Question

Write a reply to this response in three to five sentences.

After reading both Marquis and Thomson's views, I find Thomson's argument to be stronger. If Marquis is correct about his view on why killing a fetus is wrong, then that is important. Just because it is important, doesn't mean it outweighs another important view. According to Marquis, the fetus had so much potential, and by killing it, it would strip away all of the possibilities their life would bring. Thomson makes a great point about the mother having the right to make decisions for her own health and body. If there is a situation where a mother could possibly die from her pregnancy, then she should have the right to choose her own life. The scenario about rape that is discussed would be another example of a permissible abortion if the woman were to result in becoming pregnant. The mother was alive with the right to her body before the fetus, and if she were to become pregnant or have harm to her body or life against her will, then she should have the right to make any decision she wishes. High risk pregnancies, for example, could possibly result in taking both the fetus and the mother's life. If the mother can't abort the baby to save her own life because there is a small potential for the baby to have a thriving life, then there is a huge risk to lose two lives. That particular scenario is why I feel that Thomson's opinion outweighs Marquis'.

Lee and George view intended death as not being appropriately permissible. The bodily rights argument discussed would show that the mother has the right to not allow the fetus to use her body to live. The examples used for a permissible abortion included cancer and ectopic pregnancies. In these cases, the mother would surely die if the fetus is not aborted. The main point that I gathered from the reading was that they are in favor of the least harm done. These would classified as non-intentional killing. All intended abortions was be impermissible in Lee and George's opinion because they view the parents as having the duty to forfeit their needs or wants for their children. Because they do see some scenario's as acceptable to abort, Marquis' opinion clashes. Thomson's view's are similar in that there are some morally permissible exceptions to abortion, but they are for different reasons. Thomson would say that if the mother's didn't have a choice over the situation, then she should be able to choose abortion if she sees fit. Whereas Lee and George would say that it is only acceptable in a scenario where it is for the greater good with the least amount of harm caused.

Works Cited

Lee, Patrick and Robert George. "The Wrong of Abortion." In Contemporary Debates in Applied Ethics. Edited by Andrew I. Cohen and Christopher Wellman (New York: Blackwell Publishers, 2005)

Marquis, Don. "Why Abortion Is Immoral." Journal of Philosophy. LXXXVI, 4 (April 1989) 183-202. Reprinted in Bioethics: Principles, Issues, and Cases. 3rd Edition. Edited by Lewis Vaughn. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.

Thomson, Judith Jarvis. "A Defense of Abortion." Philosophy and Public Affairs. Vol. 1 no. 1 (Fall 1971). Reprinted in Bioethics: Principles, Issues, and Cases. 3rd Edition. Edited by Lewis Vaughn. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.