Thomson Handout 1 
Thomson
1. What is the standard argument against abortion that Thomson is responding to?
The standard argument that Thomson is making I that a fetus is a human from the moment it is conceived. That people say to view how humans are made in which includes the process of conception that is said to be human then it must be true.
2. What is the point of the acorn and the oak tree example?
That the acorn in an oak tree does not mean that acorns come from oak trees or that we can say what they actually are.
3. What is the example of the famous violinist supposed to show?
That the decision to unplug the violinist from you is not as strong as it would for the right to life.
4. If we grant that a fetus is a person and thus has a right to life, why can’t we allow for abortions in cases of rape or incest?
It’d is not the fetus fault that it was brought into this world AMD Shuman is a human that has the right to live no matter what the cause of its existence seems to be.
5. What is the “extreme view”?
The extreme view consists if the mother is going to die with the pregnancy if she doesn’t get an abortion what would one do is to not kill the fetus because it has the right to live and so does the mother but in this case one must prefer to let someone die thin to kill someone innocent do an abortion should not be performed.
6. What are the arguments for the extreme view that Thomson considers?
She considers the view that the right for the mother to live is just as equal as for the fetus to be born. Also, he considers, if an action is to be made, killing someone would be murder.
7. How does Thomson show that the 2nd of the arguments (p. 91) is unsound?
It is unsound due to the fact that the woman is dying and it is wrong to let herself die and adding that it is wrong to murder an innocent fetus. The mother may want to save herself which is saving a life as well.
8. What is Thomson’s argument against the extreme view?
She goes off to say that the
1. What is the standard argument against abortion that Thomson is responding to?
The standard argument that Thomson is making I that a fetus is a human from the moment it is conceived. That people say to view how humans are made in which includes the process of conception that is said to be human then it must be true.
2. What is the point of the acorn and the oak tree example?
That the acorn in an oak tree does not mean that acorns come from oak trees or that we can say what they actually are.
3. What is the example of the famous violinist supposed to show?
That the decision to unplug the violinist from you is not as strong as it would for the right to life.
4. If we grant that a fetus is a person and thus has a right to life, why can’t we allow for abortions in cases of rape or incest?
It’d is not the fetus fault that it was brought into this world AMD Shuman is a human that has the right to live no matter what the cause of its existence seems to be.
5. What is the “extreme view”?
The extreme view consists if the mother is going to die with the pregnancy if she doesn’t get an abortion what would one do is to not kill the fetus because it has the right to live and so does the mother but in this case one must prefer to let someone die thin to kill someone innocent do an abortion should not be performed.
6. What are the arguments for the extreme view that Thomson considers?
She considers the view that the right for the mother to live is just as equal as for the fetus to be born. Also, he considers, if an action is to be made, killing someone would be murder.
7. How does Thomson show that the 2nd of the arguments (p. 91) is unsound?
It is unsound due to the fact that the woman is dying and it is wrong to let herself die and adding that it is wrong to murder an innocent fetus. The mother may want to save herself which is saving a life as well.
8. What is Thomson’s argument against the extreme view?
She goes off to say that the