in any way

she can engage in any lawful behaviour that is harmful to the foetus

she can refuse med treatments including C section even if it risks the life of the baby

Question 16

arguments regarding paternal rights *

Answer 16

they dad has a biological and emotional stake in te pregnancy - arguably he should have the right to decide whether to keep or get rid of the baby

Question 17

how do paternal rights fit into the law*

Answer 17

once the child is born the father has legal responsibilities - child maintenance

the father has no legal rights during preg - not to request or deny abortion or be consulted or informed about it

Question 18

explain paternal V maternal rights and the law *

Answer 18

if a father had any rights iver pregnancy they would have to be exercise through the mother’s body against her wishes

we do not permit non-consensual bodily interventions in other situations - even to save a life ge organ donation or medical research - we dont have the right to determine what is done to other people’s bodies

Question 19

are rights enough to determine if abortion is ethical *

Answer 19

arguably they detract from the moral agent

arguably better to think - ‘what ought a good mother/father do’, what kind of society do we need to support good parents, what would be the consequences if society did not offer any protection to foetus

Question 20

ethical issue raised around prenatal diagnosis and testing

Answer 20

are people with genetic conditions lives’ of less value

is it in their best interest

would they say that their life was so bad they had preferred not to live

it is difficult because you dont know the severity of the condition

where do you draw the line - if people will gte bullied for a characteristic does that mean it is not worth living

if a parent wont be able to support a disabled child would the child’s QOL be bad enough not to live

is it right that people with these conditions should be removed from society by terminating all pregnancies

which conditions do you test for

is it right to abort on the basis of gender - if the parents wiould neglect their child because tehy wanted a different gender

do people with these conditions who were not aborted value their life

is it in their best interest

is it fair on existing children to bring a child into the world that would need more attention