Is Abortion A Criminal Act Or Not?

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.

One of the most frequently debated topics in bioethics is the morality of abortion, or the ending of a pregnancy without physically giving birth to an infant. Often times abortions are categorized into either spontaneous, a natural miscarriage; induced or intentional, which is premeditated and for any reason; or therapeutic, which albeit intentional, its sole purpose is to save the mother’s life. It seems however that moral conflicts on issue mainly arise when discussing induced abortions. In general, people universally agree it is morally wrong to kill an innocent person and in some people’s eyes induced abortions are the intentional killings of innocent persons, thus making them immoral. However not all individuals view fetuses as persons and consequentially argue it is not morally wrong to kill them.

Abortion is defined as “The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.” (Oxford Dictionary). Nearly three out of ten women in the U.S. have an abortion by the time they are 45-years-old (Planned Parenthood). Abortion is morally permissible because an abortion prevents a woman and the potential child’s suffering. Abortion is moral because it is a fundamental right of competent adults to make their own decisions on the course of their medical treatment, can alleviate further suffering in immoral cases, such as rape and is protected by rule of law.

The fetus has a valuable future, just as we consider children, the retarded or mentally ill to have valuable futures, thus killing a fetus is not morally permissible. Another pro-choice argument is that the fetus has no desire to live and consequently there is no wrongness in killing. Marquis criticizes this viewpoint, as society believes it is morally wrong to kill those who have no desire to live, and those who are unconscious or suicidal (Gedge & Waluchow, 2012, p220).

That being said, there are many laws governing the legality of this issue. While in as much as 30 countries, abortion is legalized, remaining countries have partial restrictions or complete ban on abortion, unless life of the mother is at stake. You would be surprised to know that abortion caused due to rape and other health complications account to nearly 7%, while the remaining cases of abortion are primarily a result of personal and social issues.

When the beginning of life actually occurs is clearly not a topic to be taken lightly in today’s modern world. Majority of the population’s answers to this question are based on each individuals opinion and is supported by what they believe. In general, there are two sides of the argument. One is that life begins at the time of conception. The other belief is that life doesn’t begin until the drawing of the first breath. The true dilemma here is not the accurate pinpointing of life’s beginning, but the questions that accompany this topic and each individuals desire to do the right thing, the moral thing. While one point of view allows for abortion the other does not. The issue raises many questions of morality. Is abortion moral? When does it become murder? When is it permissible? (Life of the mother at stake / A product of rape). Should it be the mother’s choice? Many arguments for both sides pull from scripture and scientific articulations.

The issue of abortion is one of the most sensitive and controversial issues faced by modern societies. This issue leads to topics of whether abortion is right or wrong, if it is the actual killing of a person, and what actually defines the moral status of a fetus. In this paper, I will be arguing against Bonnie Steinbock, who believes that abortions are morally acceptable. So I will be supporting the view that abortions are not morally acceptable.

Abortion: “the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy.” Is abortion murder? Do you believe in a women’s right to chose? This topic has been an argument since 1500 BCE. What do you think or feel is the right decision regarding abortion? There are many arguments that are pro-abortion and there are also many that oppose abortion. “If women become pregnant, they should accept the responsibility that comes with producing a child” (ethics - Abortion: Responsibility of the Mother.” BBC, BBC,), abortion should be illegal.

“Abortion isn't a lesser evil, it's a crime. Taking one life to save another, that's what the Mafia does. It's a crime. It's an absolute evil.” In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s fictional novel, Atticus Finch mentions that you need to walk in someone else’s shoes to see their point of view. I recently had a disagreement with a friend, Jenny, about whether or not abortion is acceptable. I felt that abortion is considered murder. Jenny said there’s nothing wrong with abortion. I can see why she would think abortion is appropriate at times, however I still firmly believe abortion is still unacceptable.

Since the legalization of abortion, more than 126,000 abortions have been performed every day and more than 46,000,000 each year (AbortionTV). One may say they can’t understand how a mother can just kill her child because of her irresponsibility. She may rebuttal back with the answer that the fetus is not yet human and it wouldn’t feel any pain anyway. Studies show that the

A long on-going subject that has been greatly debated in our society is abortion. Many people argue that because the baby in the mother’s womb is not alive, aborting him or her is not considered a murder. However, others say that as the baby’s heart and brain are the first things to develop, the baby is technically alive and killing it would be a murder. As soon as the baby has a heartbeat, it has life. Abortion has many characteristics of a murder, including the killing of one human being by another, it’s unethical, and it is done without the consent of the person.

Abortion is always argued with different cases and play a main role in medical ethics (blackwell.,p291).It is evidently reasonable for some to argue that in moral situation, abortion is a murder and it should be illegal, while others may claim that abortion is woman’s right when concerning on autonomy ( The abortion debate in Australia). Opponents of making abortion legal claim that abortion is a kind of murder on extend of moral situation. It is always regarded as a sin to kill a person who is no aggressor in most moral communities (new ethics 1). Fetus is a biologically human as it is not just a part of the mothers, such as a lung or a kidney. On the contrary, it is obvious that fetus is human due to he or she has genetic code of human and human parents as well (abortion myth p5). Moreover, it has potentiality to be a person with primary moral worth (text book p210-211). As Gillion (new ethics) pointed out, every person has his right to life, especially he is not an aggressor. This point is also been pointed by (Rebecca and john,Blackwell p204), “embryos has a right to life” .The fetus is innocent and

“There are nearly 1.2 million abortions performed in the United States each year” (Operation Rescue, 2014). That was 1.2 million innocent lives that were ended before they even had a chance to begin. Abortion has been legal for decades now, and it is time to put a stop to all the murdering of unborn children. This senseless killing of an unborn child needs to be recognized for what it truly is, and that is legalized murder. Abortions should be made illegal in the United States because it is taking the life of an innocent person, there are other options out there and lastly abortions are not only harming the unborn child but also cause harm to the mother.

Abortion is defined as “The removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end the pregnancy” (dictionary.com). However, if only the debate over the abortion issue was as easy as the definition listed above. However, similar to most things in life, a statement or opinion is never right nor wrong, but simply left open for clarification. Those who are against abortion believe that abortion is the murder of innocent human beings who aren’t given a chance at life and the ability to function as a normal individual. However, those who are for abortion believe that it is a women’s right to choose what she does to not only her baby but

All around the world, unborn babies are being killed everyday. Abortion has become one of the most common operations in the US today. People that are “pro-choice” believe that it is acceptable for a woman to have the choice to abort her baby or not. They say that it is the legal right of a woman. They believe that a baby is not yet alive until it has been born. It is argued that a woman should be able to do what is best for her future, health, and body. On the other side of the spectrum lies people that are “pro-life”. They believe that human life begins at the time of conception and that killing what is unborn is murder. They defend this with arguments from science, as well as scripture. Pro-choice believes in abortion because it will benefit the majority of women and possibly families. They are looking out for themselves and their best interests. It is Utilitarianism as well as egoism. They believe it is morally acceptable to end the life of the unborn. It will provide the majority with an unwanted pregnancy and a way out of a tough situation. Pro-life is against abortion because of a religious authority and because it will benefit a majority (unborn babies). They believe it is morally unacceptable to end the life of the unborn.