The Questionable Permissability of Abortion
- Submitted by: talianstallion89
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- Category: Politics: Philosophy
- Date Submitted: 12/15/2010 12:37 PM
- Pages: 5
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It is not easy to completely approve or disapprove of abortion. Judith Jarvis Thomson and I both believe abortion is morally permissible in some cases, where it is immoral in others. This is the argument that Thomson makes in “A Defense of Abortion.” She makes many comparisons to prove her points in different situations. Though she does not believe that a fetus is a human being from the moment of conception [“A newly fertilized ovum, a newly implanted clump of cells, is no more a person than an acorn is an oak tree” (48)], she allows this premise for the sake of argument. Thomson believes that abortion is morally permissible if a woman decides to have one in the early stages of pregnancy. What makes some abortions morally permissible? If it is not always morally permissible, should it be prohibited for those cases? Each woman that considers abortion has different circumstances, and those affect the morality of the situation.
Thomson says that if the woman was raped, abortion is morally permissible because she had no choice in getting pregnant. Thomson compares it to being kidnapped and having your circulatory system hooked up to a violinist’s. The violinist has a fatal kidney disease and you are the only person with the same blood type, so the Society of Music Lovers decides to use your kidneys for nine months to take out the poisons from his blood. You had no choice in this situation, and you did not give the violinist permission to use your kidneys (49). It is insane to expect you to save the violinist because he is not your responsibility; likewise, a woman who was raped cannot be expected to keep the baby. It would be nice to save the violinist like it would be nice for the woman to keep the baby, but the violinist does not have the right to use your body.
Imagine that you accidentally drop your checkbook on the street. A homeless woman picks it up. Your money would provide enough for her to live comfortably for years. If she gives the checkbook...
Thomson says that if the woman was raped, abortion is morally permissible because she had no choice in getting pregnant. Thomson compares it to being kidnapped and having your circulatory system hooked up to a violinist’s. The violinist has a fatal kidney disease and you are the only person with the same blood type, so the Society of Music Lovers decides to use your kidneys for nine months to take out the poisons from his blood. You had no choice in this situation, and you did not give the violinist permission to use your kidneys (49). It is insane to expect you to save the violinist because he is not your responsibility; likewise, a woman who was raped cannot be expected to keep the baby. It would be nice to save the violinist like it would be nice for the woman to keep the baby, but the violinist does not have the right to use your body.
Imagine that you accidentally drop your checkbook on the street. A homeless woman picks it up. Your money would provide enough for her to live comfortably for years. If she gives the checkbook...