Preview

Judith Jarvis Thompson's Defense Of Abortion

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
462 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Judith Jarvis Thompson's Defense Of Abortion
Every individual is entitled to basic inalienable rights to life liberty and property . In particular , one 's basic right to life is manifested not simply on one 's ability to subsist but to live a meaningful life . This is by being able to develop oneself to the fullest , to enhance one 's skills and talents , and to nurture oneself with comfort , security and enjoyment in every aspect of living as much as possible

Because of the said basic right to life , it is a generally accepted

br principle that abortion is impermissible to many society and thus , it is viewed to be an immoral act . Abortion pertains to the willful killing of a human fetus through its removal from the maternal womb before its actual birth ( Abortion ' 26 …show more content…
To cause a fetus ' death through abortion is morally wrong since it violates one of the basic rights of an already considered person , that is , the right to life of the fetus

In Judith Jarvis Thompson 's A Defense of Abortion ' a different view of abortion is presented (47 . She contends that even if it is to be perceived that a fetus is a person worthy of the basic right to life still , it does not follow that abortion must be condemned just for that reason of the latter 's right to life . She asserted that abortion involves another individual , and another life for that matter . This means that the mother -her right to life and to her body- must also be considered

The right to abort or not to abort is anchored on the decision of the mother as the bearer of another life , that is , the fetus . It is in her whom the right to nurture or not to nurture a fetus belongs . It is her choice whether to continually be plugged ' or to unplugged ' herself from the fetus in her womb (Thompson
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Judith Jarvis Thomson: a Defense of Abortion Essay Example
    • 1957 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Judith Jarvis Thomson: a Defense of Abortion Essay Example

    The goal of Judith Jarvis Thomson in her defense of abortion is to sway the ideas of those who are against abortion by challenging the arguments they give for thinking so. She begins by stating a premise. “For the sake of the argument” a human embryo is a person. This premise is one of the arguments most opponents of abortion use, but as she points out, isn’t much of an argument at all. These people spend a lot of their time dwelling on the fact that the fetus is a person and hardly any time explaining how the fetus being a person has anything to with abortion being impermissible. In the same breath, she states that those who agree with abortion spend a lot of their time saying the fetus is in fact not a person. Either way, no argument is really formed. No reasons are given. For sake of challenging an actual argument, she is disregarding this issue. With this premise out of the way, she addresses the basic argument the pro-choice campaign believes. “Every person has a right to life. So the fetus has a right to life. No doubt the mother has a right to decide what shall happen in and to her body; everyone would grant that. But surely a person’s right to life is stronger and more stringent than the mother’s right to decide what happens in and to her body, and so outweighs it. So the fetus may not be killed; an abortion may not be performed.” The remainder of her paper is a series of analogies meant to challenge the basic argument mention above. When looking at the analogies separately, they are in no way related to the abortion topic, but the conclusions drawn from each can be applied. Because these examples aren’t directly related to the debate, our emotions won’t necessarily be involved and we can clearly think about what is the “right” thing to do for each specific scenario.…

    • 1957 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Defense Of Abortion By Judith Jarvis Thomson
    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A Defense Of Abortion By Judith Jarvis Thomson

    After reading “A defense of Abortion” by Judith Jarvis Thomson and what he had to say with his violinist analogy involving the kidney replacement. I agree with what he has to say on not only abortion itself but, whether or not a fetus should have the right to the women’s body. I don’t think that the fetus should be given the right to use the women’s body because what if she does not what to have a baby and ends up getting pregnant anyway. Also, each time a woman engages in sexual intercourse, she is not inviting the fetus to live inside her body. This is why birth control and other contraceptives are not a sure deal when dealing with sexual intercourse. What if the birth control method fails and the women end's up getting pregnant? She did…

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Judith Thompson Abortion Analysis
    • 354 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Judith Thompson Abortion Analysis

    The statement "defense of abortion", gives us an another view to a problem of abortion. Mostly, Judith Jarvis Thompson protects pro-choice side, and she says that abortion is not immoral, and that it is logically correct action. However there are a lot of anti-abortion philosophers who are not agree with it. So Judith Thompson gives an arguments to proof her sides correctness. She says that mother has all rights to do anything with her body and things in her body. Judith Jarvis Thompson also believes that fetuses are not persons, and killing them is not immoral. However she says that there are also situations, when abortion is incorrect. Also she gave 3 main thought experiments to get another point of view to abortion.…

    • 354 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Marquis's Arguments Against Abortion
    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Marquis's Arguments Against Abortion

    That a fetus has the right not to be killed unjustly, not not be killed, and the right to life, but not whatever it takes to sustain that life (such as in the example of the kidney donor), and this is an important distinction. This view protects the rights of the fetus, but also protects the rights and autonomy of the mother. Further, it recognizes that some rights are stronger than other rights, giving the mother the proper moral rights as not only a fully realized person, but one that would have to give the fetus life as well. Due to these reasons, I find Thompson’s argument as to why abortion is morally permissible the most…

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    goodwill
    • 1161 Words
    • 5 Pages

    goodwill

    For the same reason, Thomson says, abortion does not violate the fetus' right to life but merely deprives the fetus of something—the use of the pregnant woman's body—to which it has no right. Thus, it is not that by terminating her pregnancy a woman violates her moral obligations, but rather that a woman who carries the fetus to term is a 'Good Samaritan' who goes beyond her obligations…

