Summary: A Defense Of Abortion By Judith Thomson
Matthew Tan
TA: Ben Sheredos
Section: A06
Prof. G. Doppelt
PART A The debate on abortion is primarily made up of two sides: prolife and prochoice. The prolife side’s main argument is that the fetus is a person and therefore has a right to life. Judith Thomson addresses this argument in her paper, “A Defense of Abortion,” by giving a hypothetical sick violinist example. In this example, kidnappers abduct a healthy stranger and, after rendering him unconscious, performs a surgery to “connect” the healthy stranger to the famous ailing violinist (1. Thomson, CC 153). This violinist has a fatal kidney condition and, if detached from the healthy stranger, the violinist will die. Once the stranger awakens from surgery, he is told …show more content…
However, another aspect that complicates the debate is that an abortion can be interpreted as the killing of a fetus, or person. Thomson claims that a killing is unjust if it violates the right to life, and in the case of abortion, the right to life is not violated (3. Thomson, CC 157). Referring back to the example, if the stranger were to disconnect himself, he would essentially be killing the violinist. But would this be considered an unjustified killing, or even murder? Since the stranger was never morally responsible to provide the violinist with his body, would it then be fair to say that the stranger murdered the violinist? The answer to this must be no. Although it would have been altruistic if the stranger chose to remain connected to the violinist, it is not the stranger’s obligation to do so. Refusing to have your life imposed on should not be understood as murder. The same applies to a mother and a fetus. In this day in age, where women have become prominent figures in society, it is unfair to force women to put their life on hold for a baby that they do not want. Although an abortion ends with death of a fetus, it is not an unjustified …show more content…
The rape situation is usually seen as a permissible reason for an abortion, even occasionally on the prolife side. However, Noonan argues that this exception should not be granted because it leaves open the door to other exceptions, such as a failure in contraception or an unwanted pregnancy (6. Noonan, CC 191). He believes if the woman is able to recover from the trauma, adoption in this sickening case is a more humane solution than abortion. Noonan contends emotional distress, in any case, for a mother is not an adequate reason to kill a fetus. The fetus did not choose to come be born, nor does it wish any harm or distress it may cause. Typically in these cases (unwanted or accidental pregnancies), the parents’ feelings are prioritized over the life of the fetus because they are unwilling to face the extra burdens that come with having a
TA: Ben Sheredos
Section: A06
Prof. G. Doppelt
PART A The debate on abortion is primarily made up of two sides: prolife and prochoice. The prolife side’s main argument is that the fetus is a person and therefore has a right to life. Judith Thomson addresses this argument in her paper, “A Defense of Abortion,” by giving a hypothetical sick violinist example. In this example, kidnappers abduct a healthy stranger and, after rendering him unconscious, performs a surgery to “connect” the healthy stranger to the famous ailing violinist (1. Thomson, CC 153). This violinist has a fatal kidney condition and, if detached from the healthy stranger, the violinist will die. Once the stranger awakens from surgery, he is told …show more content…
However, another aspect that complicates the debate is that an abortion can be interpreted as the killing of a fetus, or person. Thomson claims that a killing is unjust if it violates the right to life, and in the case of abortion, the right to life is not violated (3. Thomson, CC 157). Referring back to the example, if the stranger were to disconnect himself, he would essentially be killing the violinist. But would this be considered an unjustified killing, or even murder? Since the stranger was never morally responsible to provide the violinist with his body, would it then be fair to say that the stranger murdered the violinist? The answer to this must be no. Although it would have been altruistic if the stranger chose to remain connected to the violinist, it is not the stranger’s obligation to do so. Refusing to have your life imposed on should not be understood as murder. The same applies to a mother and a fetus. In this day in age, where women have become prominent figures in society, it is unfair to force women to put their life on hold for a baby that they do not want. Although an abortion ends with death of a fetus, it is not an unjustified …show more content…
The rape situation is usually seen as a permissible reason for an abortion, even occasionally on the prolife side. However, Noonan argues that this exception should not be granted because it leaves open the door to other exceptions, such as a failure in contraception or an unwanted pregnancy (6. Noonan, CC 191). He believes if the woman is able to recover from the trauma, adoption in this sickening case is a more humane solution than abortion. Noonan contends emotional distress, in any case, for a mother is not an adequate reason to kill a fetus. The fetus did not choose to come be born, nor does it wish any harm or distress it may cause. Typically in these cases (unwanted or accidental pregnancies), the parents’ feelings are prioritized over the life of the fetus because they are unwilling to face the extra burdens that come with having a