Abortion : The Decision You Hold

In Judith Jarvis Thomson’s philosophy paper, A Defense of Abortion, she argues that abortion is permissible because an individual’s right over their own body outweighs a fetus’s right to life. In this paper I will focus on whether or not abortion is always permissible. First, I will present Thomson’s argument which says that abortion is sometimes permissible. I will do so by describing her “famous violinist” thought experiment. Next, I will object to Thomson’s claim and expand the scope of her argument by arguing that abortion is in fact, always permissible. I will do so by presenting a new thought experiment. Finally, I will conclude in saying that Thomson is correct and abortion is in fact only sometimes permissible.

In the article "A Defense of Abortion" Judith Jarvis Thomson argues that abortion is morally permissible even if the fetus is considered a person. In this paper I will give a fairly detailed description of Thomson main arguments for abortion. In particular I will take a close look at her famous "violinist" argument. Following will be objections to the argumentative story focused on the reasoning that one person's right to life outweighs another person's right to autonomy. Then appropriate responses to these objections. Concluding the paper I will argue that Thomson's "violinist" argument supporting the idea of a mother's right to autonomy outweighing a fetus' right to life does not make abortion permissible.

There are many factors that are taken into consideration when determining if abortion is morally permissible, or wrong including; sentience of the fetus, the fetuses right to life, the difference between adult human beings and fetuses, the autonomy of the pregnant woman, and the legality of abortion. Don Marquis argues that abortion is always morally wrong, excluding cases in which the woman is threatened by pregnancy, or abortion after rape, because fetuses have a valuable future. Mary Anne Warren contends that late term abortions are morally permissible because birth is the most significant event for a fetus, and a woman’s autonomy should never be suspended.

Thompson starts by expressing " a baby is a man and that executing a man is, basically, murder, and along these lines ethically off-base." Thompson utilizes numerous analogies that can be contrasted with

There are many common pregnancy alternatives, but most often the resulting decision is abortion because it is effortless. Abortion is endings a women’s pregnancy by removing or forcing a fetus or embryo from the mother’s womb before it is able to survive on its own. Not all abortions are purposely done some are spontaneous like when a women that has a miscarriage. Rather abortion is done purposely or naturally it is a worldwide complication as to it being wrong or right. Abortion is an ethical issue that will be analyzed according to a personal worldview and Christian worldview. Ethical thinking will be examined by value-based decisions that address abortion from the perspective of a Christian worldview and comparing it to a personal assumption by addressing ethical dilemma, core beliefs, resolution, evaluation, and comparison.

Judith Thomson makes many different arguments regarding the morality of abortion. One of her many arguments is that a woman should have a right to defend her own life, and therefore the extreme view of abortion is inherently false (268). To make her argument, Thomson does addresses two things. One, she addresses the opposition by confronting their core argument (that a fetus is a person and has a right to life), and although she may not agree, assumes that it is correct (266). Two, she addresses an analogous situation to pregnancy, the case of the violinist, on which she introduces her argument. By addressing the opposition, and discussing an analogous situation, Thomson comes to the conclusion that although a fetus may be a person and have a right to life, a mother has a right to self-defense, and therefore the extreme view of abortion (in which abortions are not permitted in any circumstances) is false (268).

The ongoing dispute of abortion has condemned the idea of women aborting their unborn child. Whether it be lack of support, critical physical or mental health, rape, or not being ready for such responsibility - all women have a reason for having an abortion. Therefore, women should have the free will to do what proves necessary and beneficial to themselves and their pregnancy.

Thomson’s argument, “A Defense on Abortion,” is a piece written to point out the issues in many arguments made against abortion. She points out specific issues in arguments made, for example, about life beginning at conception and if that truly matters as an argument against abortion. Thomson uses multiple analogies when making her points against the arguments made against abortion. These analogies are used to show that the arguments made do not really make sense in saying it is immoral to have an abortion. These analogies do not work in all cases, and sometimes they only work in very atypical cases, but still make a strong argument. There are also objections made to Thomson’s argument, which she then replies to, which makes her argument even stronger. Her replies to these arguments are very strong, saying biology does not always equate responsibility, and that reasonable precaution is an important factor in the morality of abortion. There are some major issues in her responses to these objections.

The debate about abortion focuses on two issues; 1.) Whether the human fetus has the right to life, and, if so, 2.) Whether the rights of the mother override the rights of the fetus. The two ethicists who present strong arguments for their position, and who I am further going to discuss are that of Don Marquis and Judith Thomson. Marquis' "Future Like Ours" (FLO) theory represents his main argument, whereas, Thomson uses analogies to influence the reader of her point of view. Each argument contains strengths and weaknesses, and the point of this paper is to show you that Marquis presents a more sound argument against abortion than Thomson presents for it. An in depth overview of both arguments will be

In the article 'A Defense of Abortion' Judith Jarvis Thomson argues that abortion is morally permissible even if the fetus is considered a person. In this paper I will give a fairly detailed description of Thomson main arguments for abortion. In particular I will take a close look at her famous 'violinist' argument. Following will be objections to the argumentative story focused on the reasoning that one person's right to life outweighs another person's right to autonomy. Then appropriate responses to these objections. Concluding the paper I will argue that Thomson's 'violinist' argument supporting the idea of a mother's right to autonomy outweighing a fetus' right to life does not

In “A Defense of Abortion”, Judith Jarvis Thomson argues that abortion is not impermissible in some cases. Thomson begins her writing, noting that abortion being permissible (for most) depends on whether or not a fetus is considered a person. For her argument, Thomson assumes that a fetus is a person from the moment of conception. She attempts to show that still, with this granted, abortion is permissible in some cases. Thomson points to a vital premise in the argument opposing abortion; that the right to life outweighs other rights with which it conflicts. Thomson believes this to be false, and uses a number or thought experiments to exercise her idea. She presents the violinist case to highlight the implications of a “right to life” argument.

Thomson’s main idea is to show why Pro-Life Activists are wrong in their beliefs. She also wants to show that even if the fetus inside a women’s body had the right to life (as

Abortion has been a very controversial issue in the United States for the past several decades. Many people think that is it morally wrong. To say that something is morally wrong is an opinion. Since everyone’s opinions are different on this topic there have been many court cases and protests against abortion. However there are a lot of people out there that believe that abortion is a rightful decision. My personal opinion on the abortion controversy is that every woman should have the choice on whether or not they are ready or are capable of raising a baby. Although there are many different choices one can make with regard to whether or not they are ready to raise a child, like adoption, it is still ultimately the woman’s decision on what they want to do. Carrying a child is a very stressful and sometimes painful process. There are a lot of financial decisions, health decisions, and future decisions that have to be carefully thought out before becoming a parent. Parenthood is a life-altering step one must take in life, and abortion is one way that a women can postpone or avoid changing their life in a very extreme way.

Thompson is all for abortion, she talks about both sides of the argument in great detail. Along with that, she mentions the “Good Samaritan”, who had help a wounded person by his own will. However, Thompson mentions that people should not be held accountable, if they choose to be selfish. Which then leads to the main argument she is making. The argument she is discussing is that no person is morally required to make large sacrifices to sustain the life of another, who has no right to demand them. That a woman has a right to be selfish because she has her own life to lead. She can’t easily give up, so much of her own life to sustain his. I think she introduces this at the end because she wanted to cover all of the pro-life arguments towards

Thomson continues to dissect her scenarios that promote her support of abortion. She ends this essay after explaining that although she supports abortion rights, she does not think that all cases are suitable for abortion.