    • 1161 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Annotated Bibliography
    • 1263 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Annotated Bibliography

    Marquis, Don. "Why Abortion Is Immoral." Journal of Philosophy 86 (1989): 183-202. Print. This journal is written by a philospher by the name of Don Marquis. While this document is quit outdated it still plays an important role in today 's debate about abortion. It is used by pro-life activists when debating the reasons why they feel abortion is immoral. This journal is long and filled with great ideas to ponder about life, its meaning and signifigance to the world. Marquis has etched his name with this written journal in the never ending debate of wether abortion is right or wrong. I think this piece will be valuable to my essay in that it will give my audience a deeper perception than the current idea that abortion should be a womens choice.…

    • 1263 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Warren's Argument On Abortion
    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Warren's Argument On Abortion

    Warren’s thesis is that fetuses are not persons and since only persons have full moral rights and person-like beings have a right to life in particular, fetuses do not have a right to life. She argues that fetuses are not persons because they lack the basic qualifying traits of personhood or moral humanity. She also believes that the rights of persons will always override the rights of potential persons and that there should be no restrictions on when an abortion must occur by. Her argument is a direct response to Noonan’s thesis which is that fetuses are humans and therefore have human rights.…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Against Abortion Satire
    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Against Abortion Satire

    Abortion goes against any idea of the sanctity of human ways. It ends up taking away an innocent child’s life; someone that never got the chance to experience the beautiful ways of the world. No civilized society permits one human to intentionally harm or take the life of another human without punishment, and abortion is no different.…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Pro Choice or Pro Life?
    • 1905 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Pro Choice or Pro Life?

     Human life begins at conception. Therefore, abortion is murder, which is universally condemned and prohibited. It is not considered a matter of individual moral judgment.…

    • 1905 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Morality Of Abortion: Pro Life
    • 2388 Words
    • 10 Pages

    The Morality Of Abortion: Pro Life

    Death is morally wrong according to American ethics and values so is the killing of unborn fetuses morally wrong as well? A fetus is considered a human life because life begins at the moment of conception. Abortions are painful, inhumane, and dangerous for the child, the mother, and the mother 's health. Women should not have an abortion because it is an act of taking human life, can result in medical complications later in life, and to complete the process the mother and her baby must go through horrific procedures.…

    • 2388 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Brief Review Of The Morality Of Abortion By Thomson
    • 231 Words
    • 1 Page

    A Brief Review Of The Morality Of Abortion By Thomson

    Based on different ideas and analyses of two presentations on the topic of the morality of abortion, it is clear that the views by Thomson are superior to those of Marquis because she states that a woman does not have a moral obligation to care for another person as stated in her violinist thought experiment. As Thomson illustrates, a mother does not have a duty to carry an unborn baby, especially in the case of rape, since the child came from an involuntary sexual act. Thomson argues that the right to life does not guarantee the use of another person’s body against their will (RT, 120). I don't agree with Marquis' argument because of the objection is given to his argument, stating that the issue with abortion is the end of a future for the…

    • 231 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Jean Thomson Abortion Rhetorical Analysis
    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Jean Thomson Abortion Rhetorical Analysis

    Thompson feels that its false. In her first thought experiment, she goes on talk about how one day you just wake up in the hospital with a famous violinist attached to your kidneys, and he needs the use of your kidneys for nine months. You have to keep in mind that every person has a right to life and so the violinist has a right to life so it would be impressionable to unplug the violinist. You also have a right to bodily integrity which trumps a right to life. This example shows us that there are some cases in which abortion is morally permissible. This analogy about a pregnancy that resulted from a…

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rick Perry's Arguments Against Abortion
    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Rick Perry's Arguments Against Abortion

    Personally, I think that any form of abortion is tantamount to murder, and should never be permitted. This article only brings to my attention that women who wish to have abortions are only concerned for themselves, as the argument is based upon the health of the woman. Although the author’s argument may be valid concerning some facets of the issue, I believe the focus of the subject should shift from the mother to the living creature inside and its right to…

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Thomson vs. Marquis: Abortion
    • 1756 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Thomson vs. Marquis: Abortion

    The question between whether abortion is morally right or wrong has been talked about for years and no common ground has been made. Judith Thomson, a believer in Pro-choice, argues that abortion is not wrong because the mother should have a choice of what happens to her body. In response to this, Donald Marquis who is against abortion believes every fetus is a human with a right to have a future like ours. Each Ethicist gives examples and theories as to why abortion is wrong or right. In this essay, I will attempt to show that abortion is okay in some cases, and Donald Marquis’s views and arguments are broad and incorrect.…

    • 1756 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Apologetics on Abortion
    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Apologetics on Abortion

    Nearly 1.1 babies in the U.S are killed every year (Abortion Facts). Imagine the reason for this. Many people do not realize that the cause of this is abortion. According to American Heritage’s definition of abortion, an abortion is the deliberate termination of a pregnancy, usually before the embryo or fetus is capable of independent life. The Catholic Church has long held the view that abortion is not only immoral but also the deliberate killing of life at the moment of conception.…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics